ReqKey adds API key authentication, usage credits, rate limiting and request analytics to an API you own. Your own middleware makes a single verify call per incoming request: ReqKey validates the caller’s key, deducts a credit from that consumer’s pool, enforces their rate limit, and records the request with status code, latency and location. It never sits in front of your API — no proxy, no gateway, no DNS change — so it adds no hop to your critical path. Validation averages under 5ms. Credits pool per consumer rather than per key, so issuing a customer a second key does not hand them a second quota, and balances stay synced across regions. Also included: shadow limits, controlled overage, reusable plans, low-credit alerts, and per-request logs filterable by endpoint, status, consumer and time range. ReqKey meters and tracks usage — you keep your own billing stack. SDKs for Python, Node.js, Go, Rust, PHP, .NET and Java, with framework adapters for FastAPI, Express, Django, and more.