> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.prem.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Production Checklist

> Complete these steps before you send production traffic to Prem API.

Complete this checklist before you send production traffic. Each item links to the page with the full instructions.

## Keys and secrets

* Store your Key Encryption Key (KEK) in a secure location with backups. If you lose it, Prem cannot recover your data. See [Encryption](/encryption).
* Make a backup of your DEK store. If you lose it, you lose access to your uploaded files.
* Store all keys in environment variables. Do not commit keys to source control. See [Quickstart](/quickstart).
* Use one API key for each environment, for example `development`, `staging`, and `production`. See [API Keys](/api-keys).

## API key security

* Give each API key only the scopes that it needs. A key without explicit scopes has full permissions. See [API Keys](/api-keys).
* Add IP restrictions to the keys for critical integrations.
* Rotate your API keys on a regular schedule.
* Do not share one API key between teams or environments.

## Reliability

* Retry failed requests with exponential backoff and random jitter. See [Rate limits](/rate-limits).
* Read the `Retry-After` header on `429` responses. Wait for that time before you retry.
* Use idempotency keys for requests that you cannot repeat safely. See [Idempotency](/idempotency).
* Handle each error code that the API returns. See [Errors](/errors).
* Record the `support_id` value from error responses. Contact support in the week after the error occurs. See [Errors](/errors).

## Capacity and cost

* Confirm that your tier gives enough requests per second, tokens per minute, and concurrent requests. See [Rate limits](/rate-limits).
* Set a monthly budget limit for your organization. See [Limits](/billing/limits).
* Configure auto top-up so that your balance does not reach zero. See [Balance](/billing/balance).
* Monitor your token usage in the dashboard. See [Usage](/billing/usage).

## Verification

* Keep attestation on. The SDK verifies the enclave automatically because `attest: true` is the default. See [Attestation](/attestation).
* For independent verification, use the `@premai/reticle` package to check the attestation reports yourself.
* Get the current endpoint values from [`dashboard.prem.io/endpoints.json`](https://dashboard.prem.io/endpoints.json) at deployment time.

## Before launch

* Monitor the platform availability on the [status page](https://status.premai.io).
* Read the [Security Model](/security-model) page, including the limitations section.
* Read the [Platform Status](/platform-status) page for the current feature availability.
* Confirm that the models in your code appear in [Models & Pricing](/billing/models-and-pricing).

<Tip>
  Questions before a production launch? Contact us at [support@premai.io](mailto:support@premai.io).
</Tip>