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Once you have created an API key, use it to authenticate requests to RamaLama Cloud. Your API key provisions access to a variety of hosted API gateways, allowing you to access models from multiple providers through a unified interface.

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Authentication

Include your API key in the Authorization header with the Bearer prefix: 
Authorization: Bearer your-api-key

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Accessing Models

Models are referenced using the format provider/model-name. This allows you to call models from different providers through the same API endpoint.

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Example: Calling GPT-5.1

curl -X POST https://api.ramalama.com/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $RAMALAMA_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "openai/gpt-5.1",
    "messages": [
      {"role": "user", "content": "Hello, world!"}
    ]
  }'

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Environment Variables

Store your API key in an environment variable to avoid hardcoding it: 
export RAMALAMA_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"

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Error Responses

Status CodeMeaning
401Invalid or missing API key
403API key does not have permission for this resource
429Rate limit exceeded

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Security Tips

  • Never expose API keys in client-side code
  • Use environment variables or secret management tools
  • Implement key rotation in production environments