Getting Started

Get up and running with Layers in under 5 minutes.

Ready to start?

What is Layers?#

Layers is a unified AI API gateway that gives you access to 40 models (19 language, 21 image/multimodal) from 6 providers through a single API key and credit balance.

Powered by Hustle Together AI SDK - Layers is built on the Hustle Together AI SDK, which provides the model registry (40 models from 6 providers: Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Perplexity, Morph, BFL, Recraft), real-time pricing data synced daily, and routing infrastructure via Vercel AI Gateway. Layers adds credit management, authentication, rate limiting, and Stripe billing.

Challenge	Layers Solution
Managing multiple API keys	One API key for all providers
Different billing accounts	Single credit balance
Inconsistent APIs	OpenAI-compatible format
Rate limit management	Unified rate limiting by tier
Usage tracking	Built-in analytics dashboard

Quick Start#

Get Your API Key

lyr_live_sk_1234567890abcdef...

Make Your First Request

Use cURL, TypeScript, or Python to make your first API call:

cURL

curl -X POST https://layers.hustletogether.com/api/v1/chat \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "model": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5",
    "messages": [
      {"role": "user", "content": "Say hello!"}
    ]
  }'

TypeScript

const response = await fetch('https://layers.hustletogether.com/api/v1/chat', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    model: 'anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5',
    messages: [{ role: 'user', content: 'Say hello!' }],
  }),
});

const data = await response.json();
console.log(data.choices[0].message.content);

Python

import requests

response = requests.post(
    'https://layers.hustletogether.com/api/v1/chat',
    headers={
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'
    },
    json={
        'model': 'anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5',
        'messages': [{'role': 'user', 'content': 'Say hello!'}]
    }
)

print(response.json()['choices'][0]['message']['content'])

Check the Response

A successful response looks like:

{
  "id": "chatcmpl-abc123",
  "object": "chat.completion",
  "model": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5",
  "choices": [{
    "index": 0,
    "message": {
      "role": "assistant",
      "content": "Hello! How can I help you today?"
    },
    "finish_reason": "stop"
  }],
  "usage": {
    "prompt_tokens": 12,
    "completion_tokens": 8,
    "total_tokens": 20
  },
  "layers": {
    "credits_used": 0.05,
    "latency_ms": 342,
    "cost_breakdown": {
      "base_cost_usd": 0.00031,
      "margin_percent": 60,
      "total_cost_usd": 0.0005
    }
  }
}

Try Different Models#

Just change the model parameter:

// Fast and cheap
"model": "openai/gpt-4o-mini"

// Balanced performance
"model": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5"

// Best quality
"model": "anthropic/claude-opus-4.5"

// Web search included
"model": "perplexity/sonar-pro"

See the Model Selection Guide for all 24 models.

Using with Vercel AI SDK#

If you're building with Next.js, use the Vercel AI SDK with Layers as an OpenAI-compatible provider:

npm install ai @ai-sdk/openai

lib/layers.tstypescript

import { createOpenAI } from '@ai-sdk/openai';

// Create Layers provider using OpenAI adapter
export const layers = createOpenAI({
  baseURL: 'https://layers.hustletogether.com/api/v1',
  apiKey: process.env.LAYERS_API_KEY,
});

app/api/chat/route.tstypescript

import { generateText } from 'ai';
import { layers } from '@/lib/layers';

export async function POST(req: Request) {
  const { prompt } = await req.json();

  const { text } = await generateText({
    model: layers('anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5'),
    prompt,
  });

  return Response.json({ text });
}

For advanced AI SDK usage including streaming and custom fields, see AI SDK Integration.

Subscription Tiers#

Tier	Price	Credits	Rate Limit
Free	$0	50/month	10 req/min
Starter	$20/mo	500/month	60 req/min
Pro	$100/mo	3,000/month	300 req/min
Team	$200/mo	7,500/month	1,000 req/min

See Billing & Credits for detailed pricing information.

Next Steps#

API Reference

Full endpoint documentation

Model Selection

Choose the right model

Credit System

Understand pricing

Dashboard

Manage API keys and billing