This guide takes you from a blank screen to your first successful request to OpenAI / Claude / Gemini through RuAPI.
Base URL — in your client this is the only thing you swap (click the icon at the top-right of each box to copy):OpenAI-compatible · Cursor / Cline / Codex / OpenAI SDK — with /v1Anthropic · Claude Code / Anthropic SDK — without /v1⚠️ The Anthropic endpoint takes no /v1 — the SDK appends /v1/messages itself, so an extra /v1 returns 404.
Step 1. Sign up
Open www.ruapi.ai and click Sign up.
Enter email, password and the verification code that arrives in your inbox.
Didn’t get the email? Check your Spam folder. Still nothing — write to
[email protected].
Step 2. Top up (USDT / USDC or card)
Once logged in, go to Wallet and pick an amount to top up.
Minimum is $5, in USDT / USDC or by card.
Send USDT or USDC only via the network you selected on the payment page
(TRC20 / BEP20 / Polygon). Sending via a different network will result in
permanent loss of funds.
After the on-chain transaction is confirmed (typically 1–5 minutes), your balance updates automatically.
Step 3. Create an API key
In the Console, go to Tokens → Create token.
- Name: anything for your own reference, e.g.
local-dev.
- Expiry: leave it as “Never” unless you have a reason not to.
- Spend limit: you can cap the token at a USD amount.
Copy the resulting key — it starts with sk-.... Save it somewhere safe; if you need it again later, you can view the full key again from the Tokens page in the Console.
Step 4. Base URL (base_url)
RuAPI supports two protocols, and the address differs between them — this is the #1 thing people get wrong:
For Anthropic, do not append /v1 to the URL. The SDK adds /v1/messages
itself, and an extra /v1 results in a 404. See the
Claude Code and Codex guides.
Step 5. First request
Example for the OpenAI-compatible protocol — use any OpenAI SDK you like and just swap the base_url:
Step 6. Switch models
To switch to another model, change only the model parameter:
The full list of available models is on the Pricing page at www.ruapi.ai.
What’s next