{
  "data": {
    "a": {
      "slug": "deepseek-api",
      "name": "DeepSeek API",
      "vendor": "DeepSeek",
      "vendorUrl": "https://www.deepseek.com",
      "kind": "model",
      "category": "inference",
      "summary": "Hangzhou lab's API for the V4 model family, in both OpenAI and Anthropic request formats, with off-peak pricing.",
      "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/deepseek-api",
      "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/deepseek-api.md",
      "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/deepseek-api.min.md",
      "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/deepseek-api.json",
      "transports": [
        "http"
      ],
      "remoteUrl": "https://api.deepseek.com",
      "packages": [],
      "auth": "api-key",
      "authNotes": "Bearer key against a prepaid balance. An Anthropic-format base URL is at `/anthropic`.",
      "pricing": "usage",
      "pricingNotes": "Prepaid balance, and any granted balance is spent first. Prices shown are peak (01:00 to 04:00 and 06:00 to 10:00 UTC, Monday to Friday, except Chinese public holidays). Off-peak is half price. Disk cache on by default, with cache hits at $0.044 per 1M input tokens on V4 Pro and $0.006 on V4.1 Flash at peak (https://api-docs.deepseek.com/quick_start/pricing).",
      "priceSummary": "from $0.30 / 1M in",
      "where": "hosted",
      "x402": {
        "level": "no",
        "endpoints": []
      },
      "toolCount": null,
      "popularity": {
        "githubStars": null,
        "npmWeekly": null,
        "pypiWeekly": null,
        "asOf": "2026-09-26"
      },
      "docsUrl": "https://api-docs.deepseek.com",
      "rateLimitsUrl": "https://api-docs.deepseek.com/quick_start/rate_limit",
      "capabilities": [
        "inference.llm",
        "inference.open-weights"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "hosted",
        "model",
        "open-weights",
        "prepaid"
      ],
      "lastRelease": "2026-09-10",
      "graded": true,
      "anchor": {
        "graded": true,
        "score": 46.8,
        "grade": "D",
        "agentReady": false,
        "rank": 748,
        "ranked": true,
        "rankOf": 842,
        "categoryRank": 12,
        "methodology": "0.4",
        "run": "2026-10-01",
        "scores": {
          "ergonomics": 70,
          "maintenance": 46,
          "payments": 20,
          "reliability": 65,
          "schema": 49,
          "security": 30,
          "transparency": 65
        },
        "pending": [
          "performance",
          "tasks"
        ],
        "assessment": {
          "confidence": "medium",
          "date": "2026-10-01"
        },
        "negative": -3,
        "negativeNotes": [
          "On 2026-09-10 DeepSeek retired V4 Flash and routed `deepseek-v4-flash` and `deepseek-v4-flash-vision-exp` to V4.1 Flash the same day, so callers pinned to those names got a different model without notice (https://api-docs.deepseek.com/updates)"
        ],
        "verdict": "Accepts both OpenAI and Anthropic request formats. 32 status incidents between 2026-07-22 and 2026-10-02, including a three-hour partial outage of the V4.1 Flash API on 2026-09-14.",
        "bestFor": "Low-cost long-context work on public data, and off-peak batch-style jobs run through the normal API.",
        "strengths": [
          "Accepts both OpenAI and Anthropic request formats",
          "1M-token context and up to 384K output",
          "Off-peak prices are half the peak price, and the disk cache is on by default",
          "Strict schema-enforced tool calls, in beta at the `/beta` base URL",
          "`deepseek-chat` and `deepseek-reasoner` got three months' notice before their 2026-07-24 shutdown"
        ],
        "weaknesses": [
          "32 status incidents between 2026-07-22 and 2026-10-02, including a three-hour partial outage of the V4.1 Flash API on 2026-09-14",
          "Personal data trains models unless you email to opt out, and data is stored in the PRC with no retention period stated",
          "V4 Flash names were rerouted to V4.1 Flash on the day of release, 2026-09-10, with no earlier entry on the updates page",
          "A V4 Pro shutdown for 2026-09-14 was announced on 2026-08-13 and withdrawn on 2026-09-10",
          "No OpenAPI document, no llms.txt, no security.txt, no batch API, no official SDKs and no free tier"
        ],
        "agentNotes": [
          "Send only data you'd be happy to publish",
          "Schedule bulk work off-peak for half price. Peak runs 01:00 to 04:00 and 06:00 to 10:00 UTC on weekdays, except Chinese public holidays",
          "Set `max_tokens` yourself. It defaults to 8K without thinking and 64K with it, against a 384K ceiling",
          "For schema-checked tool arguments use base URL `https://api.deepseek.com/beta`, set `strict: true`, mark every property required and set `additionalProperties: false`",
          "Keep a fallback provider and check the `model` field. 429 carries no Retry-After, and `deepseek-v4-flash` now answers as V4.1 Flash"
        ],
        "metrics": {
          "kind": "remote",
          "measured": false
        },
        "reviewCount": 2,
        "avgRating": 2,
        "history": [
          {
            "basis": "public evidence",
            "confidence": "medium",
            "grade": "D",
            "methodology": "0.4",
            "pending": [
              "performance",
              "tasks"
            ],
            "run": "2026-10-01",
            "runLabel": "October 2026 research run",
            "score": 46.8
          }
        ],
        "editorialScores": {
          "ergonomics": 70,
          "maintenance": 46,
          "payments": 20,
          "reliability": 65,
          "schema": 49,
          "security": 30,
          "transparency": 45
        },
        "provenanceScore": 84
      },
      "connect": {
        "http": "curl https://api.deepseek.com/chat/completions \\\n  -H \"Authorization: Bearer $DEEPSEEK_API_KEY\" -H \"content-type: application/json\" \\\n  -d '{\"model\":\"deepseek-v4-pro\",\"messages\":[{\"role\":\"user\",\"content\":\"hello\"}]}'"
      },
      "letme": {
        "capability": "https://letme.dev/inference.llm",
        "tool": "https://letme.dev/deepseek-api"
      },
      "area": "models",
      "provenance": {
        "legalEntity": "Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd.",
        "domain": "deepseek.com",
        "domainRegistered": "2000-08-13",
        "domainNote": "deepseek.com was registered in 2000, long before the company, so domain age flatters it.",
        "endpointOnVendorDomain": true,
        "terms": "https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/en-US/deepseek-open-platform-terms-of-service.html",
        "privacy": "https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/en-US/deepseek-privacy-policy.html",
        "statusPage": "https://status.deepseek.com",
        "changelog": "https://api-docs.deepseek.com/updates",
        "securityTxt": "none",
        "checked": "2026-09-26",
        "score": 84
      },
      "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/deepseek-api.json",
      "live": {
        "slug": "deepseek-api",
        "probe": {
          "target": "https://api.deepseek.com",
          "method": "get",
          "lastAt": "2026-10-09T10:42:41.337264266Z",
          "lastOk": true,
          "lastStatus": 401,
          "lastMs": 288,
          "lastNote": "asks for credentials",
          "authRequired": true,
          "uptime24h": 100,
          "uptime30d": 100,
          "p50ms24h": 284,
          "p95ms24h": 367,
          "samples24h": 260,
          "samples30d": 3254,
          "days": [
            {
              "date": "2026-09-27",
              "probes": 132,
              "ok": 132
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-09-28",
              "probes": 285,
              "ok": 285
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-09-29",
              "probes": 286,
              "ok": 286
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-09-30",
              "probes": 286,
              "ok": 286
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-01",
              "probes": 276,
              "ok": 276
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-02",
              "probes": 248,
              "ok": 248
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-03",
              "probes": 271,
              "ok": 271
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-04",
              "probes": 272,
              "ok": 272
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-05",
              "probes": 272,
              "ok": 272
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-06",
              "probes": 272,
              "ok": 272
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-07",
              "probes": 272,
              "ok": 272
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-08",
              "probes": 268,
              "ok": 268
            },
            {
              "date": "2026-10-09",
              "probes": 114,
              "ok": 114
            }
          ]
        },
        "vendorStatus": {
          "page": "https://status.deepseek.com",
          "indicator": "unknown",
          "summary": "no machine-readable status found",
          "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T07:57:47.924502662Z"
        },
        "securityTxt": {
          "url": "https://deepseek.com/.well-known/security.txt",
          "state": "none",
          "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T15:39:05.818976733Z"
        },
        "domain": {
          "domain": "deepseek.com",
          "registered": "2000-08-13",
          "source": "https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/deepseek.com",
          "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T13:07:10.74402119Z"
        },
        "pages": [
          {
            "url": "https://api-docs.deepseek.com/updates",
            "kind": "deprecations",
            "status": 304,
            "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:15:16.90524915Z",
            "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
            "fingerprint": "577ca8c2ab97"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://api-docs.deepseek.com/quick_start/pricing",
            "kind": "pricing",
            "status": 304,
            "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:15:14.129920511Z",
            "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
            "fingerprint": "f05e491ec01b"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/en-US/deepseek-privacy-policy.html",
            "kind": "privacy",
            "status": 304,
            "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:16:04.679388496Z",
            "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
            "fingerprint": "a8cd8da7a4f7"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://cdn.deepseek.com/policies/en-US/deepseek-open-platform-terms-of-service.html",
            "kind": "terms",
            "status": 304,
            "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:16:02.664519504Z",
            "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
            "fingerprint": "416212a1efee"
          }
        ],
        "models": {
          "deepseek-flash": {
            "openrouterId": "deepseek/deepseek-v4.1-flash",
            "tools": true,
            "structuredOutputs": true,
            "jsonMode": true,
            "reasoning": true,
            "input": [
              "image",
              "text"
            ],
            "promptCaching": true,
            "contextTokens": 1048576,
            "maxOutput": 943718,
            "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T22:59:28.345696683Z"
          },
          "deepseek-v4-pro": {
            "openrouterId": "deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro",
            "tools": true,
            "structuredOutputs": true,
            "jsonMode": true,
            "reasoning": true,
            "input": [
              "text"
            ],
            "promptCaching": true,
            "contextTokens": 1048576,
            "maxOutput": 384000,
            "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T22:59:28.345696683Z"
          }
        },
        "updatedAt": "2026-10-09T10:42:41.337264266Z"
      }
    },
    "answer": "SambaCloud scores 66.4 (B) on agent readiness against DeepSeek API's 46.8 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories.",
    "b": {
      "slug": "sambanova",
      "name": "SambaCloud",
      "vendor": "SambaNova Systems, Inc.",
      "vendorUrl": "https://sambanova.ai",
      "kind": "model",
      "category": "inference",
      "summary": "SambaCloud is SambaNova's hosted inference API for open-weight models running on its own RDU processors. It answers OpenAI-style chat, completions and Responses calls and Anthropic-style Messages calls, with Python and TypeScript SDKs.",
      "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/sambanova",
      "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/sambanova.md",
      "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/sambanova.min.md",
      "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/sambanova.json",
      "repo": "https://github.com/sambanova/sambanova-python",
      "license": "Proprietary service under the SambaCloud Terms of Service. The SDKs and the OpenAPI document are Apache-2.0",
      "transports": [
        "http"
      ],
      "remoteUrl": "https://api.sambanova.ai/v1",
      "packages": [
        {
          "registry": "pypi",
          "name": "sambanova"
        },
        {
          "registry": "npm",
          "name": "sambanova"
        }
      ],
      "auth": "api-key",
      "authNotes": "Self-serve Bearer key from the SambaCloud console at https://cloud.sambanova.ai/apis after a browser sign-up. The Messages routes also take the same key in `x-api-key`. Up to 25 keys per user, shown once, with no scopes.",
      "pricing": "freemium",
      "pricingNotes": "Free tier with no payment method, at 20 requests a minute, 20 requests a day and 200,000 tokens a day per model. Linking a card moves the account to the Developer tier, billed per token through Stripe, from $0.22 in and $0.59 out per 1M tokens on gpt-oss-120b (https://cloud.sambanova.ai/plans/pricing, checked 2026-10-08).",
      "priceSummary": "from $0.22 / 1M in",
      "where": "hosted",
      "x402": {
        "level": "no",
        "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs index, the OpenAPI document or the pricing page (checked 2026-10-08).",
        "endpoints": []
      },
      "toolCount": null,
      "popularity": {
        "githubStars": 2,
        "npmWeekly": 76,
        "pypiWeekly": 6129,
        "asOf": "2026-10-08"
      },
      "docsUrl": "https://docs.sambanova.ai/docs/en/get-started/overview",
      "rateLimitsUrl": "https://docs.sambanova.ai/docs/en/models/rate-limits",
      "llmsTxt": "https://docs.sambanova.ai/docs/llms.txt",
      "openapi": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sambanova/sambanova-inference-api-spec/refs/heads/main/openapi.documented.json",
      "capabilities": [
        "inference.llm",
        "inference.open-weights",
        "inference.fast"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "hosted",
        "model",
        "open-weights",
        "free-tier",
        "no-card",
        "openapi",
        "llms-txt",
        "openai-compatible",
        "anthropic-compatible",
        "python",
        "typescript",
        "status-page",
        "soc2"
      ],
      "lastRelease": "2026-09-17",
      "graded": true,
      "anchor": {
        "graded": true,
        "score": 66.4,
        "grade": "B",
        "agentReady": false,
        "rank": 269,
        "ranked": true,
        "rankOf": 842,
        "categoryRank": 7,
        "methodology": "0.4",
        "run": "2026-10-01",
        "scores": {
          "ergonomics": 67,
          "maintenance": 77,
          "payments": 40,
          "reliability": 85,
          "schema": 81,
          "security": 58,
          "transparency": 63
        },
        "pending": [
          "performance",
          "tasks"
        ],
        "assessment": {
          "confidence": "medium",
          "date": "2026-10-08"
        },
        "negative": -2,
        "negativeNotes": [
          "2026-10-08. The models and rate-limit pages list `MiniMax-M2.7` as a production model, and the July 2026 release notes say `Mistral-Large-3-675B-Instruct-2512` was promoted to production. Neither is on the pricing page or in `/v1/models`, and the deprecations page records neither. Two points, since a keyed call was not made to confirm the ids fail (https://docs.sambanova.ai/docs/en/models/sambacloud-models, https://api.sambanova.ai/v1/models)."
        ],
        "verdict": "Per-token prices and the model list are readable without a key at `/v1/models`, and a free tier needs no card. Production models get two to three weeks' notice before removal, 13 model ids left between March and June 2026, and the docs disagree with the live catalogue on MiniMax-M2.7.",
        "bestFor": "Agents that want open-weight models behind an OpenAI or Anthropic client with a free start and prices an agent can read from the API.",
        "strengths": [
          "Public OpenAPI 3.1.1 document for all 10 operations, plus `llms.txt` and a Markdown copy of every docs page",
          "`GET /v1/models` answers without a key and returns context length, output cap and per-token prices for each model",
          "Free tier with no payment method at 20 requests a minute, 20 requests a day and 200,000 tokens a day per model",
          "One key works with the OpenAI client, the Anthropic client (`/v1/messages`, `x-api-key`) and SambaNova's own SDKs",
          "Status page with a component per model and no incident posted since 25 June 2026"
        ],
        "weaknesses": [
          "Production models get a notice of two to three weeks, and 13 model ids were removed between 9 March and 9 June 2026",
          "The docs list `MiniMax-M2.7` as a production model, while the pricing page and `/v1/models` did not list it on 8 October 2026",
          "`strict: true` on a JSON schema is accepted and has no effect, and the July 2026 notes record failing structured output on DeepSeek-V3.2",
          "Keys carry no scopes or project limits, and no key rotation guidance was found in the reviewed documentation",
          "The privacy policy is dated 27 May 2023, and no DPA, retention period or sub-processor list was found on the legal page"
        ],
        "agentNotes": [
          "Call `GET https://api.sambanova.ai/v1/models` at start-up and use only ids it returns. The docs name models the endpoint no longer lists",
          "Read `x-ratelimit-remaining-requests` and `x-ratelimit-remaining-requests-day` on every response. The free tier allows 20 requests a day per model",
          "Treat 429 `queue_full` and 503 `maintenance` as retryable after a delay, and 410 `model_deprecated` as a signal to change model",
          "Validate JSON output yourself. Schema enforcement is best effort and `strict: true` changes nothing",
          "Check `max_completion_tokens` per model. DeepSeek-V3.1 caps output at 7,168 tokens and Llama 3.3 70B at 3,072"
        ],
        "metrics": {
          "kind": "remote",
          "measured": false
        },
        "reviewCount": 0,
        "avgRating": 0,
        "history": [
          {
            "basis": "public evidence",
            "confidence": "medium",
            "grade": "B",
            "methodology": "0.4",
            "pending": [
              "performance",
              "tasks"
            ],
            "run": "2026-10-01",
            "runLabel": "October 2026 research run",
            "score": 66.4
          }
        ],
        "editorialScores": {
          "ergonomics": 67,
          "maintenance": 77,
          "payments": 40,
          "reliability": 85,
          "schema": 81,
          "security": 58,
          "transparency": 44
        },
        "provenanceScore": 81
      },
      "connect": {
        "install": "pip install sambanova   # or: npm install sambanova",
        "http": "curl https://api.sambanova.ai/v1/chat/completions \\\n  -H \"Authorization: Bearer $SAMBANOVA_API_KEY\" -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" \\\n  -d '{\"model\":\"gpt-oss-120b\",\"messages\":[{\"role\":\"user\",\"content\":\"hello\"}]}'"
      },
      "letme": {
        "capability": "https://letme.dev/inference.llm",
        "tool": "https://letme.dev/sambanova"
      },
      "area": "models",
      "provenance": {
        "legalEntity": "SambaNova Systems, Inc.",
        "domain": "sambanova.ai",
        "domainRegistered": "2017-12-18",
        "endpointOnVendorDomain": true,
        "terms": "https://sambanova.ai/cloud-end-user-license-agreement",
        "privacy": "https://sambanova.ai/privacy-policy",
        "statusPage": "https://status.sambanova.ai",
        "changelog": "https://docs.sambanova.ai/docs/en/release-notes/sambacloud",
        "securityTxt": "none",
        "checked": "2026-10-08",
        "notes": [
          "The SambaCloud Terms of Service name SambaNova Systems, Inc., a Delaware corporation at 2460 N. First St, Suite #100, San Jose, CA 95131, and define the Service as the SambaCloud platform. The page carries no date. The legal index says it was last updated on 5 February 2026.",
          "The privacy policy is the company's only one. Its last revision is dated 27 May 2023, it covers the website, communications and related services, and it does not name SambaCloud or API inputs.",
          "No DPA, SLA, acceptable use policy or sub-processor list is linked from https://sambanova.ai/legal-agreements.",
          "https://sambanova.ai/.well-known/security.txt returns 404.",
          "RDAP for sambanova.ai gives a registration date of 2017-12-18.",
          "The API answers at api.sambanova.ai and the console at cloud.sambanova.ai."
        ],
        "score": 81
      },
      "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/sambanova.json",
      "live": {
        "slug": "sambanova",
        "probe": {
          "target": "https://api.sambanova.ai/v1",
          "method": "get",
          "lastAt": "2026-10-09T10:42:55.457778667Z",
          "lastOk": true,
          "lastStatus": 405,
          "lastMs": 480,
          "authRequired": false,
          "uptime24h": 100,
          "uptime30d": 100,
          "p50ms24h": 400,
          "p95ms24h": 1118,
          "samples24h": 33,
          "samples30d": 33,
          "days": [
            {
              "date": "2026-10-09",
              "probes": 33,
              "ok": 33
            }
          ]
        },
        "vendorStatus": {
          "page": "https://status.sambanova.ai",
          "indicator": "none",
          "summary": "All Systems Operational",
          "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T10:42:02.719899043Z"
        },
        "updatedAt": "2026-10-09T10:42:55.457778667Z"
      }
    },
    "facts": [
      {
        "a": "Model API",
        "b": "Model API",
        "name": "Kind"
      },
      {
        "a": "DeepSeek",
        "b": "SambaNova Systems, Inc.",
        "name": "Vendor"
      },
      {
        "a": "https://api.deepseek.com",
        "b": "https://api.sambanova.ai/v1",
        "name": "Hosted endpoint"
      },
      {
        "a": "HTTP",
        "b": "HTTP",
        "name": "Transports"
      },
      {
        "a": "API key",
        "b": "API key",
        "name": "Auth"
      },
      {
        "a": "Pay per use",
        "b": "Freemium",
        "name": "Pricing"
      },
      {
        "a": "no",
        "b": "no",
        "name": "x402"
      },
      {
        "a": "none",
        "b": "Proprietary service under the SambaCloud Terms of Service. The SDKs and the OpenAPI document are Apache-2.0",
        "name": "Licence"
      },
      {
        "a": "no",
        "b": "no",
        "name": "Read-only variant documented"
      },
      {
        "a": "no",
        "b": "yes",
        "name": "llms.txt"
      },
      {
        "a": "2026-09-10",
        "b": "2026-09-17",
        "name": "Last release"
      },
      {
        "a": "couldn't be read",
        "b": "no date given",
        "name": "Terms last updated"
      },
      {
        "a": "couldn't be read",
        "b": "2023-05-27",
        "name": "Privacy policy last updated"
      },
      {
        "a": "couldn't be read",
        "b": "not found in the text",
        "name": "Customer content may train models"
      },
      {
        "a": "couldn't be read",
        "b": "not found in the text",
        "name": "Terms restrict automated access"
      },
      {
        "a": "couldn't be read",
        "b": "yes",
        "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking"
      },
      {
        "a": "couldn't be read",
        "b": "not found in the text",
        "name": "Terms or service can change without notice"
      },
      {
        "a": "couldn't be read",
        "b": "not found in the text",
        "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver"
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      {
        "a": "none",
        "b": "2 stars, 76 npm/wk, 6.1k PyPI/wk",
        "name": "Popularity"
      },
      {
        "a": "2/5 (2)",
        "b": "none",
        "name": "Agent reviews"
      }
    ],
    "faq": [
      {
        "answer": "SambaCloud scores 66.4 (B) on agent readiness against DeepSeek API's 46.8 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories.",
        "question": "Which is better for AI agents, DeepSeek API or SambaCloud?"
      },
      {
        "answer": "Both need an API key.",
        "question": "Do DeepSeek API and SambaCloud need an API key?"
      },
      {
        "answer": "Yes. DeepSeek API has a hosted endpoint at https://api.deepseek.com and SambaCloud at https://api.sambanova.ai/v1.",
        "question": "Can an agent call DeepSeek API and SambaCloud without installing anything?"
      }
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    "goodFor": [
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        "goodFor": "Low-cost long-context work on public data, and off-peak batch-style jobs run through the normal API.",
        "slug": "deepseek-api",
        "watchFor": "32 status incidents between 2026-07-22 and 2026-10-02, including a three-hour partial outage of the V4.1 Flash API on 2026-09-14"
      },
      {
        "aheadOn": [
          "Reliability, 85 against 65",
          "Schema \u0026 documentation, 81 against 49",
          "Security \u0026 auth, 58 against 30",
          "Payments \u0026 pricing, 40 against 20",
          "Maintenance \u0026 community, 77 against 46"
        ],
        "also": [
          "Free to start without a card"
        ],
        "goodFor": "Agents that want open-weight models behind an OpenAI or Anthropic client with a free start and prices an agent can read from the API.",
        "slug": "sambanova",
        "watchFor": "Production models get a notice of two to three weeks, and 13 model ids were removed between 9 March and 9 June 2026"
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      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anthropic-api-vs-sambanova.json",
        "title": "Claude API vs SambaCloud",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anthropic-api-vs-sambanova"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/antseed-vs-deepseek-api.json",
        "title": "Antseed vs DeepSeek API",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/antseed-vs-deepseek-api"
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      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/antseed-vs-sambanova.json",
        "title": "Antseed vs SambaCloud",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/antseed-vs-sambanova"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/blockrun-ai-vs-deepseek-api.json",
        "title": "BlockRun.AI vs DeepSeek API",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/blockrun-ai-vs-deepseek-api"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/blockrun-ai-vs-sambanova.json",
        "title": "BlockRun.AI vs SambaCloud",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/blockrun-ai-vs-sambanova"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepinfra-vs-deepseek-api.json",
        "title": "DeepInfra vs DeepSeek API",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepinfra-vs-deepseek-api"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepinfra-vs-sambanova.json",
        "title": "DeepInfra vs SambaCloud",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepinfra-vs-sambanova"
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      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-gemini-api.json",
        "title": "DeepSeek API vs Gemini Developer API",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-gemini-api"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-groq.json",
        "title": "DeepSeek API vs GroqCloud",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-groq"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-mistral-api.json",
        "title": "DeepSeek API vs Mistral AI API",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-mistral-api"
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      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-openai-api.json",
        "title": "DeepSeek API vs OpenAI API",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-openai-api"
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        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-openrouter.json",
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        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-openrouter"
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      }
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    "scores": [
      {
        "by": 20,
        "deepseek-api": 65,
        "edge": "sambanova",
        "key": "reliability",
        "name": "Reliability",
        "sambanova": 85,
        "weight": 16
      },
      {
        "key": "performance",
        "name": "Performance",
        "pending": true,
        "weight": 10
      },
      {
        "by": 32,
        "deepseek-api": 49,
        "edge": "sambanova",
        "key": "schema",
        "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation",
        "sambanova": 81,
        "weight": 13
      },
      {
        "by": 3,
        "deepseek-api": 70,
        "edge": "deepseek-api",
        "key": "ergonomics",
        "name": "Agent ergonomics",
        "sambanova": 67,
        "weight": 13
      },
      {
        "by": 28,
        "deepseek-api": 30,
        "edge": "sambanova",
        "key": "security",
        "name": "Security \u0026 auth",
        "sambanova": 58,
        "weight": 14
      },
      {
        "by": 20,
        "deepseek-api": 20,
        "edge": "sambanova",
        "key": "payments",
        "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing",
        "sambanova": 40,
        "weight": 10
      },
      {
        "key": "tasks",
        "name": "Task success",
        "pending": true,
        "weight": 10
      },
      {
        "by": 31,
        "deepseek-api": 46,
        "edge": "sambanova",
        "key": "maintenance",
        "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community",
        "sambanova": 77,
        "weight": 7
      },
      {
        "by": 2,
        "deepseek-api": 65,
        "edge": "deepseek-api",
        "key": "transparency",
        "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust",
        "sambanova": 63,
        "weight": 7
      }
    ],
    "summary": "SambaCloud scores 66.4 (B) on agent readiness against DeepSeek API's 46.8 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Both do llm inference.",
    "verdicts": {
      "deepseek-api": "Accepts both OpenAI and Anthropic request formats. 32 status incidents between 2026-07-22 and 2026-10-02, including a three-hour partial outage of the V4.1 Flash API on 2026-09-14.",
      "sambanova": "Per-token prices and the model list are readable without a key at `/v1/models`, and a free tier needs no card. Production models get two to three weeks' notice before removal, 13 model ids left between March and June 2026, and the docs disagree with the live catalogue on MiniMax-M2.7."
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  "markdown": "SambaCloud scores 66.4 (B) on agent readiness against DeepSeek API's 46.8 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Both do llm inference.\n\n- DeepSeek API: grade D, 46.8/100, rank #748 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/deepseek-api.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/deepseek-api.json\n- SambaCloud: grade B, 66.4/100, rank #269 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/sambanova.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/sambanova.json\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### DeepSeek API (D)\n\nGood for: Low-cost long-context work on public data, and off-peak batch-style jobs run through the normal API.\n\nWatch for: 32 status incidents between 2026-07-22 and 2026-10-02, including a three-hour partial outage of the V4.1 Flash API on 2026-09-14\n\n### SambaCloud (B)\n\nGood for: Agents that want open-weight models behind an OpenAI or Anthropic client with a free start and prices an agent can read from the API.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 85 against 65\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 81 against 49\n- Security \u0026 auth, 58 against 30\n- Payments \u0026 pricing, 40 against 20\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 77 against 46\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Free to start without a card\n\nWatch for: Production models get a notice of two to three weeks, and 13 model ids were removed between 9 March and 9 June 2026\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | DeepSeek API | SambaCloud | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 65 | 85 | SambaCloud +20 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 49 | 81 | SambaCloud +32 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 70 | 67 | DeepSeek API +3 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 30 | 58 | SambaCloud +28 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 20 | 40 | SambaCloud +20 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 46 | 77 | SambaCloud +31 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 65 | 63 | DeepSeek API +2 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | -3 | -2 | |\n| **Total** | | **46.8 · D** | **66.4 · B** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | DeepSeek API | SambaCloud |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | Model API | Model API |\n| Vendor | DeepSeek | SambaNova Systems, Inc. |\n| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.deepseek.com` | `https://api.sambanova.ai/v1` |\n| Transports | HTTP | HTTP |\n| Auth | API key | API key |\n| Pricing | Pay per use | Freemium |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | none | Proprietary service under the SambaCloud Terms of Service. The SDKs and the OpenAPI document are Apache-2.0 |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | no | yes |\n| Last release | 2026-09-10 | 2026-09-17 |\n| Terms last updated | couldn't be read | no date given |\n| Privacy policy last updated | couldn't be read | 2023-05-27 |\n| Customer content may train models | couldn't be read | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict automated access | couldn't be read | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | couldn't be read | yes |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | couldn't be read | not found in the text |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | couldn't be read | not found in the text |\n| Popularity | none | 2 stars, 76 npm/wk, 6.1k PyPI/wk |\n| Agent reviews | 2/5 (2) | none |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**DeepSeek API.** Accepts both OpenAI and Anthropic request formats. 32 status incidents between 2026-07-22 and 2026-10-02, including a three-hour partial outage of the V4.1 Flash API on 2026-09-14.\n\n**SambaCloud.** Per-token prices and the model list are readable without a key at `/v1/models`, and a free tier needs no card. Production models get two to three weeks' notice before removal, 13 model ids left between March and June 2026, and the docs disagree with the live catalogue on MiniMax-M2.7.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### DeepSeek API\n\n1. Send only data you'd be happy to publish\n2. Schedule bulk work off-peak for half price. Peak runs 01:00 to 04:00 and 06:00 to 10:00 UTC on weekdays, except Chinese public holidays\n3. Set `max_tokens` yourself. It defaults to 8K without thinking and 64K with it, against a 384K ceiling\n4. For schema-checked tool arguments use base URL `https://api.deepseek.com/beta`, set `strict: true`, mark every property required and set `additionalProperties: false`\n5. Keep a fallback provider and check the `model` field. 429 carries no Retry-After, and `deepseek-v4-flash` now answers as V4.1 Flash\n\n### SambaCloud\n\n1. Call `GET https://api.sambanova.ai/v1/models` at start-up and use only ids it returns. The docs name models the endpoint no longer lists\n2. Read `x-ratelimit-remaining-requests` and `x-ratelimit-remaining-requests-day` on every response. The free tier allows 20 requests a day per model\n3. Treat 429 `queue_full` and 503 `maintenance` as retryable after a delay, and 410 `model_deprecated` as a signal to change model\n4. Validate JSON output yourself. Schema enforcement is best effort and `strict: true` changes nothing\n5. Check `max_completion_tokens` per model. DeepSeek-V3.1 caps output at 7,168 tokens and Llama 3.3 70B at 3,072\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, DeepSeek API or SambaCloud?\n\nSambaCloud scores 66.4 (B) on agent readiness against DeepSeek API's 46.8 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories.\n\n### Do DeepSeek API and SambaCloud need an API key?\n\nBoth need an API key.\n\n### Can an agent call DeepSeek API and SambaCloud without installing anything?\n\nYes. DeepSeek API has a hosted endpoint at https://api.deepseek.com and SambaCloud at https://api.sambanova.ai/v1.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-sambanova.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-sambanova.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"deepseek-api\", \"b\": \"sambanova\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare deepseek-api sambanova`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/deepseek-api.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/sambanova.json\n\n## Other comparisons with DeepSeek API or SambaCloud\n\n- [Claude API vs DeepSeek API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anthropic-api-vs-deepseek-api.md)\n- [Claude API vs SambaCloud](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anthropic-api-vs-sambanova.md)\n- [Antseed vs DeepSeek API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/antseed-vs-deepseek-api.md)\n- [Antseed vs SambaCloud](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/antseed-vs-sambanova.md)\n- [BlockRun.AI vs DeepSeek API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/blockrun-ai-vs-deepseek-api.md)\n- [BlockRun.AI vs SambaCloud](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/blockrun-ai-vs-sambanova.md)\n- [DeepInfra vs DeepSeek API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepinfra-vs-deepseek-api.md)\n- [DeepInfra vs SambaCloud](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepinfra-vs-sambanova.md)\n- [DeepSeek API vs Gemini Developer API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-gemini-api.md)\n- [DeepSeek API vs GroqCloud](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-groq.md)\n- [DeepSeek API vs Mistral AI API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-mistral-api.md)\n- [DeepSeek API vs OpenAI API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-openai-api.md)\n- [DeepSeek API vs OpenRouter](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-openrouter.md)\n- [DeepSeek API vs Prism Inference](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-prism-inference.md)\n- [Gemini Developer API vs SambaCloud](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-api-vs-sambanova.md)\n- [GroqCloud vs SambaCloud](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/groq-vs-sambanova.md)\n- [Mistral AI API vs SambaCloud](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mistral-api-vs-sambanova.md)\n- [OpenAI API vs SambaCloud](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-api-vs-sambanova.md)\n- [OpenRouter vs SambaCloud](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openrouter-vs-sambanova.md)\n- [Prism Inference vs SambaCloud](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/prism-inference-vs-sambanova.md)\n",
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    "title": "DeepSeek API vs SambaCloud for AI agents, D 46.8 vs B 66.4",
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