Kimi

Kimi is the conversational model line from Moonshot AI, and the moonshot API platform is the developer-facing entry point to it. Rather than a consumer chat APP, this documentation site is AImed at engineers who want to embed Moonshot's language and multimodal models into their own products. It explains how to authenticate, send requests, shape responses, and handle the errors that inevitably appear in production.

What it does

The platform exposes a chat completions endpoint that accepts conversation histories and returns model-generated replies. Because the interface follows the wIDEly used OpenAI-style conventions, teams can often repoint an existing CLIent at Moonshot's base URL and keep much of their integration code. The documentation leads with quick-start Samples for both single-turn and multi-turn conversations, so a first working request is only a few lines away.

Key capabilities

• Conversational requests: send one-off Prompts or full message ARRays to maintain context across turns.
• SDK compatibility: examples show interACTion through the official openai SDKs alongside direct HTTP calls.
• streaming ouTPUt: enable streamed responses so text can be rendered incrementally in a chat interface.
• Generation controls: tune temperature, set a maximum token count, and adjust other parameters to balance creativity against predictability.
• Model discovery: a dedicated call lists the models currently available to an account.
• Error guidance: the reference documents return codes and failure cases so developers can build sensible retries and user-facing messages.
• Multimodal handling: the model family is described as supporting understanding and processing of more than text, though exact modality support should be confirmed against current docs.

Who it is for

The API suits product engineers building Chat Assistants, customer support bots, summarization features, or content tools who prefer a managed model endpoint over hosting weights themselves. It is also a reasonable fit for teams already using OpenAI-compatible tooling that want to evaluate an alternative provider without a rewrite. Hobbyists can experiment, but sustained use Generally requires a funded account.

How to get started

1. Create a developer account on the Moonshot platform and generate an API key.
2. Read the quick-start SECtion and copy a minimal single-turn request.
3. Swap in your key and base endpoint, then run the sample to confirm connectivity.
4. Add multi-turn Message History, streaming, and parameter tuning as your use case requires.
5. Implement handling for the documented error codes before going live.

Pricing and access caveat

Moonshot generally bills API usage by Token Consumption, with any free allowance, rate limits, and regional availability subject to change, so verify current terms on the platform before committing. Access from some locations may require network workarounds, and model names or capabilities may vary over time.