# ArkRoute — Visual AI API Gateway
> One API key, 28 models. Image & video generation at 50-80% below official prices.

## What is ArkRoute?
ArkRoute is a unified REST API that routes to 28+ visual AI models from Google, OpenAI, ByteDance, and Kuaishou — all through a single OpenAI-compatible endpoint. No need for separate accounts or API keys for each provider.

## Quick Start
```bash
curl -X POST https://api.ark-route.com/v1/images/generations \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"model": "nano-banana-2", "prompt": "a cat astronaut", "n": 1, "size": "1024x1024"}'
```
- Base URL: https://api.ark-route.com
- Auth: Bearer token (get free API key at https://ark-route.com)
- Free tier: 500 credits on signup (~50 images)

## Endpoints
- POST /v1/images/generations — Generate images (OpenAI-compatible)
- POST /v1/video/generations — Generate videos
- GET /v1/video/status/{task_id} — Check video status
- GET /v1/models — List all available models
- POST /mcp — MCP over HTTP (JSON-RPC 2024-11-05)

## Image Models (21)
| Model | Price | Provider | Notes |
|-------|-------|----------|-------|
| seedream-4.5 | $0.03 | ByteDance | Best Chinese AI image model |
| seedream-4.0 | $0.02 | ByteDance | Fast, reliable |
| seedream-5.0-lite | $0.02 | ByteDance | Latest Seedream |
| nano-banana-2 | $0.02 | Google Gemini | Native Gemini image gen |
| nano-banana-basic | $0.01 | Google Gemini | Cheapest option |
| gemini-flash-image | $0.02 | Google | Gemini Flash image output |
| gemini-3-pro-image | free | Google | Free Gemini Pro image |
| gpt-image-1-mini | $0.03 | OpenAI | GPT Image mini |
| gpt-image-1 | $0.20 | OpenAI | GPT Image full |
| gpt-image-1.5 | $0.25 | OpenAI | GPT Image 1.5 |
| gpt-image-2-low | $0.25 | OpenAI | GPT Image 2 (low quality) |
| gpt-image-2 | $0.50 | OpenAI | GPT Image 2 (medium) |
| gpt-image-2-high | $1.00 | OpenAI | GPT Image 2 (high quality) |
| dall-e-3 | $0.20 | OpenAI | DALL-E 3 |
| imagen-4-fast | $0.08 | Google | Imagen 4 Fast |
| imagen-4-standard | $0.15 | Google | Imagen 4 Standard |
| veo-3.1 | $2.00 | Google | Veo 3.1 visual gen |
| kling-v1-image | $0.04 | Kuaishou | Kling v1 |
| kling-v2-image | $0.14 | Kuaishou | Kling v2 |
| kling-v3-image | $0.28 | Kuaishou | Kling v3 latest |
| kling-image-o1 | $0.28 | Kuaishou | Kling reasoning model |

## Video Models (7)
| Model | Price | Provider | Notes |
|-------|-------|----------|-------|
| seedance-1.0-fast | $0.10 | ByteDance | Fastest video gen |
| seedance-1.5-pro | $0.15 | ByteDance | Best value video |
| seedance-2.0-fast | $1.70 | ByteDance | Seedance 2.0 fast mode |
| seedance-2.0 | $4.30 | ByteDance | Best quality video gen |
| kling-v2.5-turbo | $0.25 | Kuaishou | Kling turbo video |
| kling-v3 | $0.40 | Kuaishou | Kling v3 high quality |
| kling-v3-omni | $0.50 | Kuaishou | Multimodal video + audio |

## MCP Integration
ArkRoute supports Model Context Protocol (MCP) over HTTP. Connect your AI agent to generate images and videos.
- Endpoint: https://api.ark-route.com/mcp
- Protocol: JSON-RPC 2024-11-05
- Auth: Bearer token required
- Tools: generate_image, generate_video, check_video_status, list_models

## Pricing
Pay-as-you-go, no subscription. All models 50-80% cheaper than official APIs.
Free tier: 500 credits on signup.

## Providers
Google (Gemini, Imagen, Veo) | OpenAI (GPT Image, DALL-E) | ByteDance (Seedream, Seedance) | Kuaishou (Kling)

## Links
- Website: https://ark-route.com
- API: https://api.ark-route.com
- Pricing: https://ark-route.com/pricing
- MCP Server: https://api.ark-route.com/mcp
- Blog: https://ark-route.com/blog/veo-3-api-guide