BYOK: Your Keys, Your Control

What is BYOK?

BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) means you use your own Provider Keys from official platforms while accessing models through a unified platform entry.

For most users, BYOK simply means:

You use your own keys from providers such as OpenAI, Claude, DeepSeek, and Gemini
The platform does not run a paid platform key pool or resell upstream keys
Charges are billed by the corresponding provider account
You can replace, delete, or stop using those keys whenever you want

Why use BYOK with XAI Router?

1. Key ownership stays with you

Your Provider Keys come from official platforms, and control stays with you. Rotation, replacement, and migration remain your decision.

2. Billing is easier to understand

Under BYOK, charges are settled against the corresponding provider account. That makes costs easier to verify, explain, and manage.

3. A unified entry makes governance easier

XAI Router gives you one place to manage different providers, access scope, quotas, and usage records. The goal is not to replace your ownership of keys, but to make them easier to use and govern consistently.

4. Migration is easier later

If you later change architecture, deployment mode, or vendors, your original Provider Keys are still on the official provider side. You are not locked into a platform key pool.

How should you think about security?

XAI Router stores your Provider Keys in protected form and only uses them within authorized request flows.

For most users, the important points are:

The platform stores protected key material rather than exposing plaintext credentials
Unauthorized users cannot directly use your Provider Keys
You can combine access control, quotas, and logs for ongoing governance
The source of truth and ultimate control of the original Provider Keys remains with you

How do I get started?

Prepare your Provider Keys from the official platforms you use.
Add those Provider Keys in the management console.
Use the XAI API Key assigned to your account to access the unified entry.
Configure model access, quotas, access control, and team rules as needed.

If you are new, start with the Quick Start guide. If you need team governance, continue with Access Control.

Common questions

Will the platform resell or misuse my Provider Keys?

No. BYOK means the keys belong to you. The platform provides custody, routing, and governance, not a paid key pool.

Why do I still need an XAI API Key?

The XAI API Key identifies your account, carries your governance rules, and routes requests to your own Provider Keys.

What if I want to migrate later?

You can. Your original Provider Keys stay with the official providers, so migration is mainly about changing integration and governance settings rather than recovering keys from a platform.