Home / Groq API Setup Guide

Get your free Groq API key
in 60 seconds.

Groq powers Lumio's AI with blazing-fast LLaMA 3.3 70B inference. Completely free. No credit card needed. Follow these five steps and you're live.

1

What is Groq?

Groq is an AI inference platform that runs open-source large language models at unprecedented speed. They provide free API access to LLaMA 3.3 70B, a powerful model that rivals commercial offerings.

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Why Groq for Lumio? Groq's free tier gives you fast, high-quality AI responses without spending a penny. Most Lumio users never need to upgrade beyond Groq's free limits.
  • ⚡
    Speed — Responses generated in under 1 second, faster than most paid APIs
  • 💰
    Free — Generous free tier with no credit card required to sign up
  • 🧠
    Powerful — LLaMA 3.3 70B delivers accurate, context-aware answers from your content
2

Create a Groq Account

Head to the Groq developer console and create a free account. The process takes under a minute.

  • a
  • b
    Click "Sign Up" in the top-right corner
  • c
    Sign up with your Google account or email address
  • d
    Verify your email if prompted, then you'll land on the Groq dashboard
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No credit card required. Groq does not ask for payment information during sign-up. The free tier is available immediately after account creation.
3

Generate Your API Key

Once logged into the Groq console, navigate to the API Keys section and create a new key for Lumio.

  • a
    In the left sidebar, click "API Keys"
  • b
    Click the "Create API Key" button
  • c
    Give it a descriptive name like "Lumio" or "WordPress Chatbot"
  • d
    Click "Submit" — your key will appear on screen
  • e
    Copy the key immediately — you won't be able to see it again
# Your Groq API key will look like this:
gsk_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Copy it now! Groq only shows the full API key once. If you lose it, you'll need to generate a new one. Store it somewhere safe before moving to the next step.
4

Paste in Lumio

Now connect your Groq API key to the Lumio plugin in your WordPress admin dashboard.

  • a
    Go to your WordPress admin: Lumio AI → Settings
  • b
    Find the "Groq API Key" field in the API Configuration section
  • c
    Paste your API key (gsk_xxxx...) into the field
  • d
    Click "Test Connection" to verify everything works
  • e
    You should see a green success message: "Connected to Groq successfully"
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Using the Setup Wizard? If you're running through the 7-step wizard on first activation, you'll paste the API key in Step 3 (API Key). The wizard handles the connection test automatically.
5

Troubleshooting

If something isn't working, check these common issues:

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API key not working? Go back to console.groq.com, delete the old key, and generate a fresh one. Make sure you copy the entire key including the gsk_ prefix.
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Rate limit errors? Groq's free tier has generous limits (roughly 30 requests per minute). If you hit them during heavy testing, just wait a minute. In production, normal visitor traffic rarely approaches these limits.
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Connection timeout? Check that your hosting server allows outbound HTTPS connections to api.groq.com. Some firewalls or security plugins block external API calls. Contact your host if needed.
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Still stuck? Reach out to us at hello@lumio.tools or visit the support page. We typically respond within 24 hours.

Groq vs OpenAI Comparison

Both providers work great with Lumio. Here's how they compare:

Feature Groq Free OpenAI Pro
Price Free — no credit card needed Pay-per-use (requires OpenAI billing)
Model LLaMA 3.3 70B (open-source) GPT-4o (proprietary)
Speed Ultra-fast — sub-second responses Fast — 1-3 second responses
Answer Quality Excellent for most use cases Best-in-class — richer, more nuanced answers
Rate Limits ~30 req/min (generous free tier) Based on your OpenAI plan
Lumio Plan Required Free or Pro Pro only
Best For Getting started, blogs, small stores High-traffic sites needing premium quality
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Recommendation: Start with Groq (free). If you need GPT-4o's richer answers for complex product catalogs or high-traffic sites, upgrade to Lumio Pro and add your OpenAI key.