~/OpenRouter for AI Tooling Overview

Feb 9, 2025

OpenRouter is an API gateway that connects users to various large language models and other AI tools. It abstracts individual model APIs into a unified endpoint, simplifying integration and experimentation.

Key Features

• Aggregates models from providers like OpenAI, Anthropic, Cohere, and others
• Offers a single API interface for multiple AI models
• Dynamic model switching with simple configuration changes
• Unified billing and usage tracking
• Post-processing and reranking options

Basic Usage Example

To use OpenRouter for text generation in Python:

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import requests

url = "https://openrouter.ai/api/v1/chat/completions"
headers = {
  "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY",
  "Content-Type": "application/json"
}

data = {
  "model": "openai/gpt-3.5-turbo",
  "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "What is OpenRouter?"}]
}

response = requests.post(url, json=data, headers=headers)
print(response.json())

Switching Models

To change models, adjust the model field in your request to options like “anthropic/claude-3-opus” or “cohere/command-r-plus”, as listed in the OpenRouter docs.

Benefits

• One interface to access the latest AI models without individual signups
• Documentation and OpenAPI schema for fast integration
• Useful for ai tooling and quick prototyping

Drawbacks

• May not have access to every newest model instantly
• Pricing may differ from direct vendor APIs

OpenRouter is best for developers and teams experimenting with AI-rich tooling or building products that need flexible model access.