> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.perplexity.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Quickstart
> Learn how to use the official Perplexity SDKs for Python and TypeScript to access the Perplexity APIs with type safety and async support.
## Overview
The official Perplexity SDKs provide convenient access to the Perplexity APIs from Python 3.8+ and Node.js applications. Both SDKs include type definitions for all request parameters and response fields, with both synchronous and asynchronous clients.
Access four APIs: **Agent API** for third-party models with web search tools and presets, **Search** for ranked web search results, **Sonar** for web-grounded AI responses, and **Embeddings** for generating text embeddings.
## Available APIs
Third-party models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and more with presets and web search tools.
Ranked web search results with filtering, multi-query support, and domain controls.
AI responses with web-grounded knowledge, conversation context, and streaming support.
Generate high-quality text embeddings for semantic search and RAG.
## Installation
Install the SDK for your preferred language:
```bash Python theme={null}
pip install perplexityai
```
```bash TypeScript theme={null}
npm install @perplexity-ai/perplexity_ai
```
## Authentication
Navigate to the **API Keys** tab in the API Portal and generate a new key.
After generating the key, set it as an environment variable in your terminal:
```bash theme={null}
setx PERPLEXITY_API_KEY "your_api_key_here"
```
```bash theme={null}
export PERPLEXITY_API_KEY="your_api_key_here"
```
### Using Environment Variables
You can use the environment variable directly:
```python Python theme={null}
import os
from perplexity import Perplexity
client = Perplexity() # Automatically uses PERPLEXITY_API_KEY
```
```typescript TypeScript theme={null}
import Perplexity from '@perplexity-ai/perplexity_ai';
const client = new Perplexity({
apiKey: process.env['PERPLEXITY_API_KEY'], // This is the default and can be omitted
});
```
Or use [python-dotenv](https://pypi.org/project/python-dotenv/) (Python) or [dotenv](https://www.npmjs.com/package/dotenv) (Node.js) to load the environment variable from a `.env` file:
```python Python theme={null}
import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from perplexity import Perplexity
load_dotenv()
client = Perplexity() # Uses PERPLEXITY_API_KEY from .env file
```
```typescript TypeScript theme={null}
import Perplexity from '@perplexity-ai/perplexity_ai';
import dotenv from 'dotenv';
dotenv.config();
const client = new Perplexity(); // Uses PERPLEXITY_API_KEY from .env file
```
Now you're ready to start using the Perplexity APIs! Choose your API below for step-by-step usage guides.
Get started with third-party models
Get started with web search
Get started with AI responses
Get started with text embeddings
## Resources
Install from PyPI with pip
Install from npm registry