openai/openai-cookbook

Analysis updated 2026-06-20

★ 73,284Jupyter NotebookAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5LicenseSetup · easy

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it Does
      Worked code examples
      Step-by-step guides
      Common API patterns
    Tech Stack
      Python
      Jupyter Notebook
      OpenAI API
    Use Cases
      API integration
      Embeddings search
      Function calling
    Audience
      API developers
      Python learners
    Setup
      API key required
      dotenv config

mindmap root((repo)) What it Does Worked code examples Step-by-step guides Common API patterns Tech Stack Python Jupyter Notebook OpenAI API Use Cases API integration Embeddings search Function calling Audience API developers Python learners Setup API key required dotenv config

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What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Follow a worked example to integrate OpenAI's API into your own app for tasks like summarization or Q&A.

USE CASE 2

Use as a reference when implementing function calling, embeddings, or fine-tuning with the OpenAI API.

USE CASE 3

Learn how to structure API calls by reading and running interactive Jupyter Notebooks side by side with explanations.

What is it built with?

PythonJupyter NotebookOpenAI API

How does it compare?

	openai/openai-cookbook	compvis/stable-diffusion	microsoft/ml-for-beginners
Stars	73,284	72,976	85,669
Language	Jupyter Notebook	Jupyter Notebook	Jupyter Notebook
Setup difficulty	easy	hard	easy
Complexity	2/5	4/5	2/5
Audience	developer	researcher	general

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 30min

Requires a paid OpenAI API key, set it as an environment variable or in a .env file before running any notebook.

Free to use, copy, and adapt for any purpose, including commercial projects, as long as you keep the copyright notice.

In plain English

openai/openai-cookbook is a collection of example code and step-by-step guides for accomplishing common tasks using the OpenAI API, the service that powers tools like ChatGPT and GPT-4. If you are a developer trying to figure out how to do something practical with OpenAI's API, this repository is the reference point for working, tested examples. To use the examples, you need an OpenAI account and an API key. The setup involves setting an environment variable called OPENAI_API_KEY with your key, or creating a simple configuration file called .env in your project folder that contains it. The examples in the repository are Jupyter Notebooks, an interactive file format that lets you read explanations and run code side by side, making it easier to follow along. Most of the example code is written in Python, though the README notes the underlying concepts apply to any programming language. The repository is navigable through a dedicated website at cookbook.openai.com. It is released under the MIT license, meaning it is free to use, copy, and adapt.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

Using the openai-cookbook pattern, write a Python script that calls the OpenAI API to summarize a long article in under 100 words.

Prompt 2

Show me how to implement semantic search using OpenAI embeddings in Python, following the openai-cookbook approach.

Prompt 3

Write a Python function that uses OpenAI function calling to extract structured JSON data from a block of unstructured text.

Prompt 4

How do I set up my OPENAI_API_KEY environment variable and make my first API call in Python following the openai-cookbook setup?

Frequently asked questions

What is openai-cookbook?

A collection of practical, tested code examples and step-by-step guides for using the OpenAI API, covering common tasks in Python via Jupyter Notebooks.

What language is openai-cookbook written in?

Mainly Jupyter Notebook. The stack also includes Python, Jupyter Notebook, OpenAI API.

What license does openai-cookbook use?

Free to use, copy, and adapt for any purpose, including commercial projects, as long as you keep the copyright notice.

How hard is openai-cookbook to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is openai-cookbook for?

Mainly developer.

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