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Test your Google Gemini API key.

Verify a Google Gemini API key from AI Studio in seconds — see which Gemini 2.0 / 2.5 models the key has access to, and benchmark the latency.

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Stateless proxy — keys never logged, stored, or persisted. What happens to your key →

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Google Gemini

What this key does

A Gemini API key authenticates against Google's Generative Language API: generateContent, streamGenerateContent, embedContent, and the count-tokens helper. Keys are passed as a query parameter (?key=AIza...) rather than a header. Free-tier keys talk to the same endpoints, just with stricter rate limits.

How to get a Google Gemini API key

  1. Open aistudio.google.com/app/apikey.
  2. Click Create API key, choose the Cloud project, and approve the consent screen.
  3. Copy the AIza... key.
  4. Paste it here. We'll list the models accessible to your project.
  5. If you plan to ship to production, link a billing account — free-tier rate limits will not be enough.

Common errors and fixes

  • 401 Unauthorized: Key is invalid, revoked, or pasted with extra whitespace. Generate a new key from the provider console and try again.
  • 403 Forbidden: Key is valid but lacks permission for this resource. Check project / org / workspace scope, or that billing is set up for this key.
  • 429 Too Many Requests: You hit the per-minute or per-day rate limit. Wait a moment and retry, or upgrade your tier.
  • 404 Not Found: The endpoint or model id changed. Check the provider docs for the current path and model identifier.
  • 5xx: The provider is having issues. Check their status page before assuming the bug is yours.

Security best practices

  • Store keys in an env var or secret manager — never commit them to a repo, even a private one.
  • Restrict scope: prefer per-project or per-deployment keys over a single root key shared across services.
  • Rotate on a schedule (90 days is a sane default) and immediately on suspected leak.
  • Audit usage in the provider console after rotation to confirm the old key has zero traffic.
  • Set per-key spend limits where the provider supports them, so a leaked key has a bounded blast radius.
  • Restrict the key in the GCP console to the Generative Language API only — IAM lets you scope a key to specific Google APIs.

Pricing at a glance

Gemini Flash is among the cheapest production-grade chat models on the market. Pro is priced higher but offers a much larger context window. Free tier exists but has aggressive RPM caps; switching to a billed key is the difference between 15 RPM and 1000+ RPM on Flash.

FAQ

Is the AIza... key the same as a Google Cloud API key?
Yes — Gemini keys are standard GCP API keys with the Generative Language API enabled. You can manage them from console.cloud.google.com.
Why does my Gemini key only work for a few requests then 429?
Free-tier RPM caps. Link a billing account and the same key starts hitting paid-tier limits.
Can I use the same key on AI Studio and Vertex AI?
No. Vertex AI uses Google Cloud auth (service accounts / ADC), not API keys. The AIza key is AI Studio only.
Which Gemini model should I default to?
gemini-2.0-flash for cost-sensitive workloads, gemini-2.5-pro for long-context reasoning. Always pull the live model list to see what's enabled.
Are responses safe to log?
Be careful with safety attributes — they can leak prompt content. Strip them before logging.
How is the latency from outside the US?
Generative Language API is hosted in us-central1 by default. From APAC you'll see ~150-250ms extra. Vertex AI offers regional endpoints if that's a problem.

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