Authentication

How to authenticate with the OpenCompress API.

API keys

All API requests require authentication via a Bearer token in the Authorization header:

Authorization: Bearer sk-occ-your-key-here

API keys start with the prefix sk-occ- followed by a cryptographically random string.

Getting a key

1. Sign in at opencompress.ai/dashboard
2. Navigate to the API Keys section
3. Click Create Key
4. Choose a mode (Router or BYOK)
5. Copy the key immediately — it’s shown only once

Key security

Your API key is shown only once when created. Store it securely. If you lose it, revoke the old key and create a new one.

Best practices:

• Store keys in environment variables, never in code
• Use different keys for development and production
• Revoke keys immediately if compromised
• Each key has independent rate limits and usage tracking

Key modes

Mode	Description
Router	OpenCompress routes to the LLM via OpenRouter. You pay us for everything.
BYOK	Bring your own LLM key. You pay your provider directly; we charge only the compression fee.

See BYOK Mode for setup details.

Key management

• Maximum keys: 5 active keys per account
• Revoke: Delete a key in the dashboard. Takes effect immediately.
• Last used: Dashboard shows when each key was last used