Guide / OpenAI-compatible APIs
How do you test an OpenAI-compatible API?
A focused checklist for testing an OpenAI-compatible Chat Completions endpoint.
Short answer
Start with a public HTTPS Base URL, the exact model claim, and a scoped API key. Send small, bounded requests; validate the HTTP and JSON shape; then compare availability, latency, identifiers, finish reasons, and usage fields across samples.
Before the first request
Confirm the endpoint documentation, pricing responsibility, model name, and credential scope. Never paste a production-wide administrator key into an unfamiliar tool.
Protocol checks
A compatible endpoint should return the expected status and Chat Completions response structure. Compatibility is more than accepting the request path.
- HTTPS and safe public destination
- Compatible choices and message fields
- Returned model identifier
- Finish reason and usage telemetry
Repeat the same control
One successful call proves very little. Repeating a small control request reveals intermittent failures and gives a bounded latency distribution without generating unnecessary output.
Interpret the report
Treat the result as evidence from a short diagnostic window. Investigate anomalies and repeat the check in your own environment before production adoption.
Run a bounded compatibility check.
ModelTrust currently sends three small requests and stores only normalized evidence for 30 minutes.