Authentication

Create an API key and authenticate requests to the Smallest AI APIs.

Every API request requires an API key in the Authorization header.

Create Your API Key

1. Go to Settings → API Keys

   In the Smallest AI Console, click API Keys in the Settings sidebar.

   
2. Create a new key

   Click Create API Key, give it a descriptive name (e.g., my-tts-app), and click Create API Key.

   

   Copy the key immediately — it won’t be shown again.

3. Set it in your environment

   export SMALLEST_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"
   

   Add this to your .bashrc or .zshrc to persist across sessions.

Using Your API Key

Include your key in the Authorization header with every request:

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY

cURL

curl -X POST "https://api.smallest.ai/waves/v1/lightning-v3.1/get_speech" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SMALLEST_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"text": "Authentication test", "voice_id": "magnus", "output_format": "wav"}' \
  --output test.wav

Security

Your API key is a secret. Never expose it in client-side code, public repositories, or browser applications.

• Store keys in environment variables, not in source code
• Use .env files locally (add .env to .gitignore)
• Rotate keys periodically via the console
• Each key tracks usage against your account quota

Error Responses

Status	Meaning
401 Unauthorized	Missing or invalid API key
403 Forbidden	Key doesn’t have access to this resource
429 Too Many Requests	Rate limit exceeded — wait and retry

For rate limits and concurrency details, see Concurrency and Limits.