Build once.
Keep your options open.

01 / Connect

Your first request

Set the base URL to http://localhost:8788/v1, supply your RouterCore API key, and use a model enabled for your deployment. A working gateway and configured provider are required; local development can use the mock backend.

import os
from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    base_url="http://localhost:8788/v1",
    api_key=os.environ["ROUTERCORE_API_KEY"],
)

resp = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}],
)
print(resp.choices[0].message.content)

02 / Authenticate

One key for your integration

Send your key as a bearer token. Keys are shown once when created: store the secret securely and use environment variables in your application.

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ROUTERCORE_KEY

Create and revoke keys in the console during an approved pilot. Request early access to discuss your integration; this public website does not issue API keys.

03 / Choose

Start with a model ID

Use a provider-qualified identifier from the prototype catalog. Catalog metadata describes context windows, capabilities and reference rates; it does not guarantee that a provider is configured or a model is enabled for your key.

openai/gpt-5-mini
anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6
google/gemini-2.5-pro

The gateway’s GET /v1/models endpoint exposes model metadata for your integration. RouterCore virtual models and cross-provider routing remain subject to the product’s engineering milestones.

04 / Handle

Errors you can trace

Errors use a consistent envelope with a status code, type, message, provider and request ID. Keep the X-Request-Id response header when investigating a failed call.

{
  "error": {
    "code": 401,
    "type": "authentication_error",
    "message": "Missing API key.",
    "provider": null,
    "request_id": "00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000001"
  }
}

Illustrative error envelope.

• 400 — invalid request
• 401 — missing or invalid key
• 402 — insufficient credits
• 429 — configured usage limit reached
• 502–504 — provider failure or timeout

05 / Control

Make usage intentional

The existing preview includes key and organization spend limits. Review the configuration for your deployment before sending traffic. Broader project budgets, fail-closed policy evaluation and production rate limiting each have their own review gates.

06 / Know the boundaries

A foundation in progress

This documentation describes a development preview. Provider abstraction, policy, usage reconciliation, billing and security must pass the agreed milestones before controlled external production traffic.

Regional data planes, private inference, enterprise identity and intelligent routing are later milestones. The status page is an illustrative design preview, not a live operational feed.