Getting Started: Your First AI Request in 5 Minutes
Welcome to TarqaAI! This guide will get you up and running with AI-powered applications in just 5 minutes.
Step 1: Create Your Account (2 minutes)
Visit app.tarqaai.com/signup
Choose the free tier
Verify your email
Complete your profile
Your free account includes:
- 100 requests per month at no cost — no credit card required
- Access to all 60+ AI models
- Real-time analytics and usage monitoring
Step 2: Generate Your API Key (30 seconds)
Navigate to "API Keys" in your dashboard
Click "Create API Key"
Name it "development-key"
Copy and save it securely
# Your API key will look like this:
tarqa_sk_1234567890abcdef...Important: Never commit API keys to version control!
Step 3: Install the OpenAI SDK (30 seconds)
TarqaAI implements the OpenAI API spec. Use the standard OpenAI SDK — just point it at TarqaAI.
# JavaScript/Node.js
npm install openai
# Python
pip install openaiStep 4: Make Your First Request (1 minute)
JavaScript / TypeScript
import OpenAI from 'openai';
const client = new OpenAI({
apiKey: process.env.TARQA_API_KEY,
baseURL: 'https://tarqaai.com/v1', // only this line differs from OpenAI
});
const response = await client.chat.completions.create({
model: 'gemini-2.5-flash', // or claude-opus-4-6, gpt-4.1, llama-4-maverick …
messages: [
{ role: 'user', content: 'Summarise the key principles of enterprise AI governance.' }
],
});
console.log(response.choices[0].message.content);Python
import os
from openai import OpenAI
client = OpenAI(
api_key=os.getenv('TARQA_API_KEY'),
base_url='https://tarqaai.com/v1', # only this line differs from OpenAI
)
response = client.chat.completions.create(
model='gemini-2.5-flash',
messages=[
{'role': 'user', 'content': 'Summarise the key principles of enterprise AI governance.'}
],
)
print(response.choices[0].message.content)Step 5: Verify the Response
export TARQA_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"
# Run the script
node hello-ai.js
# or
python hello_ai.pyYou should receive an AI-generated response in standard OpenAI format. Any existing code that calls OpenAI works immediately with TarqaAI after the baseURL change.
Next Steps
Switch models — change the model field to claude-opus-4-6, gpt-4.1, llama-4-maverick — no other code changes needed
Enable streaming — add stream: true for real-time output
Explore RAG — index your documents and query them with AI
Monitor usage — view request analytics and costs in your dashboard