> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.swarms.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # FAQ > Get answers to the most common questions about the Swarms API platform, pricing, capabilities, and implementation. The Swarms API is a comprehensive platform for building and orchestrating AI agents and multi-agent systems. It enables developers to create individual intelligent agents or coordinate thousands of agents in complex workflows, allowing them to communicate, collaborate, and solve problems together. **Key Benefits:** * **Agent Orchestration**: Create and manage AI agents that can work independently or collaborate * **Multi-Agent Communication**: Enable agents to communicate and share information seamlessly * **Flexible Workflows**: Support for sequential, concurrent, hierarchical, and other workflow patterns * **Enterprise Scale**: Handle up to 10,000+ agents working together * **Multi-Model Support**: Integration with OpenAI, Anthropic, and Groq models The Swarms API is designed for developers who need more than just a simple AI completion endpoint. Here's why you should choose Swarms: * **Complete Agent Ecosystem**: Full ecosystem for building, deploying, and scaling intelligent AI systems * **Advanced Multi-Agent Architectures**: Build complex hierarchical, sequential, and parallel agent collaboration systems * **Agent-to-Agent Communication**: Advanced communication protocols enable seamless agent interaction * **Ultra-Optimized Runtime**: High-performance runtime with built-in optimization for concurrent operations * **Enterprise-Ready**: Built-in security, governance, and compliance features Agent orchestration in the Swarms API allows you to: * **Create Individual Agents**: Deploy single agents for specific tasks * **Coordinate Multiple Agents**: Build swarms where agents work together * **Define Workflow Patterns**: Choose from sequential, concurrent, hierarchical, and other patterns * **Enable Communication**: Agents can share information and collaborate * **Scale Dynamically**: Add or remove agents based on workload **Example Use Cases:** * Research teams with multiple agents researching different aspects * Medical analysis with lab analyzer and clinical specialist working together * Financial analysis with market analyst and economic forecaster collaborating * Content creation with writer, editor, and fact-checker in sequence The Swarms API supports multiple workflow patterns: | Workflow Type | Description | Best For | | ---------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | | **Sequential** | Agents work in order, each building on the previous output | Step-by-step processes, analysis pipelines | | **Concurrent** | Agents work simultaneously on the same task | Parallel processing, multiple perspectives | | **Hierarchical** | Structured multi-level approach with clear authority | Complex decision-making, management structures | | **Multi-Agent Router** | Intelligent task distribution based on capabilities | Load balancing, specialized task routing | | **Mixture of Agents** | Diverse teams with specialized skills | Complex problems requiring multiple expertise | | **Majority Voting** | Consensus-based decision making | Verification, quality assurance | | **Agent Rearrange** | Dynamic agent reconfiguration | Adaptive systems, optimization | The Swarms API supports multiple AI model providers: **OpenAI Models:** * gpt-4: High-quality reasoning and complex task handling * gpt-4.1: Optimized version with improved performance (premium tier only) * gpt-4.1-mini: Lightweight version for faster responses **Anthropic Models:** * claude-sonnet-4-20250514: Balanced performance and reasoning * claude-3-7-sonnet-latest: Latest Claude model with enhanced capabilities **Groq Models (premium tier only):** * groq/llama3-70b-8192: High-performance open-source model * groq/deepseek-r1-distill-llama-70b: Specialized reasoning model Note that some models are restricted to premium-tier accounts: `gpt-4.1` and all `groq/*` models are rejected for free-tier API keys. For the complete, up-to-date list of supported models, call `GET /v1/models` (or `GET /v1/models/available` for model metadata). The Swarms API uses a transparent, usage-based pricing model with unified pricing across all endpoints: **Unified Token Pricing:** * **Input Tokens**: \$6.50 per 1 million tokens (all endpoints) * **Output Tokens**: \$18.50 per 1 million tokens (all endpoints) | Item | Cost | Notes | | ----------------------- | --------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | | **Base cost per agent** | \$0.01 per agent | Charged for each agent in swarms and workflows | | **Input tokens** | \$6.50 per 1M tokens | Unified pricing for all endpoints | | **Output tokens** | \$18.50 per 1M tokens | Unified pricing for all endpoints | | **MCP cost** | \$0.10 per call | Charged if an agent uses an MCP URL | | **Image cost** | \$0.25 per image | Charged for each image processed | | **Exa Search tool** | \$0.04 per search | Charged per search execution | | **Web Scraper tool** | \$0.15 per scrape | Charged per scrape execution | | **Night-time discount** | 50% off token costs | 8 PM - 6 AM PT (Swarm Completions only) | **Pricing applies to:** * Swarm Completions (with agent cost) * Agent Completions * Graph Workflow (with agent cost) * Batched Grid Workflow (with agent cost) **Special Features:** * **Night Time Discount**: 50% off token costs for Swarm Completions during 8 PM - 6 AM Pacific Time * **Frenzy Mode**: All requests are free during Black Friday (24 hours) For detailed pricing information, examples, and cost calculation formulas, see the Pricing page. Rate limits are tier-based to ensure fair usage: | Rate Limit Type | Free Tier | Premium Tier | Time Window | | ----------------------- | --------- | ------------ | ----------- | | **Requests per Minute** | 100 | 2,000 | 1 minute | | **Requests per Hour** | 350 | 10,000 | 1 hour | | **Requests per Day** | 1,200 | 100,000 | 24 hours | | **Tokens per Agent** | 200,000 | 2,000,000 | Per request | | **Prompt Length** | 200,000 | 200,000 | Per request | | **Batch Size** | 50 | — | Per request | A batch size limit of 50 is defined for the free tier; the premium tier does not define a separate batch size limit. **Premium Tier Benefits:** * 20x more requests per minute (2,000 vs 100) * 28x more requests per hour (10,000 vs 350) * 83x more requests per day (100,000 vs 1,200) * 10x more tokens per agent (2M vs 200K) **1. Get Your API Key** Visit [Swarms Platform](https://swarms.world/platform/api-keys) to get your free API key. **2. Install Client Libraries** ```bash theme={null} # Python pip install swarms-client # JavaScript/TypeScript npm install axios dotenv ``` **3. Make Your First API Call** ```python theme={null} import os from swarms_client import SwarmsClient from dotenv import load_dotenv load_dotenv() client = SwarmsClient( api_key=os.getenv("SWARMS_API_KEY"), ) result = client.agent.run( agent_config={ "agent_name": "My First Agent", "system_prompt": "You are a helpful assistant.", "model_name": "gpt-4.1-mini", "max_tokens": 1000, "temperature": 0.7, }, task="Hello, world!" ) print(result) ``` **Built-in Tools:** * **Search Capabilities**: Web search integration for research tasks * **MCP Integration**: Model Context Protocol for enhanced interactions * **Custom Tools**: Define your own function tools for specific needs **MCP (Model Context Protocol) Integration:** * Connect to external data sources * Integrate with databases and APIs * Enable real-time data access for agents **Custom Tool Development:** Create specialized tools using OpenAPI-style function specifications for enhanced agent capabilities. **Common Issues and Solutions:** **Authentication Errors:** * Verify your API key is correct and active * Check that the `x-api-key` header is properly set (the `Authorization: Bearer ` header is also accepted) * Ensure your API key has the necessary permissions **Rate Limit Exceeded:** * Implement exponential backoff for failed requests * Monitor your API usage to stay within limits * Consider upgrading to Premium for higher limits **Timeout Issues:** * Increase request timeout values * Consider breaking complex tasks into smaller chunks * Use batch processing for multiple operations **Model Availability:** * Check if your requested model is currently available * Have fallback models configured * Monitor model status through the health endpoint **Enterprise Security:** * **API Key Authentication**: Secure authentication for all requests * **Rate Limiting**: Prevents abuse and ensures fair usage * **Data Encryption**: All data is encrypted in transit and at rest * **Access Controls**: Granular permissions and access management **Best Practices:** * Never commit API keys to version control * Use environment variables for all sensitive configuration * Implement proper access controls in production environments * Regularly rotate API keys **Community Resources:** * **Documentation**: [docs.swarms.ai](https://docs.swarms.ai/) * **Discord Community**: [Join Discord](https://discord.gg/EamjgSaEQf) * **Technical Blog**: [Medium](https://medium.com/@kyeg) **Professional Support:** * **Technical Support**: [Book Support Session](https://cal.com/swarms/swarms-technical-support) * **Enterprise Support**: Contact through the platform * **Onboarding Sessions**: [Book with Kye Gomez](https://cal.com/swarms/swarms-onboarding-session) **Stay Updated:** * **Twitter**: [@kyegomez](https://twitter.com/kyegomez) * **LinkedIn**: [The Swarm Corporation](https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-swarm-corporation) * **YouTube**: [Swarms Channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9yXyitkbU_WSy7bd_41SqQ) Yes! The Swarms API is designed for production use with: * **High Availability**: 99.9% uptime SLA * **Scalability**: Handle thousands of concurrent agents * **Enterprise Features**: Security, compliance, and governance * **Monitoring**: Comprehensive logging and analytics * **Support**: Professional support for production deployments **Production Best Practices:** * Implement proper error handling and retry logic * Monitor API usage and costs * Use appropriate rate limiting strategies * Test thoroughly before deployment * Keep API keys secure and rotate regularly **Single Agents:** * **Purpose**: Focused tasks that don't require collaboration * **Use Cases**: Simple Q\&A, content generation, data analysis * **Benefits**: Fast, simple, cost-effective * **Limitations**: Limited to single perspective, no collaboration **Multi-Agent Swarms:** * **Purpose**: Complex tasks requiring multiple perspectives or specialized skills * **Use Cases**: Research teams, medical analysis, financial forecasting * **Benefits**: Multiple perspectives, specialized expertise, parallel processing * **Complexity**: Higher setup and coordination requirements **Model Selection Guidelines:** **For Complex Analysis:** * Use GPT-4 or Claude Sonnet 4 for tasks requiring deep reasoning * Higher token limits for comprehensive analysis **For Fast Responses:** * Choose gpt-4.1-mini for quick, straightforward tasks * Lower costs for high-volume applications **For Creative Tasks:** * Higher temperature settings (0.7-0.9) work better * GPT-4 or Claude models for creative content **For Factual Tasks:** * Lower temperature settings (0.1-0.3) provide more consistent responses * Any model can work well with proper prompting Yes! The Swarms API is designed for easy integration: **Integration Options:** * **REST API**: Standard HTTP endpoints for any language * **Client Libraries**: Official SDKs for Python, TypeScript, Go, Java * **Webhooks**: Real-time notifications for long-running tasks * **Batch Processing**: Process multiple requests efficiently **Common Integration Patterns:** * **Microservices**: Deploy as independent services * **API Gateway**: Integrate with existing API infrastructure * **Event-Driven**: Trigger agents based on system events * **Scheduled Tasks**: Run agents on regular schedules *** ## Still Have Questions? If you don't see your question answered here, we're here to help: * **Join our Discord**: [discord.gg/EamjgSaEQf](https://discord.gg/EamjgSaEQf) * **Book Technical Support**: [cal.com/swarms/swarms-technical-support](https://cal.com/swarms/swarms-technical-support) *Built with dedication by [The Swarm Corporation](https://swarms.ai)*