ChatGPT, an AI-powered chatbot developed by OpenAI, has gained popularity for its ability to assist users with tasks and provide conversational responses. OpenAI has recently introduced the ChatGPT API, allowing developers to seamlessly integrate the capabilities of GPT into their applications, systems, or platforms. In this article, I help you on obtaining a ChatGPT API key and how to set up the openAI API to use this powerful tool.
ChatGPT openAI free API setup and API key

Did you really not hear about chatGPT yet? It is okay if you didn’t (no really, have you been living under a rock?) For those who need it, I will try not to judge, here is a short recap on what chatGPT is and can do. ChatGPT, the AI language model that can converse like a human? To make the most of ChatGPT and seamlessly incorporate it into your applications, understanding and setting up the OpenAI API is key. In this guide I will walk you through the process, ensuring you’re equipped to embark on this AI adventure!
I’ll start by introducing you to ChatGPT and the OpenAI API, explaining how they work together to make AI-driven applications possible. Then, we’ll take a step-by-step journey together to create your own OpenAI account, generate an API key, and ensure its security.
But that’s not all! I’ll also share some expert tips for managing your API key effectively. You’ll learn the importance of keeping it confidential, only allowing access to trusted applications, and monitoring your API usage. By following these tips, you’ll not only keep your API key safe but also make the most of its capabilities for your projects.
Whether you’re a coding wizard or just dipping your toes into the world of AI, this article has got you covered. So, grab a cup of coffee, put on your learning hat, and get ready to use the full potential of ChatGPT. Together, we’ll revolutionize the way we interact with AI-powered applications, making them smarter, more intuitive, and downright incredible. Let’s dive in!
How to use ChatGPT with VPN

OpenAI has recently banned the use of VPNs set to a different country than your actual location. If you want to use a VPN, make sure it matches your physical location. This measure ensures fair and compliant usage of the OpenAI services, maintaining a level playing field for all users. By following this updated VPN policy, you help promote responsible and ethical AI usage, contributing to a positive AI community. Let’s use AI technology for the greater good!
What is the OpenAI API?

So, what exactly is this OpenAI API everyone’s talking about? Think of it as the magical portal that connects you to the extraordinary world of ChatGPT. The OpenAI API is like a bridge that allows developers to access ChatGPT’s mind-blowing language capabilities and incorporate them into their own applications. It’s like having a super-smart assistant that can understand and generate human-like text, helping you create chatbots that converse with users, improve customer support experiences, and so much more. With the OpenAI API, the power of ChatGPT is at your fingertips, empowering you to bring your wildest AI-powered ideas to life. It’s time to open that door and explore a whole new realm of possibilities! Janitor AI is one of the popular apps that you can connect to the openAI API.
Why do you need the openAI API key?
Well, think of it as the secret handshake that grants you access to the OpenAI API club. An API key is like a special pass that authenticates and identifies you as a trusted user. With an API key, you gain the privilege to interact with ChatGPT through the OpenAI API and unlock a world of possibilities.
Remember, an API key is more than just a bunch of characters—it’s your ticket to AI-powered awesomeness. So, keep it safe, guard it like a treasure, and get ready to use the full potential of ChatGPT through the OpenAI API!
Create an OpenAI account

Creating an OpenAI account is the first exciting step towards using the power of ChatGPT through the OpenAI API. You can sign-up via a Google-, Microsoft-, Apple account or follow these simple steps to get started:
- Visit the OpenAI website: Go to the OpenAI website using your preferred web browser.
- Sign up for an account: Look for the “Sign Up” or “Get Started” button on the OpenAI homepage and click on it. You’ll be directed to the account creation page.
- Provide your details: Fill out the necessary information in the account creation form. This typically includes your name, email address, and a secure password. Make sure to use a strong password to protect your account.
- Agree to terms and conditions: Read and accept OpenAI’s terms of service, as well as any additional policies or agreements that may be presented during the account creation process.
- Verify your email: OpenAI will send a verification email to the address you provided during sign-up. Check your inbox and click on the verification link to confirm your email address.
- Complete the account setup: Once your email is verified, you may be asked to provide additional details or complete any remaining setup steps specific to your OpenAI account. Follow the prompts and instructions provided on the screen.
- Congratulations, you now have an OpenAI account! You’re one step closer to accessing the OpenAI API and harnessing the power of ChatGPT.
Remember to keep your account credentials secure and avoid sharing them with unauthorized individuals. With your OpenAI account in hand, you’re ready to proceed with the next steps in setting up the OpenAI API and obtaining your API key.
Generate a new chatGPT openAI API key

Once you have created your OpenAI account, the next step is to generate a new API key. Follow these instructions to generate your API key:
- Log in to your OpenAI account: Visit the OpenAI website and log in using your OpenAI account credentials.
- Access the OpenAI Dashboard: After logging in, you’ll be directed to your OpenAI account dashboard. This is where you can manage your API key and other account settings.
- Navigate to the API section: In the OpenAI Dashboard, click in the top right on your icon for the dropdown and look for the “API” or “API Keys” section. This is where you can generate, view, and manage your API keys.
- Generate a new API key: Within the API section, you’ll find an option to generate a new API key. Click on the “Generate New Key” or similar button to initiate the process.
- Follow any additional prompts: Depending on the OpenAI interface, you may be asked to provide a name or description for the API key, or you might be presented with additional options or settings related to your key. Follow the prompts and provide the necessary information as required.
- Obtain your API key: Once you have completed the necessary steps, your new API key will be generated. The key is typically a long alphanumeric string. Ensure that you copy and save the API key in a safe and secure location, as it grants access to the OpenAI API.
- Keep your API key confidential: It’s crucial to keep your API key confidential and avoid sharing it publicly or with unauthorized individuals. Treat it as a sensitive credential to protect the security of your OpenAI account and API access.
Congratulations! You have successfully generated a new API key. With this key in hand, you can now proceed with integrating the OpenAI API into your applications and unlocking the incredible language capabilities of ChatGPT.
You can always refer to the OpenAI documentation or guidelines for any specific instructions or details related to API key generation, as the process may evolve over time.
ChatGPT OpenAI API cost
OpenAI offers $18 in free credits (limited to select users) that you can use within the first 3 months, this is a perfect way to test the service. If you plan to use it regularly, simply add your credit card information at https://beta.openai.com/account/billing/payment-methods. For those with a paid setup, you can set a monthly usage limit, like $10, at https://beta.openai.com/account/billing/limits. Start exploring ChatGPT and unleash the power of AI today!
Keep in mind that your monthly charges depend on how much you use. Here’s the cost structure: every 750 words (or 1000 tokens) has a specific price. Check out the table below for the cost per 1000 tokens with different models:
- GPT-3.5 Turbo (4k context): $0.0015 (13x cheaper than GPT-3 Davinci)
- GPT-3.5 Turbo (16k context): $0.003
The GPT-3.5 Turbo is the default model for ChatGPT.
For example, if you use 10,000 tokens per day of GPT-3 Turbo for 20 days in a month, you’ll be charged 400 cents in total, which is calculated as 0.002 * 10 * 20.
You can find all pricings on the openAI website
Keep your ChatGPT openAI API key secret and safe

Keeping your API key secret is important for the following reasons:
- Unauthorized Access Prevention: Your API key serves as a unique identifier that grants access to the OpenAI API on behalf of your application. If your key becomes known to unauthorized individuals or malicious actors, they can use it to make API calls without your consent. By keeping your API key secret, you reduce the risk of unauthorized access and maintain control over who can interact with the API.
- Protecting Sensitive Data: Some applications that use the OpenAI API might handle sensitive or confidential information. If your API key falls into the wrong hands, it could expose the data processed by your application, potentially leading to privacy breaches or data misuse. Keeping the key secret helps safeguard sensitive information and ensures that only authorized users can interact with the API.
- Resource Misuse Prevention: API keys are often tied to usage limits or quotas, ensuring fair resource distribution among all users. If someone obtains your API key and uses it to make excessive API calls, it could result in resource overuse, affecting your application’s performance or incurring unexpected costs. By keeping your API key confidential, you can better control and monitor API usage, preventing resource abuse.
- Compliance with Service Provider Policies: OpenAI and other service providers may have usage policies or terms of service governing API key usage. By keeping your API key secret, you adhere to these policies, ensuring that your usage aligns with their guidelines. Failure to comply with service provider policies might lead to restrictions or suspension of API access.
- Protecting Your Investment: Access to the OpenAI API often comes with associated costs. If your API key is exposed, it may be used by unauthorized parties without your knowledge, potentially incurring significant expenses on your behalf. Keeping the API key secret protects your investment by ensuring that only your intended applications use the API.
To maintain the secrecy of your API key, avoid hardcoding it into your application’s source code or sharing it in publicly accessible files, repositories, or forums. Instead, use secure storage methods, environment variables, or configuration files that are not accessible to unauthorized users.
Remember, treating your API key like a valuable secret is an essential security practice that ensures the smooth functioning of your application, protects your data, and helps you stay in control of your API usage.
Only use your ChatGPT openAI API key with trusted applications

Using your API key only with trusted applications is crucial for several reasons:
- Security and Data Protection: Trusting your API key to only known and verified applications reduces the risk of data breaches or unauthorized access. When you limit API key usage to trusted applications, you ensure that sensitive data processed through the API remains secure and protected from potential misuse or unauthorized access.
- Preventing API Key Abuse: By confining API key usage to trusted applications, you mitigate the risk of someone using the key for malicious purposes. Unauthorized parties could exploit your API key if it falls into the wrong hands, leading to excessive API calls, resource abuse, or other disruptive behaviors. Restricting access to trusted applications helps prevent such abuses.
- Compliance with API Usage Policies: Service providers often have usage policies or terms of service that govern API key usage. Utilizing your API key only with trusted applications ensures compliance with these policies and guidelines, reducing the likelihood of unintentional violations.
- Financial Protection: API usage might incur costs, depending on the pricing model of the service provider. Using your API key only with trusted applications prevents unauthorized usage that could lead to unexpected expenses or unnecessary depletion of your allocated resources.
- Maintaining Reputation: Your application’s reputation may be impacted if your API key is used by untrusted sources for unauthorized activities. Limiting API key usage to reputable and known applications helps safeguard your application’s integrity and reputation.
To ensure that your API key is used only by trusted applications:
- Regularly Review Applications: Periodically review the applications that have access to your API key. Remove access for any applications that are no longer in use or are not recognized.
- Limit API Key Distribution: Avoid sharing your API key with individuals or developers who are not directly involved in your project or application development.
- Use Access Controls: If possible, use access controls provided by the service provider to specify which actions and endpoints each application can access.
- Monitor API Usage: Keep a close eye on API usage and look for any unusual or suspicious patterns that could indicate unauthorized access.
Remember, exercising caution in sharing and using your API key contributes to maintaining the security, reliability, and reputation of your application while ensuring compliance with the service provider’s policies.
Monitor your API usage.
Monitoring your API usage is essential for several important reasons:
- Resource Optimization: Regularly monitoring your API usage allows you to track how many API calls your application is making over time. This data helps you optimize resource allocation and usage to ensure you’re not exceeding any rate limits or quotas set by the service provider. By understanding your application’s API consumption, you can avoid unexpected charges and efficiently allocate resources.
- Identifying Anomalies and Errors: Monitoring API usage enables you to spot any irregularities or unexpected spikes in traffic. Anomalies might indicate issues with your application’s code, unexpected user behavior, or even potential security breaches. Identifying such anomalies early on allows you to promptly address and rectify the underlying causes.
- Preventing Downtime: Regular API monitoring helps ensure that your application is performing as expected and that the API is functioning correctly. If the API experiences downtime or disruptions, monitoring allows you to detect and address the problem promptly, minimizing the impact on your application’s users.
- Cost Management: Keeping track of API usage helps you manage your API-related expenses effectively. You can stay informed about your usage levels and associated costs, allowing for better budgeting and financial planning.
- Scalability Planning: Monitoring API usage data can provide insights into your application’s growth patterns. This information is valuable for making informed decisions about scaling your infrastructure to handle increasing API demand.
- Performance Optimization: By monitoring API usage, you can identify potential bottlenecks or inefficiencies in your application’s code or architecture. This allows you to fine-tune your application’s performance, providing a better user experience for your customers.
- Compliance and Reporting: In some cases, service providers may require regular API usage reports for compliance purposes. Monitoring your API usage ensures you have the necessary data readily available to fulfill these reporting requirements.
To effectively monitor your API usage:
- Use Analytics and Metrics: Many service providers offer analytics dashboards or API management tools that provide real-time data on API usage. Utilize these features to gain insights into your application’s API consumption.
- Set Alerts and Notifications: Set up automated alerts or notifications to be informed of any unusual spikes or disruptions in API usage. This allows you to take immediate action when necessary.
- Periodic Reviews: Regularly review your API usage data, ideally on a daily or weekly basis, to stay informed about your application’s performance and usage trends.
By actively monitoring your API usage, you can ensure the optimal performance, reliability, and cost-effectiveness of your application, ultimately providing an enhanced experience for your users and customers.
ChatGPT openAI free API setup and API key
To wrap things up, this comprehensive guide has shed light on the world of ChatGPT OpenAI API setup and API key management. By understanding the role of the OpenAI API in integrating ChatGPT into applications, obtaining an API key becomes crucial for secure access and control. Following the step-by-step instructions for API setup and adhering to best practices for key usage ensures a smooth and safe journey. Remember to keep your API key secret, use it only with trusted applications, and regularly monitor your API usage. Embrace the power of ChatGPT to transform your applications and unleash the full potential of AI-driven interactions. With these insights in hand, you’re ready to embark on an exciting AI adventure, shaping the future of technology with confidence and innovation.
