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OpenRouter supports both OpenRouter credits and Bring Your Own Key (BYOK). When using OpenRouter credits, rate limits for SambaNova are managed by OpenRouter. When using your own SambaNova API key, you retain direct control over rate limits and billing through your SambaNova account. All provider keys are securely encrypted and used exclusively for requests routed to SambaNova.

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Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

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Setup

1

Navigate to BYOK settings

Go to your OpenRouter settings and click on BYOK.
OpenRouter settings page showing the BYOK option
2

Select SambaNova as your provider

Search for SambaNova in the provider list and select it.
OpenRouter BYOK provider search with SambaNova selected
3

Add your SambaCloud API key

Enter your SambaCloud API key and save.Get your API key from the SambaCloud portal.
OpenRouter API key input field for SambaNova

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Using the Python SDK

Now you can use the OpenRouter Python SDK as you normally would. API requests are automatically routed using the keys you provided in your settings. 
from openrouter import OpenRouter
import os

with OpenRouter(
    api_key=os.getenv("OPENROUTER_API_KEY")
) as client:
    response = client.chat.send(
        model="sambanova/Meta-Llama-3.3-70B-Instruct",
        messages=[
            {"role": "user", "content": "Explain quantum computing"}
        ]
    )
When you use BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) on OpenRouter:
  • You pay the model provider directly using your own API key.
  • OpenRouter charges a 5% platform fee based on the model’s standard OpenRouter pricing.
  • The fee is deducted from your OpenRouter credits, not your provider account.
  • The first 1 million BYOK requests per month are free (no 5% fee).

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Additional resources