API Key Setup6 min readPublished: 2026-07-15Updated: 2026-08-07

How to Get a SiliconFlow API Key (2026 Step-by-Step Tutorial)

Register on siliconflow.cn, complete identity verification for free-model access, create your API key, and check the current ¥16 China / $1 global new-user offer.

By Heizi· Founder & Editor· Published: 2026-07-15· Updated: 2026-08-07

Prerequisites

You need a phone number for registration. Chinese +86 numbers work directly on siliconflow.cn; international users should use the global site at siliconflow.com. A payment method is not required to start — the SiliconFlow free tier and bonus credits work without any top-up.

No prior experience with API keys is needed. This tutorial covers everything from account creation to your first successful API call. For a broader overview of the platform, the complete SiliconFlow guide covers models, pricing, and advanced configurations.

Step 1: Register Your Account

Go to siliconflow.cn (or siliconflow.com for international users) and follow the current registration flow. SiliconFlow's official June 2026 announcement states a ¥16 new-user credit on the China site or $1 on the global site; confirm that the campaign is still shown when you register.

Identity verification is required to use all free models. Free-model rate limits are fixed; verification should not be described as automatically increasing those fixed limits.

Visit siliconflow.cn (China) or siliconflow.com (global)
Click register, enter phone number and SMS code
Set a strong password
Check whether the current ¥16 China / $1 global offer is available

Step 2: Complete Real-Name Verification

After logging in, go to Account Settings > Real-Name Verification. SiliconFlow requires ID verification to comply with Chinese regulations and to prevent abuse of the free tier. For Chinese users, this means submitting your identity card or passport. The verification is usually instant.

After verification, you can use all free models. Their rate limits remain fixed according to SiliconFlow's official documentation; inspect each model's live limit in the console.

Step 3: Create Your API Key

Navigate to the API Keys page in the console dashboard (usually found under a menu item labeled API 密钥 or API Keys). Click Create New Key, give it a descriptive name like my-dev-project so you can identify it later, and click confirm.

The full key (starting with sk-) is displayed only once. Copy it immediately to a secure location — a password manager, a .env file in your project, or your server's environment variables. If you lose it, you will need to create a new key and update all your applications.

Step 4: Make Your First API Call

With your key ready, you can call any model on the platform. To learn more about available models and their pricing, see our model comparison guide. Here is a minimal example using the free Qwen3-8B model and the OpenAI Python SDK. If you don't have the SDK installed, run pip install openai first.

python

from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    api_key="sk-your-copied-key-here",
    base_url="https://api.siliconflow.cn/v1"
)

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="Qwen/Qwen3-8B",
    messages=[
        {"role": "user", "content": "你好，介绍一下你自己"}
    ]
)

print(response.choices[0].message.content)
print(f"\nTokens used: {response.usage.total_tokens}")

First API call to the free Qwen3-8B model via SiliconFlow

Common Registration Issues

If the SMS verification code does not arrive, wait 60 seconds and request a new one. International phone numbers may have delivery delays; the global site (siliconflow.com) tends to be more reliable for non-Chinese numbers.

If real-name verification fails, ensure the name on your ID exactly matches what you entered, and that the document photo is clear and unobstructed. Support can be reached through the in-console help button.

If your API call returns a 401 error, double-check that you copied the entire key including the sk- prefix, and that you are using the correct base URL. A 429 error means you hit the rate limit — wait a minute and retry, or check the complete guide for tier upgrade details. Once your key is working, you can explore using your key in third-party tools like Cherry Studio and Claude Code.

FAQ

Do I need to pay to get a SiliconFlow API key?

No. Registration and API key creation are free. SiliconFlow's current announcement states a ¥16 China-site or $1 global-site new-user credit, and models marked free on the live pricing page are billed at zero within fixed rate limits.