explaingit

chatanywhere/gpt_api_free

Analysis updated 2026-06-20

37,758Audience · developerComplexity · 1/5Setup · easy

TLDR

A free API relay that gives users in China access to GPT, DeepSeek, Claude, Gemini, and other AI models without a VPN, using the exact same interface as the official OpenAI API.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((gpt_api_free))
    What it does
      Free API relay
      No VPN needed
      OpenAI-compatible
    Supported models
      GPT
      DeepSeek
      Claude and Gemini
    Who it helps
      China-based users
      Hobby developers
      Students
    Limits
      200 req per day free
      Personal use only
      Paid tiers available
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Code map

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What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Connect any OpenAI-compatible app or coding assistant to this relay to get AI responses without needing a VPN or international credit card.

USE CASE 2

Experiment with GPT, DeepSeek, Claude, and Gemini in hobby projects from China by swapping one URL in your existing code.

USE CASE 3

Build a personal chatbot or study tool using the free tier's daily request allowance with zero code changes to your client.

How does it compare?

chatanywhere/gpt_api_freehuihut/interviewfreecodecampchina/freecodecamp.cn
Stars37,75837,78137,696
LanguageC++CSS
Setup difficultyeasyeasyeasy
Complexity1/51/53/5
Audiencedeveloperdevelopergeneral

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Requires registering for a free API key on their website, no code to install, just change the base URL in your existing OpenAI SDK client.

Free for personal, educational, and non-profit research use only, commercial use and large-scale model training are prohibited.

In plain English

GPT_API_free is a service (distributed as a GitHub repository) that provides free and low-cost API access to multiple large language models for users in China and elsewhere, without requiring a VPN or proxy. The problem it addresses is that the official OpenAI API is inaccessible from mainland China, and even where it is accessible, accessing it directly requires a credit card and adds international latency. This project provides a relay endpoint that accepts the same request format as the OpenAI API, forwarding calls to GPT, DeepSeek, Claude, Gemini, Grok, and other models. How it works: the service acts as a compatible API proxy. You obtain a free API key from their registration page, then point any OpenAI-compatible client (a coding assistant, chatbot application, or custom script) at the relay host instead of the official endpoint. Because the interface is identical to OpenAI's, no code changes are needed beyond swapping the base URL. A free tier is provided with daily request limits (roughly 200 requests per day per IP and key for most models), paid tiers are available for higher throughput and stronger models. The free keys are explicitly restricted to personal, non-commercial, educational, and non-profit research use, commercial use and large-scale model training are prohibited. You would use this when you are in China and want to experiment with GPT or DeepSeek models in hobby projects, study AI development, or integrate an LLM into a personal tool, without the friction of a VPN and an international payment method. This repository has no primary programming language because it is a service registration and documentation page rather than a software library. Integration happens by configuring an existing OpenAI SDK client to use the relay URL, so no code from this repository is installed or run.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
How do I configure the Python openai library to use the gpt_api_free relay instead of the official OpenAI endpoint?
Prompt 2
Show me a minimal Node.js script that sends a chat message using the gpt_api_free base URL with my free API key.
Prompt 3
What base_url and api_key values do I set in the OpenAI SDK to route requests through gpt_api_free?
Prompt 4
How do I call the DeepSeek model through the gpt_api_free relay using the openai Python package?

Frequently asked questions

What is gpt_api_free?

A free API relay that gives users in China access to GPT, DeepSeek, Claude, Gemini, and other AI models without a VPN, using the exact same interface as the official OpenAI API.

What license does gpt_api_free use?

Free for personal, educational, and non-profit research use only, commercial use and large-scale model training are prohibited.

How hard is gpt_api_free to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is gpt_api_free for?

Mainly developer.

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