Implementation:Openai Openai node OpenAI Constructor

Knowledge Sources	openai-node OpenAI API Reference
Domains	SDK_Architecture, Authentication
Last Updated	2026-02-15 00:00 GMT

Overview

Concrete tool for initializing the OpenAI API client provided by the openai-node SDK.

Description

The OpenAI class is the main entry point for all API interactions. Its constructor accepts a ClientOptions configuration object and initializes authentication, connection parameters, and resource accessors (chat, responses, audio, files, fineTuning, realtime, etc.). The constructor reads environment variables as defaults and validates that an API key is present.

Usage

Import and instantiate this class at application startup before making any API calls. Use explicit options for testing, multi-tenant deployments, or custom base URLs (e.g., Azure OpenAI).

Code Reference

Source Location

Repository: openai-node
File: src/client.ts
Lines: L237-427 (ClientOptions interface + constructor)

Signature

export interface ClientOptions {
  apiKey?: string | ApiKeySetter | undefined;
  organization?: string | null | undefined;
  project?: string | null | undefined;
  webhookSecret?: string | null | undefined;
  baseURL?: string | null | undefined;
  timeout?: number | undefined;
  fetchOptions?: MergedRequestInit | undefined;
  fetch?: Fetch | undefined;
  maxRetries?: number | undefined;
  defaultHeaders?: HeadersLike | undefined;
  defaultQuery?: Record<string, string | undefined> | undefined;
  dangerouslyAllowBrowser?: boolean | undefined;
  logLevel?: LogLevel | undefined;
  logger?: Logger | undefined;
}

export class OpenAI {
  constructor(opts?: ClientOptions);
}

Import

import OpenAI from 'openai';

I/O Contract

Inputs

Name	Type	Required	Description
apiKey	ApiKeySetter	No (reads OPENAI_API_KEY env)	API key for authentication; can be a string or async function
organization	null	No (reads OPENAI_ORG_ID env)	Organization ID for multi-org accounts
project	null	No (reads OPENAI_PROJECT_ID env)	Project ID for scoped access
baseURL	null	No (defaults to https://api.openai.com/v1)	Override base URL for API requests
timeout	number	No (defaults to 600000ms / 10min)	Request timeout in milliseconds
maxRetries	number	No (defaults to 2)	Maximum retry attempts for failed requests
dangerouslyAllowBrowser	boolean	No (defaults to false)	Allow usage in browser environments
fetch	Fetch	No (uses global fetch)	Custom fetch implementation

Outputs

Name	Type	Description
client	OpenAI	Configured client instance with resource accessors: client.chat, client.responses, client.audio, client.files, client.fineTuning, client.realtime, etc.

Usage Examples

Basic Initialization

import OpenAI from 'openai';

// Reads OPENAI_API_KEY from environment
const client = new OpenAI();

Explicit Configuration

import OpenAI from 'openai';

const client = new OpenAI({
  apiKey: 'sk-...',
  organization: 'org-...',
  project: 'proj-...',
  maxRetries: 3,
  timeout: 30000,
});

Custom Base URL (e.g., proxy or Azure)

import OpenAI from 'openai';

const client = new OpenAI({
  apiKey: 'sk-...',
  baseURL: 'https://my-proxy.example.com/v1',
});

Related Pages

Implements Principle

Principle:Openai_Openai_node_Client_Initialization

Requires Environment

Uses Heuristic

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