DeepSeek API Setup Guide

Getting Your DeepSeek API Key

Step 1: Create a DeepSeek Account

1. Visit platform.deepseek.com 
2. Click “Sign Up” to create an account
3. Complete registration with email verification

Step 2: Account Setup

1. Navigate to your dashboard after login
2. Complete any required verification steps
3. Add credits or payment method if required

Step 3: Generate API Key

1. Go to the API Keys section in your dashboard
2. Click “Create API Key”
3. Copy and securely store your API key

Available DeepSeek Models

DeepSeek V3 Family (Latest)

• deepseek-chat - Latest chat model with strong reasoning
• deepseek-coder - Specialized for code generation and programming
• deepseek-reasoner - Advanced reasoning and problem-solving model

DeepSeek V2.5 Family

• deepseek-chat-v2.5 - Previous generation chat model
• deepseek-coder-v2.5 - Code-focused model

DeepSeek V2 Family

• deepseek-chat-v2 - Earlier chat model
• deepseek-coder-v2 - Code generation model

Key Features

• Strong performance in mathematics and reasoning
• Excellent code generation capabilities
• Competitive pricing compared to other providers
• Support for long context conversations
• Multilingual capabilities

Model Specializations

• Chat models: General conversation and reasoning
• Coder models: Programming, debugging, code explanation
• Reasoner models: Complex problem-solving and analysis

Context Windows

• Most models support 32K+ tokens
• Some models offer extended context capabilities
• Check specific model documentation for exact limits

Pricing

• Competitive token-based pricing
• Often more affordable than OpenAI/Anthropic
• Free tier may be available for testing
• Monitor usage in your dashboard

Security Tips

• Keep API keys confidential
• Regularly monitor API usage
• Rotate keys periodically for security