Quickstart Guide

Get started with Ship's OpenAI- and Anthropic-compatible APIs in less than three minutes.

Authentication and Setup

Step 1: Obtain Your API Key

Get your API key from the Thesean Dashboard.

Step 2: Choose an API

Use the OpenAI Responses API with GPT models or the Anthropic Messages API with Claude models.

Choose a Model

Thesean supports a range of Ship models. Common choices include:

  • ship-like/gpt-5.6-sol: GPT through the Responses API
  • ship-like/claude-opus-4-8: maximum capability
  • ship-like/claude-sonnet-5: balanced capability and cost
  • ship-like/claude-haiku-4-5: lowest latency and cost

Use a full model ID exactly as listed above. The ship-like/ prefix enables Ship's inference-time optimizations. See the Available Models page for the complete, current list.

Invoke API Endpoints

OpenAI Responses API

Endpoint: POST /v1/responses

Use the Responses API with ship-like/gpt-5.6-sol.

cURL Example:

# Note: Replace $THESEAN_API_KEY with your assigned API key
curl https://api.thesean.ai/v1/responses \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $THESEAN_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "model": "ship-like/gpt-5.6-sol",
    "input": "What is Olympus Mons?"
  }'

Anthropic Messages API

Endpoint: POST /v1/messages

Use the Messages API with ship-like/claude-opus-4-8.

Python Example:

import anthropic

# Note: Define THESEAN_API_KEY as your assigned API key
anth_client = anthropic.Anthropic(
    base_url="https://api.thesean.ai",
    api_key=THESEAN_API_KEY
)

response = anth_client.messages.create(
    model="ship-like/claude-opus-4-8",
    max_tokens=1024,
    messages=[
        {
            "role": "user",
            "content": "Write a haiku about Mars (the planet, not the god)."
        }
    ]
)

print(response.content[0].text)

Now that you've made your first API call, explore these resources:

Next Steps

Advanced Features

Learn about streaming, caching, and tool use.

Read more

Available Models

View supported Ship models and pricing information.

Read more

API Reference

Detailed API documentation and authentication guide.

Read more

Code Examples

Practical examples and code snippets for common use cases.

Read more

Monitoring & Analytics

Track your usage through the Thesean Dashboard:

  • Real-time Usage: Monitor API calls, tokens, and costs
  • Model Performance: Compare accuracy and latency across models
  • Request History: Debug and analyze API interactions

Getting Help

Ready to build something amazing? Explore our Advanced Features or review the Available Models.