How to Access DeepSeek‑R1 671B Model for Free via Tencent Cloud

DeepSeek‑R1's impressive reasoning has attracted many users, but the free web version suffers from high traffic and occasional attacks, and the official API service has been paused for recharging.

To use the model more smoothly, you can deploy DeepSeek yourself or, more conveniently, obtain free access to the full 671B parameters through Tencent Cloud's Knowledge Engine.

Get a Free API Key

1. Create a Tencent Cloud account and open the Knowledge Engine (LKE) console: https://console.cloud.tencent.com/lkeap

2. The DeepSeek series (including deepseek‑v3 and deepseek‑r1) is currently offered for free on a limited‑time basis.

3. Click “Open Large Model Knowledge Engine”.

4. Choose the appropriate call method to obtain the API KEY. Use the OpenAI‑compatible key for chat‑type clients, or the native key for custom code.

Note: Save the key after creation!

Calling the Model with OpenAI SDK

If you obtained the OpenAI‑compatible key, you can use the OpenAI SDK as follows:

from openai import OpenAI

# Construct client
client = OpenAI(
    api_key="sk-xxxxxxxxxxx",  # Knowledge Engine APIKey
    base_url="https://api.lkeap.cloud.tencent.com/v1",
)

s_value = True  # streaming
chat_completion = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="deepseek-r1",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "你是谁"}],
    stream=s_value,
)

if s_value:
    for chunk in chat_completion:
        if hasattr(chunk.choices[0].delta, 'reasoning_content'):
            print(f"{chunk.choices[0].delta.reasoning_content}", end="")
        if hasattr(chunk.choices[0].delta, 'content'):
            if chunk.choices[0].delta.content is not None and len(chunk.choices[0].delta.content) != 0:
                print(chunk.choices[0].delta.content, end="")
else:
    result = chat_completion.choices[0].message.content

Calling the Model with a Chat Client

After obtaining the API KEY, configure a chat client with these key elements:

Use the OpenAI API call method.

Set the API KEY and endpoint to https://api.lkeap.cloud.tencent.com/v1.

Specify the DeepSeek model name, e.g., deepseek-r1 or deepseek-v3.

Conclusion

If you frequently need DeepSeek and encounter service congestion, this free entry allows usage until 2025‑02‑25 23:59:59, after which a low‑cost paid plan is available for long‑term or backup use.