Hey everyone! I’m super excited to dive into the world of AI and start using the DeepSeek API for a personal project. I’ve been reading through the documentation and trying to set things up, but I’ve hit a wall already. Here’s what’s going on: I followed the steps in the “Getting Started” guide: I signed up, got my API key, and even copied the example code from the docs. But when I try to run the code, I keep getting this error:
Error: Authentication Failed (Status 401)I’m pretty sure I’m using the correct API key, but maybe I’m missing something obvious? Here’s the code I’m using:
import deepseek
api = deepseek.connect(api_key="MY_API_KEY_HERE")
response = api.generate_text(prompt="Hello World!") I’m running this in a Python environment, and I’ve double-checked that the API key is correct. I even tried regenerating the key, but no luck. Has anyone else run into this issue? I’m not sure if I’m doing something wrong or if there’s a step I missed in the setup process.
Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance for helping out a newbie like me.
Hey! The 401 Authentication Failed error usually means there’s an issue with your API key. Here’s what to check:
Copy the API Key Correctly: Make sure there are no extra spaces or missing characters.
Regenerate the Key: Try creating a new API key in your DeepSeek account.
Use Environment Variables: Store your key securely like this:
If it still doesn’t work, share more details about your setup, and we’ll help you out!
Thanks for the quick response! I tried all the steps you mentioned:
1. I double-checked my API key—no extra spaces or missing characters.
2. I regenerated the API key just to be sure.
3. I even tried using environment variables as you suggested.
But I’m still getting the same `401 Authentication Failed` error. Here’s what my updated code looks like:
import os
import deepseek
api_key = os.getenv(“DEEPSEEK_API_KEY”)
api = deepseek.connect(api_key=api_key)
response = api.generate_text(prompt=”Hello World!”)
print(response)
I made sure the environment variable is set correctly, and I even printed it out to confirm it’s being read properly. Still no luck. Could there be something else I’m missing? Maybe something related to permissions or the API endpoint?
I’m using Python 3.8 and running this in a virtual environment. Any other ideas? Thanks again for your help!
Ah, I finally figured it out! 😅 Turns out I was passing the API key directly instead of wrapping it in a config object. I went back to the docs (should’ve done that earlier) and saw that tiny note about it. Here’s the fix:
python
import deepseek
config = {
“api_key”: “MY_API_KEY_HERE”
}
api = deepseek.connect(config=config)
response = api.generate_text(prompt=”Hello World!”)
print(response)
It’s one of those small details that’s easy to miss. Thanks for the help earlier—it pushed me to dig deeper!
If anyone else gets stuck, double-check how you’re passing the API key. Sometimes the solution is simpler than you think!