Create an API key

Create API keys from your OpenPond account, selecting only the capability groups your integration needs. A key is shown when it is created or rotated, so store it in your server-side secret manager immediately.

Use a server-side environment variable

bash

export OPENPOND_API_KEY="your-key"

Do not expose this value in client-side JavaScript, screenshots, source control, or documentation examples.

Choose the smallest scope

Model listing needs opchat:model:read. Hosted model requests need opchat:chat:create. Sandbox operations use the granular sandbox:* scopes. Use authentication and scopes for the full route-to-scope map.

Rotate safely

Create a replacement key, deploy it to the server-side secret store, verify one request, then revoke the old key. Do not rotate by editing a committed .env file.

Next: Make a JavaScript model request.