AI Services Setup

Table of contents

  1. AI Services Setup
    1. Overview
    2. OpenRouter (Multiple AI Models)
      1. What is OpenRouter?
      2. Part 1: Get Your OpenRouter API Key
        1. 1.1 Sign Up for OpenRouter
        2. 1.2 Navigate to API Keys
        3. 1.3 Create New API Key
        4. 1.4 Copy Your API Key
      3. Part 2: Add OpenRouter Credential to n8n
        1. 2.1 Access Credentials Menu
        2. 2.2 Search for OpenRouter
        3. 2.3 Enter API Key
        4. 2.4 Verify Connection
      4. Free Credits
      5. Recommended Free Models
    3. Google Gemini (Free Tier)
      1. Why Gemini?
      2. Part 1: Get Your Gemini API Key from Google AI Studio
        1. 1.1 Visit Google AI Studio
        2. 1.2 Accept Terms of Service
        3. 1.3 Create API Key
        4. 1.4 Copy Your API Key
      3. Part 2: Add Gemini Credential to n8n
        1. 2.1 Access Credentials Menu
        2. 2.2 Search for Gemini Credential
        3. 2.3 Configure Credential
      4. Free Tier Limits
      5. When to Use Gemini
      6. Gemini vs OpenRouter
    4. Perplexity API (Web Research)
      1. What is Perplexity?
      2. Student Access (Recommended)
      3. Part 1: Get Your Perplexity API Key
        1. 1.1 Navigate to API Keys
        2. 1.2 Accept Terms and Generate Key
        3. 1.3 Create API Key
        4. 1.4 Copy Your API Key
      4. Part 2: Add Perplexity Credential to n8n
        1. 2.1 Access Credentials Menu
        2. 2.2 Search for Perplexity
        3. 2.3 Enter API Key
        4. 2.4 Verify Connection
      5. Free Credits
      6. Available Models
    5. API Key Security
      1. Best Practices
      2. Quick Security Check
    6. Service Comparison
      1. Which Service for What?
    7. What You’ve Accomplished

Overview

Get API keys for AI models and research tools. All services offer free tiers perfect for learning.

Time Required: 10 minutes

OpenRouter (Multiple AI Models)

What is OpenRouter?

Access multiple AI models with one API key. Perfect for comparing different models.

Part 1: Get Your OpenRouter API Key

1.1 Sign Up for OpenRouter

  1. Visit OpenRouter
  2. Click “Sign Up” and authenticate with Google or GitHub
  3. Complete the sign-up process

1.2 Navigate to API Keys

  1. Go to OpenRouter API Keys

OpenRouter API Keys Page

1.3 Create New API Key

  1. Click “Create API Key” button
  2. In the modal, configure your key:
    • Name: n8n-exercises (or any descriptive name)
    • Credit limit (optional): Leave blank for unlimited
    • Reset limit every…: N/A
    • Expiration: No expiration

Create API Key Modal

  1. Click “Create”

1.4 Copy Your API Key

  1. Your new API key will be displayed (starts with sk-or-v1-...)
  2. Important: Copy it immediately - you won’t be able to see it again!

API Key Generated

  1. Save the key securely in your password manager

Critical: This is your only chance to copy the API key. Store it immediately!

Part 2: Add OpenRouter Credential to n8n

2.1 Access Credentials Menu

  1. In n8n, click the + button in the top-right corner
  2. Select Credential from the dropdown

n8n Credential Menu

2.2 Search for OpenRouter

  1. In the “Add new credential” modal, search for “OpenRouter”
  2. Select “OpenRouter” from the results

OpenRouter Search

2.3 Enter API Key

  1. Paste your API key into the API Key field
  2. Click “Save”

OpenRouter API Key Field

OpenRouter Key Entered

2.4 Verify Connection

  1. n8n will automatically test the connection
  2. You should see “Connection tested successfully” in green

Connection Tested Successfully

Success: Your OpenRouter credential is now ready to use!

Free Credits

Free Trial: OpenRouter provides $1 free credit. Exercises use minimal credits (~$0.001 per operation).

All models below are completely free to use on OpenRouter. Browse all free models

Model Cost Best For Speed
meta-llama/llama-3.3-70b-instruct:free Free Complex reasoning, high quality Medium
google/gemma-3-27b-it:free Free Classification, general tasks Fast
google/gemma-3-12b-it:free Free Quick responses, simple tasks Very Fast
mistralai/mistral-7b-instruct:free Free Balanced performance Fast
x-ai/grok-4.1-fast:free Free Fast inference Very Fast
kwaipilot/kat-coder-pro:free Free Code generation Fast

Free Models Availability: Free tier models are community-supported and perfect for learning and prototyping. For production use, consider paid models for better reliability and rate limits.

Google Gemini (Free Tier)

Why Gemini?

Google’s Gemini offers generous free quotas perfect for AI agents, complex reasoning tasks, and iterative workflows.

Part 1: Get Your Gemini API Key from Google AI Studio

1.1 Visit Google AI Studio

  1. Go to Google AI Studio API Keys
  2. Sign in with your Google account

Google AI Studio API Keys Page

1.2 Accept Terms of Service

  1. On your first visit, you’ll see a “Welcome to AI Studio” screen
  2. Read the Gemini API Additional Terms of Service
  3. Check the agreement checkbox
  4. Optionally, check the second box to receive updates
  5. Click “Continue”

AI Studio Terms

1.3 Create API Key

  1. Click “Create API key” in the top-right corner
  2. You’ll see a “Create a new key” modal
  3. Choose “Default Gemini Project” (or create a new project)

Create New Key Modal

1.4 Copy Your API Key

  1. Your API key will appear in the list (starts with AIza...)
  2. Click the three-dot menu (⋮) next to your key
  3. Select “Copy API key”

API Key Created

Copy API Key

  1. Save the key securely in your password manager

Important: Store your API key immediately. While you can copy it again later, keeping it secure is critical.

Part 2: Add Gemini Credential to n8n

2.1 Access Credentials Menu

  1. In n8n, click the + button in the top-right corner

n8n Add Button

  1. Select Credential from the dropdown

Create Credential Menu

2.2 Search for Gemini Credential

  1. Search for “Gemini”
  2. Select “Google Gemini(PaLM) Api”

Gemini Search in n8n

2.3 Configure Credential

  1. The Host field should already be filled with:

    1

    https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com
  2. Paste your API key into the API Key field
  3. Click “Save”

Gemini API Key Field

Success: Your Gemini credential is now ready to use in any workflow!

Free Tier Limits

Generous Free Quota:

  • 60 requests/minute
  • 1 million tokens/month
  • 1,500 requests/day

More than enough for all exercises!

When to Use Gemini

  • AI Agents with complex reasoning
  • Iterative workflows with feedback loops
  • Multi-step content generation
  • LLM as a Judge patterns
  • When you need consistent, free performance

Gemini vs OpenRouter

Feature Google Gemini OpenRouter
Free Tier 1M tokens/month $1 credit (~100K tokens)
Setup Direct API key Account + payment method
Best For Learning, prototyping, AI agents Production, model comparison
Quota Reset Monthly One-time credit

Perplexity API (Web Research)

What is Perplexity?

Real-time web search capabilities for your AI agents. Essential for research tasks.

Students Get 12 Months Free! Students worldwide can get Perplexity Pro for free for 12 months (worth $240), which includes API credits, unlimited searches, and access to the Comet browser.

To claim your free student access:

  1. Visit Perplexity Student Program
  2. Click to verify your student status
  3. Verify using one of these methods:
    • Student email (.edu or university email address)
    • Student ID card or documentation upload
    • Verification is handled through SheerID
  4. Get instant access to 12 months of Perplexity Pro
  5. Bonus: Skip the waitlist for Comet browser

What’s Included for Students:

  • 12 months of Perplexity Pro ($240 value)
  • Unlimited Quick Searches
  • 600+ Pro Searches per day
  • Access to advanced AI models (GPT-4, Claude, etc.)
  • $5/month in API credits (automatically included)
  • File upload and analysis
  • Access to Comet browser (AI-powered browser built for students)

Eligibility:

  • Available to students globally (US, UK, and international)
  • Must verify student status through student email or documentation
  • UK students and international students can verify with university email or ID

Part 1: Get Your Perplexity API Key

1.1 Navigate to API Keys

  1. Go to Perplexity API Keys
  2. Sign in with your Perplexity account (use your student account if eligible)

Perplexity API Keys Page

1.2 Accept Terms and Generate Key

  1. Click “Accept Terms and Generate API Key” button (first time only)
  2. For subsequent keys, click ”+ Accept Terms and Generate API Key”

1.3 Create API Key

  1. In the “Create API Key” modal, enter a descriptive name:
    • Key name: n8n-research (or any descriptive name)

Create Perplexity Key Modal

  1. Click “Create Key”

1.4 Copy Your API Key

  1. Your new API key will appear in the list (starts with pplx-...)
  2. Click the copy icon to copy the key

Copy Perplexity Key

  1. Save the key securely in your password manager

Important: Store your API key immediately. You can copy it again later from the list.

Part 2: Add Perplexity Credential to n8n

2.1 Access Credentials Menu

  1. In n8n, click the + button in the top-right corner
  2. Select Credential from the dropdown

n8n Credential Menu

2.2 Search for Perplexity

  1. In the “Add new credential” modal, search for “Perple”
  2. Select “Perplexity API” from the results

Perplexity Search

2.3 Enter API Key

  1. Paste your API key into the API Key field
  2. Click “Save”

Perplexity API Key Field

2.4 Verify Connection

  1. n8n will automatically test the connection
  2. You should see “Connection tested successfully” in green

Perplexity Connection Tested

Success: Your Perplexity credential is now ready to use for web research!

Free Credits

Monthly Credits: $5 free monthly (~1000 searches) - resets each month! Students get this automatically with Pro access.

Available Models

Model Use Case Speed
Sonar Basic research, fact-finding Fast
Sonar Pro Complex queries, reasoning Medium
Online Models Real-time web data Fast

API Key Security

Best Practices

  1. Never share API keys in screenshots or support requests
  2. Store securely in password manager
  3. Don’t commit to git - use .env files
  4. Rotate regularly - every 90 days
  5. Monitor usage - set up alerts

Quick Security Check

  • Keys stored in password manager
  • No keys in code repositories
  • Usage alerts configured
  • Test/production keys separated

Service Comparison

Which Service for What?

Need Use This Service Why
Email classification OpenRouter (Gemma) Free, fast, simple
Content generation OpenRouter or Gemini Flexible options
AI agents Google Gemini Free tier, powerful, consistent
Web research Perplexity Real-time data access
Complex reasoning Gemini or Claude Better understanding
Iterative workflows Google Gemini Good for feedback loops
Quick tests Free models No cost, fast iteration

What You’ve Accomplished

✅ OpenRouter API key obtained ✅ Google Gemini API configured ✅ Perplexity API ready ✅ Understand which service for which task ✅ Keys stored securely

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