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This guide will help you install the OpenAI Python SDK and set up your development environment.

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Requirements

Before installing the SDK, ensure you have:
  • Python 3.9 or higher - Check your version with python --version
  • pip - Python’s package installer (comes with Python)
  • OpenAI API key - Get one here

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Basic Installation

Install the OpenAI SDK from PyPI using pip: 
pip install openai
This installs the core SDK with all essential dependencies:
  • httpx - HTTP client for API requests
  • pydantic - Data validation and type definitions
  • typing-extensions - Type hint extensions
  • anyio - Async I/O support
  • distro - OS distribution detection
  • tqdm - Progress bar support
  • jiter - Fast JSON parsing

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Optional Dependencies

The SDK provides several optional dependency groups for extended functionality:

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Realtime API

For low-latency WebSocket connections with the Realtime API: 
pip install openai[realtime]
This adds:
  • websockets (>= 13, < 16) - WebSocket client for realtime connections
The Realtime API enables multi-modal conversational experiences with text and audio support.

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Data Libraries

For working with data analysis and pandas DataFrames: 
pip install openai[datalib]
This adds:
  • numpy (>= 1) - Numerical computing
  • pandas (>= 1.2.3) - Data manipulation
  • pandas-stubs (>= 1.1.0.11) - Type stubs for pandas

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Voice Helpers

For audio input/output with the Realtime API: 
pip install openai[voice_helpers]
This adds:
  • sounddevice (>= 0.5.1) - Audio I/O
  • numpy (>= 2.0.2) - Audio data processing
Voice helpers are particularly useful when building interactive voice applications with the Realtime API.

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Aiohttp (Async Performance)

For improved async performance with aiohttp as the HTTP backend: 
pip install openai[aiohttp]
This adds:
  • aiohttp - Alternative async HTTP client
  • httpx_aiohttp (>= 0.1.9) - Aiohttp integration for httpx
To use aiohttp, instantiate the async client with DefaultAioHttpClient(): 
import asyncio
from openai import AsyncOpenAI, DefaultAioHttpClient

async def main():
    async with AsyncOpenAI(
        http_client=DefaultAioHttpClient(),
    ) as client:
        response = await client.responses.create(
            model="gpt-5.2",
            input="Say this is a test"
        )
        print(response.output_text)

asyncio.run(main())

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Install Multiple Extensions

You can combine multiple optional dependencies: 
pip install openai[realtime,voice_helpers]

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Environment Setup

1

Get your API key

Sign up for an OpenAI account and get your API key from the API keys page.
2

Set environment variable

Set the OPENAI_API_KEY environment variable:
export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-proj-..."
Add this to your shell profile (.bashrc, .zshrc, etc.) to make it permanent.
3

Alternative: Use python-dotenv

For better security, use python-dotenv to load your API key from a .env file:
pip install python-dotenv
Create a .env file in your project root:
.env
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-proj-...
Load it in your Python code:
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from openai import OpenAI

load_dotenv()  # Load .env file
client = OpenAI()  # API key automatically loaded from environment
Never commit your .env file to version control. Add it to .gitignore.
4

Verify installation

Test your installation:
import openai
from openai import OpenAI

print(f"OpenAI SDK version: {openai.__version__}")

client = OpenAI()
print("✓ SDK installed and configured successfully!")

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Additional Environment Variables

The SDK supports several optional environment variables:
VariableDescriptionDefault
OPENAI_API_KEYYour OpenAI API keyRequired
OPENAI_BASE_URLCustom API endpointhttps://api.openai.com/v1
OPENAI_ORG_IDOrganization IDNone
OPENAI_PROJECT_IDProject IDNone
OPENAI_WEBHOOK_SECRETWebhook verification secretNone
OPENAI_LOGEnable logging (info or debug)Disabled
You can also pass these as parameters when creating the client instead of using environment variables.

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Azure OpenAI

To use the SDK with Azure OpenAI, use the AzureOpenAI class: 
from openai import AzureOpenAI

client = AzureOpenAI(
    api_version="2023-07-01-preview",
    azure_endpoint="https://example-endpoint.openai.azure.com",
)

completion = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="deployment-name",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}],
)
Azure-specific environment variables:
  • AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY
  • AZURE_OPENAI_ENDPOINT
  • OPENAI_API_VERSION
  • AZURE_OPENAI_AD_TOKEN

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Upgrading

To upgrade to the latest version: 
pip install --upgrade openai
Check your installed version: 
import openai
print(openai.__version__)

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Next Steps

Quickstart

Make your first API call with the OpenAI SDK

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