IndexOpenAI API and API keys
OpenAI API and API keys
The OpenAI API is platform.openai.com. Keys are created there, and every call is billed there. ChatGPT Plus does not include those tokens. “new-api” is a third-party gateway, not an OpenAI product.
Updated 2026-09-27
The product history is OpenAI API. Day to day you use platform.openai.com/api-keys and the docs at platform.openai.com/docs. Put the key in an environment variable on the server. Do not ship it in a mobile app or a public repo.
new-api
new-api is an open-source AI gateway that speaks an OpenAI-shaped API and fans out to more than one provider. It is not operated by OpenAI. If a tutorial says “install new-api,” you are self-hosting that project and pointing it at a key you created. The official usage graph remains the platform billing page, described in OpenAI billing.
A first call
Pick a current model id from the docs, send a chat completion, and read the token line on the response. For a rough count before you send, use the token counter. For a product with tools and handoffs, start from Agent Builder or the chatbot outline rather than from a single completion.
Questions
Where do I get a ChatGPT API key?
platform.openai.com/api-keys, on the API account. The key is not shown in ChatGPT settings.
Is new-api the new OpenAI API?
No. It is a community gateway. The API OpenAI runs is platform.openai.com.
Related notes
- OpenAI billing
OpenAI billing splits in two: ChatGPT plan receipts in the app, and API spend on the platform organization overview.
- Token counter
Estimate an OpenAI token count at about four English characters per token, then confirm on platform.openai.com/tokenizer before you budget a prompt.
- OpenAI chatbot
An OpenAI chatbot is a chat completion loop plus your instructions. Start on the API, keep the key on a server, and add tools only when a reply is not enough.
- OpenAI Agent Builder
Agent Builder is the visual canvas in the OpenAI API docs for composing agents, tools, and handoffs. It is not the ChatGPT Agent button.