Blog

Guide

Claude Opus 5 API: Model ID, Setup, and Context Window Guide

The exact claude-opus-5 model ID, environment setup, context window, and copy-pasteable API requests for Claude Code and the Anthropic Messages API.

2026-08-14 7

Yazhou Hu

Guide

Claude Pay-As-You-Go: How API Pricing Works in 2026 (and When It Beats a Subscription)

How Claude pay-as-you-go pricing works in 2026: exact per-token API rates for Opus 4.8, Sonnet 4.6, and Haiku 4.5, prompt-cache and batch discounts, and when metered billing beats a Pro or Max subscription.

2026-06-30 9

Yazhou Hu

Guide

DeepSeek + Qwen in Claude Code: One Key, Many Models

DeepSeek Claude Code setup: use DeepSeek and Qwen through one relay key and shared wallet — learn when each model makes sense and how billing works.

2026-06-30 7

Yazhou Hu

Guide

Anthropic API Rate Limits & Usage Tiers Explained (2026)

How Claude API rate limits work in 2026: RPM, ITPM, and OTPM; the four spend-based usage tiers and how you advance; why cached reads don't count; and how to handle 429s.

2026-06-29 8

Yazhou Hu

Guide

Claude Code Token Cost: Why It Climbs and How to Cut It

Claude Code token cost grows super-linearly because context is re-sent every turn. Here's why long sessions get expensive and the concrete levers to cut spend.

2026-06-23 7

Yazhou Hu

Guide

What Is a Claude-Compatible API Relay? A Plain Explainer

A claude compatible api relay speaks the same endpoints Claude Code already uses. Here's how relays work, why your CLI can't tell, and whether to trust one.

2026-06-16 7

Yazhou Hu

Guide

Claude Opus 4.8 in Claude Code: Setup, the 1M Context Window, and What It Costs

Run Claude Opus 4.8 in Claude Code: exact model IDs, the ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL setup, whether the 1M-token context window is still available, and how to keep the bill down.

2026-06-06 7

Yazhou Hu

Guide

Claude Code on a Budget: A Solo Developer Starter Guide

How to run Claude Code for free or under $5/month as a solo developer. Free tier tactics, when to upgrade, model selection, and the 2026 solo dev stack.

2026-04-23 9

Yazhou Hu

Guide

Running Claude Code from China: A Practical 2026 Guide

Real options for running Claude Code productively from mainland China: VPN tradeoffs, domestic-accessible relays, self-hosted proxies, and a 60-second setup with Alipay/WeChat billing.

2026-04-23 10

Yazhou Hu

Guide

Claude Code Tool Use: A Complete Developer Guide

Deep dive into Claude Code's six core tools (Read, Edit, Write, Bash, Grep, Glob), how the model decides which tool to call, parallel tool calls, and how to debug when tool use fails.

2026-04-23 11

Yazhou Hu

Guide

How to Use Claude Code Without Paying $200/Month

Learn how to use Claude Code without the expensive Max subscription. Free and cheap alternatives that give you the same agentic coding experience for under $15/month.

2026-04-11 8

Yazhou Hu

Guide

Claude Code Rate Limits Explained: How to Avoid Getting Throttled

Understand Claude Code rate limits, what causes 429 errors, and practical solutions to avoid getting throttled. Covers Anthropic limits, Pro/Max plan caps, and alternative providers.

2026-04-08 8

Yazhou Hu

Guide

Claude Code for Teams: Scaling AI Coding Without Breaking the Budget

How engineering teams can adopt Claude Code at scale without $200/developer/month costs. Team plans, shared API keys, usage monitoring, and budget-friendly deployment strategies.

2026-04-07 9

Yazhou Hu

Guide

Claude Code Cost Optimization: 5 Strategies to Cut Your AI Coding Bills

Practical strategies to reduce Claude Code API costs from $500+/month to under $50, including compatible API providers, usage optimization, and smart model routing.

2026-04-06 10

Yazhou Hu

Guide

Self-Hosted Claude Code Proxy vs Managed Service: Which Should You Choose?

Why self-hosting LiteLLM or claude-code-router for Claude Code leads to endless maintenance. Real failure stories and why a managed service like LLM API saves time and money.

2026-03-28 6

Yazhou Hu