Python OpenAI Chat with Asynchronous Completion Calls

This README.md explains how to use the OpenAI's post endpoint 'https://api.openai.com/v1/chat/completions', asynchronously with the provided Python script using aiohttp and asyncio. The API key is securely stored as an environment variable using PowerShell.

Getting an API Key

You must purchase a subscription to OpenAI in order to generate an API key. Once subscribed, you will be able to create API keys from the OpenAI dashboard for use with their services. The cost is $20 per month which we find acceptable. ChatGPT alone is able to replace many tools on your desktop.

Important Warning: Store Your API Key Immediately

Warning: You must immediately store your API key when it is issued by OpenAI. OpenAI does not allow you to view your API key again after it has been generated. If you lose the key, you will need to create a new one. Make sure to store it securely in an environment variable or a password manager.

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Setting the API Key in PowerShell

1. Set Environment Variable Temporarily (Current Session):

If you're using PowerShell, use the following command to set the environment variable for the current session:

$env:OPENAI_API_KEY = "your-api-key-here"

This will set the variable OPENAI_API_KEY temporarily, and it will only be available during this session.

2. Check the Variable:

To verify that the variable has been set, use the following command:

echo $env:OPENAI_API_KEY

This will print the value of the OPENAI_API_KEY.

3. Set Environment Variable Permanently:

To set the environment variable permanently (so it remains available across PowerShell sessions), use:

[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("OPENAI_API_KEY", "your-api-key-here", "User")

After setting it permanently, restart PowerShell or open a new session to access the variable.

4. List All Environment Variables:

To list all environment variables in PowerShell, use:

Get-ChildItem Env:

This command will display all environment variables and their values.

5. Display a Single Environment Variable:

If you want to display the value of a specific environment variable, such as OPENAI_API_KEY, use:

echo $env:OPENAI_API_KEY

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Using the OpenAI API in Python

Here’s a Python script that asynchronously calls the OpenAI API using the aiohttp library. This script retrieves the API key from the environment and sends a question to the gpt-4 model.

Install Required Packages:

Make sure you install the necessary libraries first:

pip install aiohttp

Python Code Example:

import aiohttp
import asyncio
import os

# Get the OpenAI API key from environment variable
openai_api_key = os.getenv("OPENAI_API_KEY")

# Asynchronous function to call OpenAI API
async def call_openai_api(question, model="gpt-4", temperature=0.7, max_tokens=150):
    async with aiohttp.ClientSession() as session:
        async with session.post(
            'https://api.openai.com/v1/chat/completions',
            headers={
                'Authorization': f'Bearer {openai_api_key}',
                'Content-Type': 'application/json'
            },
            json={
                'model': model,
                'messages': [
                    {"role": "system", "content": "You are a helpful assistant."},
                    {"role": "user", "content": question}
                ],
                'max_tokens': max_tokens,
                'temperature': temperature
            }
        ) as response:
            result = await response.json()
            error = result.get('error')
            if error is not None:
                return error['message']
            return result['choices'][0]['message']['content']

# Example usage
async def main():
    question = "What is the capital of France?"
    answer = await call_openai_api(question)
    print(answer)

# Run the example
asyncio.run(main())

Explanation of the Code:

• aiohttp: Used for making asynchronous HTTP requests.
• asyncio: Used to run asynchronous functions in Python.
• call_openai_api: This function makes a POST request to the OpenAI API, sends the user’s question, and retrieves the response.
• Authorization: The API key is retrieved from the environment variable and passed in the request headers for authentication.

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Important Security Note

Storing your API key in an environment variable keeps it out of your source code, ensuring that it's not exposed if your code is shared or committed to version control systems like Git.