Qwen (Alibaba) Free API Guide

Provider fit matrix

Production readiness checklist

Python setup snapshot

Start with the smallest possible chat completion, then move the key to your server-side secret manager before production.

from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    api_key="your-dashscope-key",
    base_url="https://dashscope.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1"
)

# 使用最新 Qwen3.6-Plus
response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="qwen3.6-plus",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "用 Python 实现一个 Web 爬虫"}],
)
print(response.choices[0].message.content)

cURL smoke test

Use this to verify endpoint, auth header, model name, response shape, and quota before adding SDK abstractions.

curl https://dashscope.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $QWEN_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "Qwen3.6-Plus",
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello from yangmao.ai"}]
  }'

Decision checklist

Related internal links

FAQ