---
title: Quickstart
url: https://runapi.ai/docs/guides/quickstart.md
canonical: https://runapi.ai/docs/guides/quickstart
locale: en
---

# Quickstart

Start with one authenticated request, then continue with the Guide for
the API family your application needs.

## Before you start

Create a RunAPI account and choose an account with available usage.
Server-side applications should read credentials from a secret manager
or environment variable.

## Create an API key

Create a standard API key from the [API Keys page](/api_keys). Copy the
key when it is shown and store it securely. Send it as a bearer token on
every Task API, LLM API, and account request.

```http
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN
```

## Verify your connection

Request the balance for the account associated with the key:

```shell
curl "https://runapi.ai/api/v1/me/balance" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN"
```

A `200 OK` response confirms that the base URL and API key are valid. A
`401 Unauthorized` response means the key is missing, malformed,
revoked, or invalid.

## Choose an API family

* Use the Task API for asynchronous image, video, audio, and music
  generation. Your application creates a Task and observes it until
  `completed` or `failed`.
* Use the LLM API for synchronous or streaming language-model calls
  through a supported public protocol.
* Use Platform Management to create and govern API keys and guardrails
  with a separate management key.

## Prepare for production

Use separate keys for development and production, set application
timeouts, retry only transient failures, and record RunAPI request or
Task identifiers in your logs. Never expose a key in browser code or a
public repository.