Direct Keys
Direct keys let you connect to the Gonka GPU network directly using the Gonka SDK. Your inference traffic goes peer-to-peer — Gonka Broker only manages billing and key lifecycle.
How it works
Section titled “How it works”Your app → Gonka GPU Network → Response ↕ Gonka Broker (billing only)- Your application uses the Gonka SDK with your direct key
- Inference requests go directly from your app to the GPU network
- Gonka Broker tracks usage for billing purposes but never sees your prompts or responses
Advantages over managed keys
Section titled “Advantages over managed keys”- Lower latency — no proxy hop; your requests go straight to the network
- Maximum privacy — prompts and completions never pass through Gonka Broker’s servers
- Full SDK access — use all features of the Gonka SDK, not just the OpenAI-compatible subset
When to use direct keys
Section titled “When to use direct keys”Direct keys are designed for developers building their own products on top of the Gonka network. Use them when:
- You are integrating the Gonka SDK into your application
- You want peer-to-peer inference without a proxy
- Privacy is a critical requirement and you want zero intermediaries
If you want OpenAI drop-in compatibility or plan to use third-party tools, use a managed key instead.
Key differences from managed keys
Section titled “Key differences from managed keys”| Feature | Managed key | Direct key |
|---|---|---|
| Protocol | OpenAI-compatible API | Gonka SDK |
| Traffic routing | Through Gonka Broker proxy | Peer-to-peer |
| Prompt visibility | Broker forwards but does not store | Broker never sees prompts |
| Key rotation | Supported | Not supported (archive and re-create) |
| Use with third-party tools | Yes | No |
Security
Section titled “Security”- Direct key secrets should be treated as sensitive credentials
- If a key is compromised, archive it immediately and create a new one
- Direct keys cannot be rotated — archiving is permanent