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 real-name verification to claim ¥30 in free credits, create your API key, and make your first free model call in under five minutes.

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

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 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). Click the register button in the top-right corner. Enter your phone number, receive an SMS verification code, and set a password. Upon successful registration, you immediately receive ¥14 in promotional credits.

The account is fully functional at this point, but to unlock the additional ¥16 verification bonus and higher rate limits, you need to complete real-name verification in the next step.

Visit siliconflow.cn (China) or siliconflow.com (global)
Click register, enter phone number and SMS code
Set a strong password
Receive ¥14 promotional credit instantly

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.

Once verified, you receive an additional ¥16 in credits, bringing your total to ¥30. Your rate limits also increase, which matters if you plan to use the free models heavily during development.

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 completely free. New users receive ¥30 in free credits, and several models including Qwen3-8B and DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Qwen-7B remain free within rate limits even after credits are exhausted.

Can I use SiliconFlow without real-name verification?

You can register and create keys without verification, but you will miss out on the ¥16 verification bonus and will have lower rate limits. Completing verification is strongly recommended to unlock full free-tier benefits.