Groq Install & Auth
Overview
Install the official Groq SDK and configure API key authentication. Groq provides ultra-fast LLM inference on custom LPU hardware through an OpenAI-compatible REST API at api.groq.com/openai/v1/.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 18+ or Python 3.8+
- Package manager (npm, pnpm, or pip)
- Groq account at console.groq.com
- API key from GroqCloud console (Settings > API Keys)
Instructions
Step 1: Install the SDK
set -euo pipefail
# TypeScript / JavaScript
npm install groq-sdk
# Python
pip install groq
Step 2: Get Your API Key
- Go to console.groq.com/keys
- Click "Create API Key"
- Copy the key (starts with
gsk_) - Store it securely -- you cannot view it again
Step 3: Configure Environment
# Set environment variable (recommended)
export GROQ_API_KEY="gsk_your_key_here"
# Or create .env file (add .env to .gitignore first)
echo 'GROQ_API_KEY=gsk_your_key_here' >> .env
Step 4: Verify Connection (TypeScript)
import Groq from "groq-sdk";
const groq = new Groq({
apiKey: process.env.GROQ_API_KEY,
});
async function verify() {
const models = await groq.models.list();
console.log("Connected! Available models:");
for (const model of models.data) {
console.log(` ${model.id} (owned by ${model.owned_by})`);
}
}
verify().catch(console.error);
Step 5: Verify Connection (Python)
import os
from groq import Groq
client = Groq(api_key=os.environ.get("GROQ_API_KEY"))
models = client.models.list()
print("Connected! Available models:")
for model in models.data:
print(f" {model.id} (owned by {model.owned_by})")
SDK Defaults
The Groq SDK auto-reads GROQ_API_KEY from environment if no apiKey is passed to the constructor. Additional constructor options:
const groq = new Groq({
apiKey: process.env.GROQ_API_KEY, // Optional if env var set
baseURL: "https://api.groq.com/openai/v1", // Default
maxRetries: 2, // Default retry count
timeout: 60_000, // 60 second timeout (ms)
});
API Key Formats
| Prefix | Type | Usage |
|--------|------|-------|
| gsk_ | Standard API key | All API endpoints |
Groq uses a single key type. There are no separate read/write scopes -- all keys have full API access. Restrict access through organizational controls in the console.
Error Handling
| Error | Cause | Solution |
|-------|-------|----------|
| 401 Invalid API Key | Key missing, revoked, or mistyped | Verify key at console.groq.com/keys |
| MODULE_NOT_FOUND groq-sdk | SDK not installed | Run npm install groq-sdk |
| ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'groq' | Python SDK missing | Run pip install groq |
| ENOTFOUND api.groq.com | Network/DNS issue | Check internet connectivity and firewall |
.gitignore Template
# Groq secrets
.env
.env.local
.env.*.local
Resources
Next Steps
After successful auth, proceed to groq-hello-world for your first chat completion.