When integrating OpenAI with 4D AIKit, you may encounter two different API key formats. Understanding their structure and compatibility ensures proper authentication and error-free integration.

Key Types and Their Scope

User-Level Keys (sk-...)

• Format: sk- + 48 alphanumeric characters


• Scope: Organization-wide access to all projects and resources


• Status: Legacy format, being phased out since April 2024


• Best for: Single project setups or when you need access across multiple projects

Project-Scoped Keys (sk-proj-...)

• Format: sk-proj- + alphanumeric string (~130-160 chars)


• Scope: Limited to a specific project and its resources only


• Status: Current standard for new OpenAI accounts


• Best for: Multi-project organizations with isolated resources and separate usage tracking

Project-scoped keys provide better access control and resource isolation. They are recommended unless organization-wide access is specifically required.