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Ideogram API

API Setup

Everything below happens in the API dashboard. Its sidebar has three groups: Manage (Dashboard, API Keys, Usage, Billing, Settings, and Members for teams), Playground (one page per endpoint you can try), and Build (Documentation, Status, and Pricing).

IMPORTANT: Image and video links created by the Ideogram API expire. If you want to keep a result, download it and store it.

Get access

  1. Log in to your Ideogram account at ideogram.ai. If you don’t have one, sign up first; a free account is enough. Signing up accepts the Developer API Agreement and Policy along with the Terms of Service.
  2. Open the API dashboard from the API button in the app’s navigation. API keys in the account menu takes you straight to your keys.

Add a payment method and credits

API usage is prepaid: requests draw down a credit balance according to the API pricing. In Billing, select Add payment method (payments are processed by Stripe), then fund your balance:

  • Add credits: a one-time purchase of $10, $20, $50, $100, or a custom amount between $1 and $300. Your balance can’t exceed $300.
  • Auto recharge: when your balance drops below the Minimum balance threshold, it is topped back up to the Top-up balance. Auto recharge starts off; select Modify to set it up and turn it on. The defaults are a $10 threshold and a $20 top-up balance. The threshold can be $5–$900 and the top-up balance $10–$1,000, at least $10 above the threshold. If your balance is already below the threshold when you turn it on, it tops up straight away.

Billing also has Invoices for your receipts and Credits for your balance and credit history. Use Add tax information or Manage via Stripe to update your payment and tax details.

If you have an Ideogram subscription, requests made with your API keys use your subscription’s monthly credits first when they cover the whole request, and your API balance otherwise.

Create an API key

In API Keys, select Create key and give it an optional name so you can tell your keys apart.

IMPORTANT: The full API key is shown only once, when you create it. Copy it and store it securely; afterwards the dashboard shows only a partial key.

Pass the key in the Api-Key header on every request:

curl https://api.ideogram.ai/v2/image/generate/ideogram-4-5 \
  -H "Api-Key: <apiKey>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"prompt": "A photo of a cat sleeping on a couch"}'
  • Access: every key has full access to your API account, and all your keys draw from the same credit balance.
  • Revoking: you can revoke a key at any time with Revoke key. Revoking can’t be undone.
  • No payment method or credits: keys work as soon as they’re created, but requests are rejected with a 402 until your account has a payment method and credits.
  • Balance reaches $0: your keys are paused and requests are rejected until you add credits or auto recharge tops you up.

Try it in the Playground

Each page in the Playground group runs a real request from your browser: paste an API key, fill in the fields, and see the response next to a ready-to-copy cURL command. Playground requests are billed like any other request. Your key stays in memory only; you’ll need to enter it again after a refresh.

Track usage

Dashboard gives an overview of your account. Once billing is set up, Usage shows your API usage and spend over time.

Teams

To share API access with collaborators, select Create an API team in the workspace switcher. A team shares its API keys, credits, and billing across its members:

  • Owners and Admins manage keys, billing, and members.
  • Members can use the team’s API but can’t see Billing.

Invite people from Members with Add member, by Ideogram username or email.

Enterprise

Need higher rate limits, invoiced billing, or enterprise controls? Contact us at partnership@ideogram.ai.