OpenAI SDK in Python and JavaScript

Ballast has no SDK of its own. Use the official OpenAI libraries and change two things: the base URL and the key. Keep the key in an environment variable, never in source.

export BALLAST_API_KEY=bl_your_key_here

Python

pip install openai

import os
from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(base_url="https://ballast.outerscope.xyz/v1", api_key=os.environ["BALLAST_API_KEY"])

reply = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="qwen3-14b",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Explain a GPU in one sentence."}],
    max_tokens=200,
)
print(reply.choices[0].message.content)

JavaScript

npm install openai

import OpenAI from "openai";

const client = new OpenAI({ baseURL: "https://ballast.outerscope.xyz/v1", apiKey: process.env.BALLAST_API_KEY });

const reply = await client.chat.completions.create({
  model: "qwen3-14b",
  messages: [{ role: "user", content: "Explain a GPU in one sentence." }],
  max_tokens: 200,
});
console.log(reply.choices[0].message.content);

What works

• POST /v1/chat/completions, streaming or not, and GET /v1/models. Those are the two endpoints on the base URL.
• Text messages with the system, user and assistant roles. The newer developer role is treated as system.
• max_tokens (or max_completion_tokens), temperature, top_p, stop (up to 4), seed, presence_penalty and frequency_penalty.
• stream_options.include_usage, so the last streamed chunk can carry token counts.

What does not

Tools and function calling, images, audio and files, n above 1, embeddings and the image endpoints are not offered. Ballast runs text chat on open models and nothing else, for now.

If a request carries a parameter Ballast cannot honour, it is refused with a 400 and the code unsupported_parameter. That is on purpose. You should never believe a feature worked when it was quietly dropped. See Errors.