Get Started with Kimi API Instantly—No Coding Experience Required

Kimi API has been available for over a month, offering a free 15‑yuan credit that users can consume by creating an API key and making HTTP requests.

Preparation

Log in to the Kimi Open Platform (platform.moonshot.cn/console), view the free credit on the Account Overview page, and create a new API Key under "API Key Management". Copy the key immediately; it serves as the authentication credential and must be kept secret.

First Test

Use Postman to send a simple request:

Create a POST request to https://api.moonshot.cn/v1/chat/completions.

In the Authorization tab select "Bearer Token" and paste the API Key.

In the Body tab choose "raw" → "JSON" and enter:

{
  "model": "moonshot-v1-8k",
  "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "你是谁？"}]
}

Click "Send" and observe Kimi’s response, confirming that the API works like any other HTTP‑based chat model.

Advanced for Beginners

Basic Concepts

Before building applications, understand the available models, token limits, pricing, and context windows. The author refers readers to a previous article that answers these FAQs.

Kimi API Design

Kimi’s API is deliberately compatible with OpenAI’s standard endpoints, allowing existing GPT‑based projects to switch to Kimi without code changes.

The guide then tailors entry paths for three typical roles: backend developers, frontend developers, and non‑programmers.

Backend Engineer

Open the official API reference (platform.moonshot.cn/docs/api-reference) and note two invocation methods: direct curl calls or the OpenAI Python SDK. The Python example below replaces the OpenAI endpoint and key with Kimi’s values:

from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    api_key="{KIMI_API_KEY}",
    base_url="https://api.moonshot.cn/v1",
)

completion = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="moonshot-v1-8k",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "..."}],
)

Other language SDKs can be used similarly, and Kimi’s open‑source Cookbook (github.com/MoonshotAI/MoonshotAI-Cookbook) provides Java and Go examples. Even without an SDK, developers can craft raw HTTP requests following the documented input‑output format.

Frontend Engineer

Frontend developers are encouraged to explore existing open‑source chat UI projects such as NextChat. By configuring the project’s settings with the Kimi API endpoint and key, the demo site (app.nextchat.dev) runs successfully, demonstrating how to integrate the model into a pure‑frontend application.

Non‑Programmer

For users without coding skills, the guide recommends two no‑code solutions:

Using Dify

Log in to Dify (cloud.dify.ai), add "Moonshot AI" as a model provider, paste the API Key, and select moonshot-v1-8k as the system model. Create a new chat assistant (e.g., a meeting‑summary bot), configure it, and test the response directly in the Dify UI.

OpenAI Translator Browser Extension

Install the "OpenAI Translator" extension from the Chrome Web Store, open its settings, replace the default API key with the Kimi key, and save. The extension will then use Kimi to translate selected text on any webpage.

Conclusion

After completing these steps, readers should feel confident in using large‑model APIs, whether through code, frontend projects, or no‑code platforms, and can start building their own AI‑driven applications.