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Getting Started with Routstr

Welcome to Routstr! This guide will help you get started using the Routstr platform to access AI models from various providers through our OpenAI-compatible API.

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What is Routstr?

Routstr is a decentralized marketplace for AI model inference. It connects you to a network of model providers who host and serve various AI models. Key benefits include:
  • Access to diverse models: Find the right model for your specific use case
  • Pay-as-you-go pricing: Only pay for what you use with Cashu tokens or Lightning payments
  • No accounts needed: No signup or registration required
  • Privacy-focused: Your data stays secure with options like Tor routing

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Obtaining Cashu Tokens

To use the Routstr API, you’ll need some Cashu tokens:
  1. Mint tokens in any Cashu wallet such as cashu.me or minibits.cash, or use the settings page of our web app at chat.routstr.com.
  2. Use the token as your API key for authorization
No account creation or personal information is required.

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Making Your First API Request

You can start making requests to the Routstr API using standard HTTP requests. The API is compatible with the OpenAI API format: 
curl -X POST https://api.routstr.com/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer cashuA1DkpMbgQ9VkL6U..." \
  -d '{
    "model": "gpt-4",
    "messages": [
      {
        "role": "user", 
        "content": "Hello"
      }
    ]
  }'
The response will include the model’s output: 
{
  "id": "chatcmpl-123abc",
  "object": "chat.completion",
  "created": 1677652288,
  "model": "gpt-4",
  "choices": [
    {
      "message": {
        "role": "assistant",
        "content": "Hello! How can I assist you today?"
      },
      "finish_reason": "stop"
    }
  ],
  "usage": {
    "prompt_tokens": 3,
    "completion_tokens": 7,
    "total_tokens": 10
  }
}

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Using Different Models

You can specify different models in your requests: 
curl -X POST https://api.routstr.com/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer cashuA1DkpMbgQ9VkL6U..." \
  -d '{
    "model": "llama-3-70b-chat",
    "messages": [
      {
        "role": "user", 
        "content": "What is the capital of France?"
      }
    ]
  }'
If you don’t specify a model, Routstr will automatically select an appropriate model based on your request.

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Managing Costs

Routstr offers a transparent pay-as-you-go pricing model:
  1. Pay per token: Different models have different pricing per input/output token
  2. No subscription required: Only pay for what you use
  3. Token balance: Your Cashu token contains pre-paid credits
  4. Usage tracking: The API response includes token usage information

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Privacy Features

If privacy is important to you, Routstr offers several options: 
# Route through Tor
curl --socks5-hostname 127.0.0.1:9050 -X POST https://api.routstr.com/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer cashuA1DkpMbgQ9VkL6U..." \
  -d '{
    "model": "gpt-4",
    "messages": [
      {
        "role": "user", 
        "content": "Hello"
      }
    ]
  }'
See our Privacy Features page for more details.

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Using with OpenAI Libraries

Since Routstr’s API is compatible with the OpenAI format, you can use it with existing OpenAI client libraries: 
from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    base_url="https://api.routstr.com/v1",
    api_key="cashuA1DkpMbgQ9VkL6U..."
)

completion = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="gpt-4",
    messages=[
        {"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}
    ]
)

print(completion.choices[0].message)

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Next Steps

Now that you’re set up, explore these resources: