Can I use the OpenAI SDK with an AIWave key?

Yes. The authentication scheme is identical. Set api_key to your AIWave key and base_url to https://aiwave.live/v1 and the official OpenAI SDKs work unchanged.

What happens if my API key leaks?

Revoke it in the console immediately and issue a replacement. Use separate keys per environment so revoking one does not break the others.

Authentication

Q: Do I need a Chinese phone number to get an API key?

No. You can create an AIWave account with email or GitHub. No Chinese phone number, real-name verification or Alipay account is required.

The AIWave API authenticates with a bearer token in the Authorization header — the same scheme the OpenAI API uses. Any OpenAI-compatible client library therefore authenticates correctly with no code change beyond the base URL.

Getting an API key

Create an account in the console using email or GitHub. No Chinese phone number, real-name verification or Alipay account is required — that is the entire reason this gateway exists. Keys are issued instantly and draw on a single USD balance shared across every model.

Sending the header

curl https://aiwave.live/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk-YOUR_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "model": "deepseek-v4-pro",
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}]
  }'

With the official SDKs

The openai-python and openai-node SDKs both accept the key and base URL as constructor arguments.

import os
from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    api_key=os.environ["AIWAVE_API_KEY"],
    base_url="https://aiwave.live/v1",
)

import OpenAI from "openai";

const client = new OpenAI({
  apiKey: process.env.AIWAVE_API_KEY,
  baseURL: "https://aiwave.live/v1",
});

Keeping keys safe

Read the key from an environment variable. Never commit it, and never ship it in browser JavaScript — anything in front-end code is public.
Route browser traffic through your own backend so the key stays server-side.
Issue separate keys per environment so you can revoke one without breaking the others.
Rotate a key immediately if it appears in a log, a screenshot or a public repository.

What a failed auth looks like

A missing or invalid key returns 401; a valid key without access to the requested model returns 403. Both use the standard error envelope described in error codes.

{
  "error": {
    "message": "Invalid API key",
    "type": "invalid_request_error",
    "code": "invalid_api_key"
  }
}