Introduction

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Authentication

Authorization: Bearer VENICE_API_KEY

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OpenAI Compatibility

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Setup

curl https://api.venice.ai/api/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $VENICE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "venice-uncensored",
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}]
  }'

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Venice-Specific Features

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System Prompts

1. Default Behavior: Your system prompts are appended to Venice’s defaults
2. Custom Behavior: Disable Venice’s system prompts entirely

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Disabling Venice System Prompts

curl https://api.venice.ai/api/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $VENICE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "venice-uncensored",
    "messages": [
      {"role": "system", "content": "Your custom system prompt"},
      {"role": "user", "content": "Why is the sky blue?"}
    ],
    "venice_parameters": {
      "include_venice_system_prompt": false
    }
  }'

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Venice Parameters

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Response Headers Reference

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Important Notes

• Header Name Case: HTTP headers are case-insensitive, but Venice uses lowercase with hyphens for consistency
• String Values: Boolean values in headers are returned as strings ("true" or "false")
• Numeric Values: Large numbers and balance values may be returned as strings to prevent precision loss
• Optional Headers: Not all headers are returned in every response; presence depends on the endpoint and request context
• Compression: Use Accept-Encoding: gzip, br in requests to receive compressed responses where supported

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Example: Accessing Response Headers

// After making an API request, access headers from the response object
const requestId = response.headers.get('CF-RAY');
const remainingRequests = response.headers.get('x-ratelimit-remaining-requests');
const remainingTokens = response.headers.get('x-ratelimit-remaining-tokens');
const usdBalance = response.headers.get('x-venice-balance-usd');

// Check for model deprecation warnings
const deprecationWarning = response.headers.get('x-venice-model-deprecation-warning');
if (deprecationWarning) {
  console.warn(`Model Deprecation: ${deprecationWarning}`);
}

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Best Practices

1. Rate Limiting: Monitor x-ratelimit-remaining-requests and x-ratelimit-remaining-tokens headers and implement exponential backoff
2. Balance Monitoring: Track x-venice-balance-usd and x-venice-balance-diem headers to avoid service interruptions
3. System Prompts: Test with and without Venice’s system prompts to find the best fit for your use case
4. API Keys: Keep your API keys secure and rotate them regularly
5. Request Logging: Log CF-RAY header values for troubleshooting with support
6. Model Deprecation: Check for x-venice-model-deprecation-warning headers when using models

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Differences from OpenAI’s API

1. venice_parameters: Additional configurations like enable_web_search, character_slug, and strip_thinking_response for extended functionality
2. System Prompts: Venice appends your system prompts to defaults that optimize for uncensored responses (disable with include_venice_system_prompt: false)
3. Model Ecosystem: Venice offers its own model lineup including uncensored and reasoning models - use Venice model IDs rather than OpenAI mappings
4. Response Headers: Unique headers for balance tracking (x-venice-balance-usd, x-venice-balance-diem), model deprecation warnings, and content safety flags
5. Content Policies: More permissive policies with dedicated uncensored models and optional content filtering

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API Stability

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Swagger Configuration