Principle:Openai Openai python Client Initialization
| Knowledge Sources | |
|---|---|
| Domains | API_Client, SDK_Infrastructure |
| Last Updated | 2026-02-15 00:00 GMT |
Overview
A configuration pattern that establishes an authenticated, reusable connection to the OpenAI API with retry logic, timeout handling, and resource accessors.
Description
Client initialization is the mandatory first step in any OpenAI SDK workflow. It creates a configured HTTP client instance that authenticates via API key, manages connection pooling, and exposes typed resource accessors (e.g., .chat, .audio, .images, .responses). The SDK provides both synchronous (OpenAI) and asynchronous (AsyncOpenAI) client classes built on top of httpx.
The client handles cross-cutting concerns including automatic retries with exponential backoff, configurable timeouts, custom base URLs for proxies or Azure endpoints, and organization/project scoping for multi-tenant environments.
Usage
Use this principle at the start of every OpenAI SDK workflow. Choose OpenAI for synchronous scripts and AsyncOpenAI for async/await applications. The Realtime API specifically requires AsyncOpenAI due to its WebSocket-based protocol.
Theoretical Basis
Client initialization follows the Factory Pattern combined with Builder-style configuration:
- Collect credentials from explicit arguments or environment variables
- Configure transport layer (HTTP client, timeouts, retries)
- Instantiate resource accessors as lazy properties
- Return a fully-configured client ready for API calls
Pseudo-code:
# Abstract initialization flow
client = create_client(
credentials=resolve_from_env_or_arg(api_key),
transport=configure_http(timeout, max_retries),
resources=bind_resource_accessors()
)
# client.chat, client.audio, etc. are now available
The credential resolution order is: explicit argument > callable provider > environment variable (OPENAI_API_KEY).