Features
- Chat completions, embeddings, and image generation
- Function calling and structured outputs
- Streaming with Server-Sent Events
- Assistants API for stateful conversations
Pros
- Access to GPT-4, DALL-E, and Whisper models
- Well-documented with extensive examples
- Largest third-party ecosystem and integrations
Cons
- Only works with OpenAI models
- Usage-based pricing can be expensive
- Rate limits and availability can be issues
Overview
The OpenAI SDK is the official client library for interacting with OpenAI’s API, including GPT models, DALL-E image generation, Whisper speech recognition, and embedding models. Available for Node.js/TypeScript and Python, it provides a typed interface to all OpenAI endpoints.
The SDK supports chat completions with function calling (tool use), streaming responses, structured outputs for reliable JSON generation, and the Assistants API for building stateful conversational agents with built-in tools like code interpreter and file search.
OpenAI’s ecosystem is the largest in the AI space, with extensive documentation, community examples, and third-party integrations.
When to Use
Use the OpenAI SDK when building applications that specifically need GPT models, DALL-E image generation, or Whisper transcription. For multi-provider support, consider the Vercel AI SDK which wraps both OpenAI and Anthropic.
Getting Started
npm install openaiimport OpenAI from 'openai'
const client = new OpenAI()
const completion = await client.chat.completions.create({
model: 'gpt-4o',
messages: [{ role: 'user', content: 'Hello!' }]
})