> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.january.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.january.ai/getting-started/rest-api-vs-mobile-sdks.md).

# REST API vs Mobile SDKs

Two ways to integrate, with one deciding factor: where your January API key lives.

### REST API — integrate from your backend

The REST API is the primary, fully supported surface. Your servers call January with your API key, and your clients talk to your servers. This keeps the key in infrastructure you control and works from any language. If you are choosing today, choose this.

### Mobile SDKs — native libraries for your apps

The SDKs wrap the same API in typed, idiomatic libraries (Swift first; Android, React Native, and Flutter planned). They are in pre-release development. Because a long-lived API key must never ship inside an app binary, mobile integrations currently route requests through your backend; a client-safe short-lived credential system is on the roadmap to remove that hop.

### Rule of thumb

Server-rendered products and existing backends: REST API. Mobile-first products: build against the REST API from your backend now, and adopt the SDKs as they reach general availability — the data model is identical, so nothing is throwaway.