How to beginner · 3 min read

How to add objects to Weaviate

Q: How to add objects to Weaviate

Use the official weaviate-client Python SDK to add objects by creating a client, defining your schema class, and calling client.data_object.create() with your object data and class name. This method inserts the object into Weaviate for vector search and retrieval.

Quick answer

Use the official weaviate-client Python SDK to add objects by creating a client, defining your schema class, and calling client.data_object.create() with your object data and class name. This method inserts the object into Weaviate for vector search and retrieval.

PREREQUISITES

Python 3.8+
Weaviate instance running (cloud or local)
pip install weaviate-client
Access to Weaviate URL and API key if authentication is enabled

Setup

Install the official weaviate-client Python package and set environment variables for your Weaviate URL and API key if needed.

bash

pip install weaviate-client

Step by step

This example shows how to connect to a Weaviate instance, define a class schema, and add an object to that class.

python

import os
import weaviate

# Configure Weaviate client
client = weaviate.Client(
    url=os.environ.get('WEAVIATE_URL', 'http://localhost:8080'),
    auth_client_secret=weaviate.AuthApiKey(api_key=os.environ.get('WEAVIATE_API_KEY')) if os.environ.get('WEAVIATE_API_KEY') else None
)

# Define a schema class (if not already created)
schema_class = {
    "class": "Article",
    "description": "A news article",
    "properties": [
        {"name": "title", "dataType": ["text"]},
        {"name": "content", "dataType": ["text"]}
    ]
}

# Create class schema if it doesn't exist
if "Article" not in [cls["class"] for cls in client.schema.get()['classes']]:
    client.schema.create_class(schema_class)

# Object data to add
article_obj = {
    "title": "Weaviate introduction",
    "content": "Weaviate is an open-source vector search engine."
}

# Add object to Weaviate
response = client.data_object.create(
    data_object=article_obj,
    class_name="Article"
)

print(f"Created object with ID: {response['id']}")

output

Created object with ID: <uuid-string>

Common variations

Use client.data_object.create_batch() to add multiple objects efficiently.
Authenticate with OAuth2 or other methods by configuring auth_client_secret accordingly.
Use client.data_object.update() to modify existing objects.

Troubleshooting

If you get connection errors, verify your Weaviate URL and network access.
Schema creation errors usually mean the class already exists or schema is invalid.
Authentication failures require checking your API key or auth method.

✅

Key Takeaways

Use the official weaviate-client Python SDK to interact with Weaviate.
Always define your schema class before adding objects to ensure proper data structure.
Batch creation improves performance when adding many objects.
Check authentication and network settings if connection or permission errors occur.

Verified 2026-04

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