Installation
Install @freerouter/sdk, set up API keys, and make your first completely free ($0 cost) LLM request.
@freerouter/sdk is a BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) routing layer for free LLM providers - all at $0 cost. Write code once - FreeRouter automatically fails over across 13 providers with ~87 free models. Like OpenRouter, but for free models. Implements LanguageModelV4 from @ai-sdk/provider, compatible with Vercel AI SDK v7.
Prerequisites
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Runtime | Node.js 18+ or Bun |
| Package Manager | npm, yarn, pnpm, or bun |
| API Key | At least one provider key (Groq, Google, etc.) |
| AI SDK | ai (Vercel AI SDK v7) - installed automatically |
Installation
bun add @freerouter/sdkPeer dependency
ai (Vercel AI SDK v7) is a peer dependency and installs automatically. Explicit install: bun add ai.
Quickstart
1. Set your API key
export GROQ_API_KEY="gsk_your_api_key_here"Never commit keys
Store API keys in environment variables or .env. Never hardcode or commit raw keys.
2. Create your first app
import { createFreeRouter } from "@freerouter/sdk"
import { generateText } from "ai"
const freerouter = createFreeRouter()
const { text } = await generateText({
model: freerouter.languageModel("free:auto", {
groq: process.env.GROQ_API_KEY,
}),
prompt: "Explain quantum computing in one paragraph",
})
console.log(text)3. Run it
bun run index.ts4. Add more providers
const { text } = await generateText({
model: freerouter.languageModel("free:auto", {
groq: process.env.GROQ_API_KEY,
google: process.env.GOOGLE_API_KEY,
}),
prompt: "Explain quantum computing",
})How it works
Only providers with keys are considered during resolution. Providers without keys are skipped automatically.