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How to test OpenAI API connection in python

Q: How to test OpenAI API connection in python

Use the official openai Python SDK v1 to test your API connection by sending a simple chat completion request with client.chat.completions.create. Ensure your API key is set in os.environ["OPENAI_API_KEY"] and use a current model like gpt-4o to verify connectivity.

Quick answer

Use the official openai Python SDK v1 to test your API connection by sending a simple chat completion request with client.chat.completions.create. Ensure your API key is set in os.environ["OPENAI_API_KEY"] and use a current model like gpt-4o to verify connectivity.

PREREQUISITES

Python 3.8+
OpenAI API key (free tier works)
pip install openai>=1.0

Setup

Install the official OpenAI Python SDK version 1 or higher and set your API key as an environment variable.

Run pip install openai>=1.0 to install the SDK.
Export your API key in your shell: export OPENAI_API_KEY='your_api_key_here' (Linux/macOS) or set it in Windows environment variables.

bash

pip install openai>=1.0

Step by step

Use this complete Python script to test your OpenAI API connection by sending a simple chat message to the gpt-4o model and printing the response.

python

import os
from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(api_key=os.environ["OPENAI_API_KEY"])

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="gpt-4o",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello, OpenAI!"}]
)

print("Response from OpenAI API:")
print(response.choices[0].message.content)

output

Response from OpenAI API:
Hello! How can I assist you today?

Common variations

You can test the API connection asynchronously or use different models like gpt-4o-mini. For async, use asyncio with await client.chat.completions.acreate(...). Streaming responses are also supported with the SDK.

python

import os
import asyncio
from openai import OpenAI

async def test_async():
    client = OpenAI(api_key=os.environ["OPENAI_API_KEY"])
    response = await client.chat.completions.acreate(
        model="gpt-4o-mini",
        messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Async test"}]
    )
    print("Async response:", response.choices[0].message.content)

asyncio.run(test_async())

output

Async response: Hello! This is an async test response.

Troubleshooting

If you get an authentication error, verify your OPENAI_API_KEY environment variable is set correctly.
For network errors, check your internet connection and firewall settings.
If the model is not found, confirm you are using a current model name like gpt-4o.

✅

Key Takeaways

Use the official OpenAI Python SDK v1 and set your API key in environment variables.
Test connectivity by sending a simple chat completion request to a current model like gpt-4o.
Async and streaming calls are supported for more advanced testing scenarios.
Check environment variables and model names if you encounter authentication or model errors.

Verified 2026-04 · gpt-4o, gpt-4o-mini

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