API Integration Quick Start

Before You Start

Account Usage NoticeAccount registration is for API technical integration testing and enterprise system integration. The test credits ($0.05) provided to new accounts are only for:

API connectivity verification
Development debugging and technical testing
Pre-integration functionality verification

Not intended for production environments or public-facing content delivery services.

Get started with LaoZhang API in just 5 minutes. This guide shows how to:

Access 200+ AI models through a single unified API
Use existing OpenAI SDK with minimal code changes
Integrate with flexible payment options

Step 1: Create Account and Add Credits

Create Account

Visit LaoZhang API to create your accountNew accounts receive $0.05 test credits for API connectivity verification

Verify Email

Enter your email address
Create a secure password (8+ characters)
Verify your email via the confirmation link

Access Console

Account balance with test credits
Usage statistics and history
API key management

Add Credits

Online Payment
Cryptocurrency (USDT)
Enterprise

Navigate to billing page
Select your preferred amount
Complete payment
Credits available instantly

Credit Information:

Test credits for connectivity verification
Instant credit delivery after payment
Enterprise inquiries: support@laozhang.ai

Step 2: Get Your API Key

Generate Your API Key

Use Default Key (Quickest)
Create Custom Key

Navigate to Token Management
Locate your Default Token
Click Copy to clipboard

Advantage: Pre-configured and ready to use immediately

Click Create New Token button
Name your key (e.g., production-api, development-test)
Optionally set spending limits for budget control
Click Generate

Advantage: Better organization for multiple projects or environments

Security Best Practices:

API keys are shown only once - save securely immediately
Never commit keys to version control (use .gitignore)
Store keys in environment variables
Rotate keys periodically for enhanced security

Step 3: Make Your First API Call

Test Your Integration

Online Playground (Recommended)
cURL Command

Test instantly in the API Playground:

Select a model (e.g., gpt-4o-mini)
Enter a test prompt: “Hello, introduce yourself”
Click Send

No code required - verify your setup works before integrating

# Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual key
curl -X POST https://api.laozhang.ai/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "model": "gpt-4o-mini",
    "messages": [
      {"role": "system", "content": "You are a helpful AI assistant"},
      {"role": "user", "content": "What can you help me with?"}
    ]
  }'

Typical response time: < 500ms

Integration Configuration

Remember These Three Things

# API Base URL
base_url: https://api.laozhang.ai/v1

# API Key (starts with sk-)
api_key: sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

# Model Name (plug and play)
model: gpt-4.1-mini  # or claude-sonnet-4-20250514, etc.

Complete Examples in Different Languages

Python (Most Common)
Node.js / TypeScript
Curl / Command Line

# Install: pip install openai
from openai import OpenAI

# Initialize client
client = OpenAI(
    api_key="Your API Key",  # Get from LaoZhang API
    base_url="https://api.laozhang.ai/v1"  # Integration URL
)

# Examples of calling different models
def test_models():
    models = [
        "gpt-4.1-mini",  # Best value
        "claude-sonnet-4-20250514",  # Best for coding
        "deepseek-v3"  # Best Chinese model
    ]

    for model in models:
        try:
            response = client.chat.completions.create(
                model=model,
                messages=[
                    {"role": "system", "content": "You are a helpful AI assistant"},
                    {"role": "user", "content": "Introduce yourself in one sentence"}
                ],
                temperature=0.7,
                max_tokens=100
            )
            print(f"{model}: {response.choices[0].message.content}")
            print(f"Tokens used: {response.usage.total_tokens}\n")
        except Exception as e:
            print(f"{model} call failed: {e}\n")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    test_models()

Best Practice: Store API key in environment variables

import os
client = OpenAI(
    api_key=os.getenv("LAOZHANG_API_KEY"),
    base_url="https://api.laozhang.ai/v1"
)

// Install: npm install openai
import OpenAI from 'openai';

// Initialize client
const client = new OpenAI({
  apiKey: process.env.LAOZHANG_API_KEY || 'Your API Key',
  baseURL: 'https://api.laozhang.ai/v1'
});

// Streaming output example (real-time response)
async function streamChat() {
  const stream = await client.chat.completions.create({
    model: 'gpt-4.1-mini',
    messages: [
      { role: 'system', content: 'You are a helpful AI assistant' },
      { role: 'user', content: 'Please write a simple React component' }
    ],
    stream: true,  // Enable streaming
    temperature: 0.7
  });

  // Output word by word
  for await (const chunk of stream) {
    process.stdout.write(chunk.choices[0]?.delta?.content || '');
  }
}

// Concurrent calls to multiple models
async function compareModels(prompt) {
  const models = ['gpt-4.1', 'claude-sonnet-4-20250514', 'gemini-2.5-pro'];

  const promises = models.map(model =>
    client.chat.completions.create({
      model,
      messages: [{ role: 'user', content: prompt }],
      max_tokens: 100
    })
  );

  const results = await Promise.all(promises);
  results.forEach((result, index) => {
    console.log(`\n${models[index]}:\n${result.choices[0].message.content}`);
  });
}

// Run examples
streamChat().catch(console.error);

# Basic call
curl -X POST https://api.laozhang.ai/v1/chat/completions -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"model": "gpt-4.1-mini", "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}]}'

# Streaming output (SSE)
curl -X POST https://api.laozhang.ai/v1/chat/completions -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"model": "gpt-4.1", "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Write a Python quicksort"}], "stream": true}'

# Image generation
curl -X POST https://api.laozhang.ai/v1/images/generations -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"model": "gpt-4o-image", "prompt": "A cute kitten", "n": 1, "size": "1024x1024"}'

Next Steps

Congratulations! You’ve successfully integrated LaoZhang API. Next you can:

View API Documentation

Learn about complete API interface documentation

Explore Model List

View all supported AI models

Integrate into Apps

Integrate LaoZhang API into various tools

View Usage Statistics

Monitor usage in console

Common Questions Quick Reference

How to tell if integration is successful?

Three signs:

API call returns normal results (no errors)
Response time under 1 second
Can see call records in console

View call records: Usage Logs

How to choose the right model?

Choose by scenario:Programming Development:

First choice: claude-sonnet-4-20250514
Alternative: deepseek-coder-v3

Article Writing:

First choice: gpt-4o
Alternative: claude-3.5-sonnet

Quick Response:

First choice: gpt-4.1-mini
Alternative: gemini-2.5-flash

Cost Sensitive:

First choice: deepseek-v3
Alternative: qwen-max

What if my API key is leaked?

Immediate actions:

Go to Token Management
Revoke the compromised key immediately
Generate a new API key
Update the key in all your applications

Prevention measures:

Always use environment variables
Never hardcode keys in source code
Set spending limits per key
Rotate keys every 90 days

What happens when credits run out?

Options available:

Add credits to your account via the billing page
Switch to more cost-effective models (e.g., gpt-4o-mini, gemini-flash)
Optimize your usage with max_tokens limits

Cost management tips:

Monitor usage in the console dashboard
Set budget alerts
Use streaming for better user experience

What payment methods are supported?

Payment options:

Credit/debit cards
Cryptocurrency (USDT on TRC20, Solana)
Wire transfer for enterprise accounts

Enterprise users: Contact support@laozhang.ai for invoicing and contract options.

Tip: Save your API key properly and check usage logs in the console regularly. Every request has message history for reasonable cost optimization.

Getting Started

Core API

Text APIs

Video Generation APIs

Image Generation APIs

AI Understanding

API Integration Quick Start

Before You Start

Step 1: Create Account and Add Credits

Create Account

Add Credits

Step 2: Get Your API Key

Generate Your API Key

Step 3: Make Your First API Call

Test Your Integration

Integration Configuration

Remember These Three Things

Complete Examples in Different Languages

Next Steps

View API Documentation

Explore Model List

Integrate into Apps

View Usage Statistics

Common Questions Quick Reference

Getting Started

Core API

Text APIs

Video Generation APIs

Image Generation APIs

AI Understanding

​Before You Start

​Step 1: Create Account and Add Credits

​Create Account

​Add Credits

​Step 2: Get Your API Key

​Generate Your API Key

​Step 3: Make Your First API Call

​Test Your Integration

​Integration Configuration

Remember These Three Things

​Complete Examples in Different Languages

​Next Steps

View API Documentation

Explore Model List

Integrate into Apps

View Usage Statistics

​Common Questions Quick Reference

Before You Start

Step 1: Create Account and Add Credits

Create Account

Add Credits

Step 2: Get Your API Key

Generate Your API Key

Step 3: Make Your First API Call

Test Your Integration

Integration Configuration

Complete Examples in Different Languages

Next Steps

Common Questions Quick Reference