📘 Introduction

Welcome to this hands-on OpenAI GPT tutorial! In this guide, we’ll walk you step-by-step through sending your first prompt to a GPT model using the OpenAI Python SDK — perfect for beginners who want to start building AI-powered applications fast.

💡 What is the OpenAI Python SDK?

The OpenAI Python SDK (software development kit) is a Python library that makes it easy to interact with OpenAI models in your Python projects via the OpenAI REST API.

Instead of writing raw HTTP requests to the OpenAI REST API, the library provides:

  • 🔑 Authentication handling (uses your API key securely)
  • 📦 Simple functions for sending prompts, chat messages, or structured requests
  • ⚡ Convenience features like automatically formatting inputs and returning structured responses

Think of it as a bridge between Python and OpenAI’s servers. You write Python code → the library sends the request to OpenAI → the model generates a response → the library brings it back into your program.

💡
By using the library, you save time, reduce errors, and keep your code clean and readable.

✅ Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following:

🐍✅ Installed Python
📦✅ Installed Pip
🌐✅ Created and activated a virtual environment (venv)
🔑✅ An OpenAI API key (sign up for an API key on OpenAI)

📦1️⃣ Install Libraries

Once your environment is active, install the official OpenAI Python package:

pip install openai

📥2️⃣ Import Libraries

Import the required modules into your Python script:

import os
from openai import OpenAI

⚙️3️⃣ Initialize the OpenAI client

Create a client instance using your API key:

client = OpenAI(api_key=os.getenv("OPENAI_API_KEY"))
💡
For security, store your API key in an environment variable instead of hardcoding it

💬4️⃣ Send a Request to GPT Model

Let’s send a simple message to a GPT model (e.g., gpt-4o) and print the response:

You can view this post with the tier: Academy Membership

Join academy now to read the post and get access to the full library of premium posts for academy members only.

Join Academy Already have an account? Sign In