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Overview

Perplexity provides AI models with built-in web search capabilities, delivering up-to-date information and citations. Access Perplexity’s Sonar models through Portkey for search-augmented AI responses. Base URL: https://api.perplexity.ai

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Supported Features

  • ✅ Chat Completions
  • ✅ Streaming
  • ✅ Web Search Integration
  • ✅ Citations
  • ✅ Real-time Information
  • ❌ Embeddings
  • ❌ Function Calling
  • ❌ Vision
  • ❌ Image Generation

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Quick Start

from portkey_ai import Portkey

client = Portkey(
    provider="perplexity-ai",
    Authorization="***"  # Your Perplexity API key
)

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="sonar-pro",
    messages=[
        {"role": "user", "content": "What are the latest developments in AI in 2024?"}
    ]
)

print(response.choices[0].message.content)

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Streaming

stream = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="sonar-pro",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Latest news about SpaceX"}],
    stream=True
)

for chunk in stream:
    if chunk.choices[0].delta.content:
        print(chunk.choices[0].delta.content, end="")

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Available Models

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Sonar Models (Online)

These models have access to the web and provide citations:
ModelContextDescriptionBest For
sonar-pro127KMost capable with searchComplex research, analysis
sonar127KFast with searchQuick lookups, Q&A

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Chat Models (Offline)

Standard chat models without web access:
ModelContextDescriptionBest For
llama-3.1-sonar-huge-128k-online127KLargest online modelComplex queries
llama-3.1-sonar-large-128k-online127KBalanced onlineGeneral purpose
llama-3.1-sonar-small-128k-online127KFast onlineQuick responses
Perplexity excels at:
  • Real-time information - Access current web data
  • Fact-checking - Verify information with citations
  • Research - Comprehensive web search
  • Current events - Up-to-date news and developments
  • Citation tracking - Source attribution

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Configuration Options

client = Portkey(
    provider="perplexity-ai",
    Authorization="***"  # Bearer token
)
HeaderDescriptionRequired
AuthorizationPerplexity API keyYes

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Advanced Features

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System Messages

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="sonar-pro",
    messages=[
        {
            "role": "system",
            "content": "You are a helpful research assistant. Always cite your sources."
        },
        {
            "role": "user",
            "content": "What are the benefits of renewable energy?"
        }
    ]
)

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Temperature Control

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="sonar-pro",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Summarize recent AI breakthroughs"}],
    temperature=0.2,  # Lower for factual responses
    max_tokens=1000
)

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Multi-turn Conversations

messages = [
    {"role": "user", "content": "What is quantum computing?"},
]

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="sonar-pro",
    messages=messages
)

# Add assistant response
messages.append({
    "role": "assistant",
    "content": response.choices[0].message.content
})

# Continue conversation
messages.append({
    "role": "user",
    "content": "What are its practical applications?"
})

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="sonar-pro",
    messages=messages
)

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Use Cases

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Research & Analysis

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="sonar-pro",
    messages=[{
        "role": "user",
        "content": "Compare the environmental impact of electric vs hydrogen vehicles with recent data"
    }]
)

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Current Events

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="sonar",
    messages=[{
        "role": "user",
        "content": "What happened in the tech industry this week?"
    }]
)

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Fact Verification

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="sonar-pro",
    messages=[{
        "role": "user",
        "content": "Verify: Is the global temperature rising? Provide recent data."
    }]
)

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Fallback Configuration

Fallback to GPT-4 for non-search queries: 
config = {
    "strategy": {"mode": "fallback"},
    "targets": [
        {
            "provider": "perplexity-ai",
            "api_key": "***",
            "override_params": {"model": "sonar-pro"}
        },
        {
            "provider": "openai",
            "api_key": "sk-***",
            "override_params": {"model": "gpt-4o"}
        }
    ]
}

client = Portkey().with_options(config=config)

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Conditional Routing

Route to Perplexity for search queries, GPT-4 for others: 
config = {
    "strategy": {"mode": "conditional"},
    "conditions": [
        {
            "query": {"metadata.needs_search": True},
            "then": "perplexity_target"
        },
        {
            "query": {"metadata.needs_search": False},
            "then": "openai_target"
        }
    ],
    "targets": {
        "perplexity_target": {
            "provider": "perplexity-ai",
            "api_key": "***",
            "override_params": {"model": "sonar-pro"}
        },
        "openai_target": {
            "provider": "openai",
            "api_key": "sk-***",
            "override_params": {"model": "gpt-4o"}
        }
    }
}

client = Portkey().with_options(config=config)

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Error Handling

from portkey_ai.exceptions import (
    RateLimitError,
    APIError,
    AuthenticationError
)

try:
    response = client.chat.completions.create(
        model="sonar-pro",
        messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}]
    )
except RateLimitError as e:
    print(f"Rate limit: {e}")
except AuthenticationError as e:
    print(f"Invalid API key: {e}")
except APIError as e:
    print(f"API error: {e}")

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Best Practices

  1. Use for current information - Leverage web search capabilities
  2. Lower temperature - For factual accuracy (0.0-0.3)
  3. Clear queries - Specific questions get better results
  4. Request citations - Ask model to cite sources
  5. Use sonar-pro - For important research
  6. Use sonar - For quick lookups
  7. Verify information - Always validate critical facts
  8. Implement caching - Cache responses to reduce costs

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Limitations

  • No function calling support (yet)
  • No vision capabilities
  • No embeddings
  • Search results depend on web availability
  • May have slightly higher latency due to search

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When to Use Perplexity

Use Perplexity when:
  • You need current, real-time information
  • Research requires web search
  • Citations and sources are important
  • Fact-checking is critical
  • Questions involve recent events
Use other providers when:
  • Information is static or historical
  • You need vision or function calling
  • Lower latency is critical
  • You’re doing creative writing

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Pricing

Perplexity Pricing

View detailed pricing for Perplexity models

Conditional Routing

Route based on search needs

Fallbacks

Fallback configurations

Caching

Cache search results

Google Gemini

Alternative with search

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