# The Hitchhiker's Guide to Grok
A quick start tutorial for using the xAI API.
## Getting Started
### 1. Create an API Key
1. Visit the API Keys Page in the xAI API Console
2. Generate a new API key
3. Save it securely - you won't be able to see it again
### 2. Set Up Your Environment
Export your API key as an environment variable:
```bash
export XAI_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"
```
Or save it to a `.env` file:
```
XAI_API_KEY=your-api-key-here
```
### 3. Make Your First Request
#### Using cURL
```bash
curl https://api.x.ai/v1/chat/completions \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $XAI_API_KEY" \
-d '{
"model": "grok-4",
"messages": [
{"role": "user", "content": "Hello, Grok!"}
]
}'
```
#### Using Python with OpenAI SDK
```python
from openai import OpenAI
client = OpenAI(
api_key=os.environ.get("XAI_API_KEY"),
base_url="https://api.x.ai/v1"
)
response = client.chat.completions.create(
model="grok-4",
messages=[
{"role": "user", "content": "Hello, Grok!"}
]
)
print(response.choices[0].message.content)
```
#### Using the xAI SDK
```python
from xai_sdk import Client
client = Client(api_key=os.environ.get("XAI_API_KEY"))
response = client.chat.completions.create(
model="grok-4",
messages=[
{"role": "user", "content": "Hello, Grok!"}
]
)
print(response.choices[0].message.content)
```
### 4. Using the Responses API (Recommended)
The Responses API is the preferred method for new integrations:
```python
response = client.responses.create(
model="grok-4",
input="What is the meaning of life?"
)
print(response.output_text)
```
## SDK Compatibility
The xAI API is compatible with:
- **OpenAI SDK**: Use `base_url="https://api.x.ai/v1"`
- **Anthropic SDK**: Compatible with Anthropic-style requests
- **Native xAI SDK**: Full feature support
## Next Steps
- Explore [Function Calling](./function-calling.md) to connect Grok to external tools
- Learn about [Built-in Tools](./built-in-tools.md) like web search
- Check out [Image Generation](./image-generation.md) capabilities
- Review [Models](./models.md) to choose the right model for your use case
