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You’ll get an API key, pick an API, and run one call. The rest of the docs build on this.

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Make your first call

1

Get an API key

Sign in at platform.opper.ai and create a key. Each key belongs to one project, so make a new project for each app or environment.Calls draw from your account balance, so add credits under Billing before your first call.Put the key in your shell:
export OPPER_API_KEY="your-api-key"
2

Run your first call

Point your SDK at the gateway and make a call. Here it is with the OpenAI SDK — the same base-URL trick works with the Anthropic and Google AI SDKs too.
import os
from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    base_url="https://api.opper.ai/v3/compat",
    api_key=os.environ["OPPER_API_KEY"],
)

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="openai/gpt-5-mini",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}],
)
print(response.choices[0].message.content)
The same trick works with the Anthropic and Google AI SDKs. See Drop-in SDKs for all three. Want typed JSON back instead of free text? Add response_format — see Structured output.
3

See it in the platform

Open platform.opper.ai and click into the most recent trace. You’ll see your call, the model that ran it, the cost, the latency, and any Control Plane rules that fired.

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What to do next

Build on Opper

A short guide to text, multimodal, and voice.

Models

Browse the 300+ models Opper supports and how to call them.

Drop-in SDKs

Use the OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google AI SDK against Opper.

Control Plane

Observe, route, and guard everything you build.