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OpenRouter

OpenRouter is a unified large language model (LLM) API gateway that routes requests to over 400 models from more than 60 providers through a single OpenAI-compatible endpoint.

Python developers can use it as a drop-in replacement for the OpenAI API by pointing the official openai client at https://openrouter.ai/api/v1 and supplying an OpenRouter API key. The same change works for any SDK or framework that already targets the OpenAI API, and an official openrouter package on PyPI provides a dedicated, type-safe client.

A prepaid credit balance covers every supported model and provider, including offerings from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Meta, Mistral, and DeepSeek. OpenRouter handles automatic failover when a provider goes down, supports prompt caching to reduce token costs on repeated context, and provides custom data policies that restrict prompts to approved models or providers.

Several AI coding agents, including Kilo Code, integrate with OpenRouter to access a wide model catalog without managing separate API keys. The service is operated by OpenRouter, Inc., founded in 2023 by Alex Atallah, a co-founder of OpenSea, and Louis Vichy.

Official website: openrouter.ai

How to Use the OpenRouter API to Access Multiple AI Models via Python

Tutorial

How to Use the OpenRouter API to Access Multiple AI Models via Python

Access models from popular AI providers in Python through OpenRouter's unified API with smart routing, fallbacks, and cost controls.

intermediate ai api

For additional information on related topics, take a look at the following resources:

By Martin Breuss • Updated June 22, 2026 • Reviewed by Leodanis Pozo Ramos
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