DeepSeek URLs at a glance
- DeepSeek website and product information:
deepseek.com. DeepSeek’s API Platform page describes DeepSeek and offers API integration and a link to chat. - DeepSeek chat:
chat.deepseek.com. DeepSeek identifies this as a place to chat with its AI assistant. - API documentation:
api-docs.deepseek.com. - API platform and API-key access:
platform.deepseek.com. DeepSeek describes this as its API platform; its API documentation directs developers there to create an API key. - Production API base URL:
https://api.deepseek.com - Chat Completions endpoint:
https://api.deepseek.com/chat/completions
For a conversation in a browser, use the chat destination. For an application integration, use the API docs and platform; the chat page is not an API endpoint.
For developers: documentation URL vs. API URL
The documentation explains how to integrate; your application sends requests to the API endpoint. DeepSeek’s current quick start gives https://api.deepseek.com as the OpenAI-compatible base URL and shows https://api.deepseek.com/chat/completions for Chat Completions. It also shows an API key sent with Bearer authentication. Check the official quick start and Chat Completions reference for current request requirements.
Here is a minimal example based on the official quick start. Create an API key through DeepSeek’s platform, replace the environment-variable placeholder with your key, and keep the key on your server rather than in public browser code.
curl https://api.deepseek.com/chat/completions \\
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \\
-H "Authorization: Bearer $DEEPSEEK_API_KEY" \\
-d '{
"model": "deepseek-flash",
"messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}],
"stream": false
}'
The quick start lists deepseek-flash as a model name. Model names and availability can change, so consult DeepSeek’s current model list before choosing one.
Official DeepSeek URL or third-party service?
Check the domain and who operates the service. The destinations above are on DeepSeek domains, and DeepSeek’s own pages describe their roles: product information and API access on deepseek.com, chat on chat.deepseek.com, API documentation on api-docs.deepseek.com, API-key access on platform.deepseek.com, and direct API calls to api.deepseek.com.
A console on another provider’s domain is that provider’s service, not automatically a DeepSeek website or endpoint. For example, a CometAPI article gives https://www.cometapi.com/console for its own console. That is a CometAPI destination, not DeepSeek’s direct production endpoint. If you choose an intermediary, verify its operator and use the endpoint and credentials specified by that provider.
In short: use https://chat.deepseek.com to chat, https://api-docs.deepseek.com for integration instructions, and https://api.deepseek.com/chat/completions for direct Chat Completions API requests.
Sources
Your First API Call | DeepSeek API Docs
Chat Completions API | DeepSeek API Docs