OpenAI SDK Developer Guide
Quickstart for Node.js & Python
Author: MPS Prepared with GPT-5 Thinking
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
vendor neutral quickstart for the official OpenAI SDKs: install, initialize, request patterns, structured output, tool calling
OpenAI SDK Developer Guide Quickstart for Node.js & Python v1.0 2025-09-02 License: CC BY 4.0
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
1. 1. Install & Configure
2. 2. Initialize the Client (Node.js)
3. 3. Initialize the Client (Python)
4. 4. Text Generation (Responses-like API)
5. 5. JSON / Structured Output
6. 6. Tool Calling (Function Calling)
7. 7. Vision (Images as Input)
8. 8. File Usage & Retrieval
9. 9. Streaming (Conceptual)
10. 10. Realtime (Conceptual)
11. 11. Safety & Security
OpenAI SDK Developer Guide Quickstart for Node.js & Python v1.0 2025-09-02 License: CC BY 4.0
1. 1. Install & Configure
1. Install & Configure
Create a new project and install the official SDKs.
Node.js: npm install openai
Python: pip install openai
Set your API key as an environment variable: OPENAI_API_KEY. Never hardcode secrets; use .env or
your secret manager.
OpenAI SDK Developer Guide Quickstart for Node.js & Python v1.0 2025-09-02 License: CC BY 4.0
2. 2. Initialize the Client (Node.js)
2. Initialize the Client (Node.js)
import OpenAI from "openai";
const client = new OpenAI({ apiKey: process.env.OPENAI_API_KEY });
OpenAI SDK Developer Guide Quickstart for Node.js & Python v1.0 2025-09-02 License: CC BY 4.0
3. 3. Initialize the Client (Python)
3. Initialize the Client (Python)
from openai import OpenAI
client = OpenAI() # reads OPENAI_API_KEY from env
OpenAI SDK Developer Guide Quickstart for Node.js & Python v1.0 2025-09-02 License: CC BY 4.0
4. 4. Text Generation (Responses-like API)
4. Text Generation (Responses-like API)
Basic single-turn request in JS and Python. Replace the model name with one you have access to.
// Node.js
const res = await client.responses.create({
model: "gpt-4o-mini",
input: "Give me three bullet points about data governance."
});
console.log(res.output_text);
# Python
resp = client.responses.create(
model="gpt-4o-mini",
input="Give me three bullet points about data governance."
)
print(resp.output_text)
OpenAI SDK Developer Guide Quickstart for Node.js & Python v1.0 2025-09-02 License: CC BY 4.0
5. 5. JSON / Structured Output
5. JSON / Structured Output
Ask the model to return a typed object. Validate before using.
// Node.js
const res = await client.responses.create({
model: "gpt-4o-mini",
input: "Return a JSON object with title and bullets about SKU standards.",
response_format: { type: "json_schema", json_schema: {
name: "Notes",
schema: { type: "object", properties: {
title: { type: "string" },
bullets: { type: "array", items: { type: "string" } }
}, required: ["title","bullets"] }
}}
});
const data = JSON.parse(res.output[0].content[0].text);
OpenAI SDK Developer Guide Quickstart for Node.js & Python v1.0 2025-09-02 License: CC BY 4.0
6. 6. Tool Calling (Function Calling)
6. Tool Calling (Function Calling)
Define tools the model may call. Execute matched functions on your server and return results
back.
// Node.js
const tools = [{
type: "function",
function: {
name: "get_product_price",
description: "Lookup current price by SKU",
parameters: { type: "object", properties: { sku: { type: "string" } }, required: ["sku"]
}
}
}];
const res = await client.responses.create({
model: "gpt-4o-mini",
input: "What is the price of CO-F-FOUND-STICK-S2-30ML-SINGLE?",
tools,
tool_choice: "auto"
});
// Detect a function call in res and dispatch:
/* pseudo
OpenAI SDK Developer Guide Quickstart for Node.js & Python v1.0 2025-09-02 License: CC BY 4.0
7. 7. Vision (Images as Input)
7. Vision (Images as Input)
Send an image URL or base64 content; the model returns text.
// Node.js
const res = await client.responses.create({
model: "gpt-4o-mini",
input: [{
role: "user",
content: [
{ type: "input_text", text: "Extract any printed price from this label." },
{ type: "input_image", image_url: "https://example.com/label.jpg" }
]
}]
});
OpenAI SDK Developer Guide Quickstart for Node.js & Python v1.0 2025-09-02 License: CC BY 4.0
8. 8. File Usage & Retrieval
8. File Usage & Retrieval
Upload files for use with responses/assistants or for retrieval in your app. Keep size and type
within limits and apply retention policies.
OpenAI SDK Developer Guide Quickstart for Node.js & Python v1.0 2025-09-02 License: CC BY 4.0
9. 9. Streaming (Conceptual)
9. Streaming (Conceptual)
Use the SDK's streaming helpers or event APIs to render tokens or tool-calls as they arrive.
Always include timeouts, backoff, and a max token budget.
OpenAI SDK Developer Guide Quickstart for Node.js & Python v1.0 2025-09-02 License: CC BY 4.0
10. 10. Realtime (Conceptual)
10. Realtime (Conceptual)
For ultra-low latency voice or multimodal, use the Realtime API over WebSocket/WebRTC. It
supports input/output audio and server events.
OpenAI SDK Developer Guide Quickstart for Node.js & Python v1.0 2025-09-02 License: CC BY 4.0
11. 11. Safety & Security
11. Safety & Security
Follow least-privilege for API keys; perform input/output filtering; log reasons for tool
actions; store audit trails; respect user privacy and consent.
