---
title: "Batch API"
type: "glossary term"
url: "https://aifordevs.org/glossary#batch-api"
markdown: "https://aifordevs.org/glossary/batch-api.md"
publisher: "AI for Devs"
license: "https://aifordevs.org/reuse"
attribution: "Credit AI for Devs and link to https://aifordevs.org/glossary#batch-api"
---

# Batch API

A batch API is an asynchronous endpoint that takes many model requests at once, processes them within a time window, and bills them at a discount. You give up immediate responses in exchange for a lower price.

You submit a list or file of requests, poll for completion, then download results keyed by your own request IDs. As of November 8, 2026, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google all bill batch work at 50% of standard rates, with a 24-hour window or target. Use it for evals, backfills, and classification jobs where nobody is waiting.

## Example

As of November 8, 2026, Claude Sonnet 5.5 costs $2 input and $10 output per million tokens, or $1 and $5 in a batch. A job with 10 million input and 2 million output tokens drops from $40 to $20.

## Source

[Anthropic docs: Pricing](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/about-claude/pricing)

## Related terms

- [Prompt caching](https://aifordevs.org/glossary#prompt-caching)
- [Throughput](https://aifordevs.org/glossary#throughput)

## Read the article

[Claude API pricing: caching, batch, and real bills](https://aifordevs.org/articles/claude-api-pricing)

## Cite this term

AI for Devs. "Batch API." https://aifordevs.org/glossary#batch-api

- Page: https://aifordevs.org/glossary#batch-api
- Markdown: https://aifordevs.org/glossary/batch-api.md
- Reuse: Quote or summarize with a link to this page. Terms: https://aifordevs.org/reuse
- Publisher: AI for Devs