About Claude API

The Claude API provides programmatic access to Anthropic's Claude AI models. Developers can integrate Claude's capabilities into their applications, enabling AI-powered features like text generation, analysis, code assistance, and more through a RESTful API interface.

Available Models

Claude 3.5 Sonnet: Best balance of speed and intelligence
Claude 3.5 Haiku: Fastest model for simple tasks
Claude 3 Opus: Most capable for complex reasoning

API Endpoints

Messages API: /v1/messages - Core conversational endpoint
Token Counting: /v1/messages/count_tokens
Batch API: For high-volume asynchronous processing

Common Issues

Rate Limiting (429): Too many requests, implement exponential backoff
Timeout Errors: Long-running requests timing out
Authentication (401): Invalid or expired API key
Server Errors (500/503): Temporary service disruption

Error Handling Best Practices

When the API returns errors, implement proper retry logic with exponential backoff. For 429 (rate limit) errors, respect the retry-after header. For 5xx errors, retry with increasing delays starting from 1 second.

Service Information

Base URL: https://api.anthropic.com
API Version: 2023-06-01
Documentation: API Reference
SDKs: Python, TypeScript/JavaScript, and community SDKs
Rate Limits: Varies by tier and model