> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.qingbo.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart

> Get up and running with QWave API in 5 minutes

## Prerequisites

* A QWave API account ([sign up](https://qingbo.dev/login))
* An API key
* Basic programming knowledge

## Get an API Key

<Steps>
  <Step title="Sign in to the dashboard">
    Visit the [Dashboard](https://qingbo.dev/dashboard/keys) and log in
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create a key">
    On the API keys page, click "Create new key"
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save your key">
    Copy the key and store it somewhere safe — it's only shown once
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Never expose your API key in frontend code or public repositories.
</Warning>

## Send Your First Request

QWave API is fully compatible with the OpenAI SDK — just swap the `base_url`.

<CodeGroup>
  ```python Python theme={"system"}
  from openai import OpenAI

  client = OpenAI(
      base_url="https://www.qingbo.dev/v1",
      api_key="YOUR_API_KEY"
  )

  response = client.chat.completions.create(
      model="gpt-4o",
      messages=[
          {"role": "user", "content": "你好，介绍一下你自己"}
      ]
  )

  print(response.choices[0].message.content)
  ```

  ```javascript JavaScript theme={"system"}
  import OpenAI from 'openai';

  const client = new OpenAI({
    baseURL: 'https://www.qingbo.dev/v1',
    apiKey: 'YOUR_API_KEY'
  });

  const response = await client.chat.completions.create({
    model: 'gpt-4o',
    messages: [
      { role: 'user', content: '你好，介绍一下你自己' }
    ]
  });

  console.log(response.choices[0].message.content);
  ```

  ```bash cURL theme={"system"}
  curl https://www.qingbo.dev/v1/chat/completions \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
    -d '{
      "model": "gpt-4o",
      "messages": [
        {"role": "user", "content": "你好，介绍一下你自己"}
      ]
    }'
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Understanding the Response

```json theme={"system"}
{
  "id": "chatcmpl-123",
  "object": "chat.completion",
  "created": 1677652288,
  "model": "gpt-4o",
  "choices": [{
    "index": 0,
    "message": {
      "role": "assistant",
      "content": "你好！我是一个 AI 助手..."
    },
    "finish_reason": "stop"
  }],
  "usage": {
    "prompt_tokens": 9,
    "completion_tokens": 12,
    "total_tokens": 21
  }
}
```

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Authentication & Keys" href="/en/docs/authentication">
    Learn about authentication and API key management
  </Card>

  <Card title="Sync vs. Async" href="/en/docs/sync-async">
    Understand the two endpoint patterns
  </Card>

  <Card title="Text Generation API" href="/en/api-reference/text/general-chat">
    Full chat API reference and parameters
  </Card>

  <Card title="Task System" href="/en/docs/task-system">
    The async workflow for image and video generation
  </Card>
</CardGroup>