Installation

Install the Python SDK with pip install actian-vectorai-client.

The Python SDK provides synchronous and asynchronous clients for VectorAI DB over gRPC, plus optional REST-based auth/admin helpers.

Prerequisites

To use the Python SDK, make sure you have:

• Python 3.10 or later
• numpy 1.26 or later
• grpcio 1.80 or later
• pydantic 2.10 or later

Install the SDK

pip install actian-vectorai-client

Optional extras

Install extras when your application needs the related integration.

Extra	Command	Use case
OpenAI embeddings	pip install "actian-vectorai-client[openai]"	Use OpenAIEmbedder helpers.
Fast serialization	pip install "actian-vectorai-client[fast]"	Add optional high-performance JSON dependencies.
Telemetry	pip install "actian-vectorai-client[telemetry]"	Enable OpenTelemetry support.
Everything	pip install "actian-vectorai-client[all]"	Install all optional runtime extras.

Verify installation

Requires VectorAI DB running locally. See the Docker setup guide if you haven’t done that yet.

from actian_vectorai import VectorAIClient

with VectorAIClient("localhost:6574") as client:
    info = client.health_check()
    print(f"Server: {info['title']} v{info['version']}")

For all client configuration options and environment variables, see the Python SDK reference.

Virtual environments

Install the SDK inside a virtual environment to avoid dependency conflicts.

venv

python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate  # macOS/Linux
.venv\Scripts\activate     # Windows
pip install actian-vectorai-client

conda

conda create -n vectorai python=3.10
conda activate vectorai
pip install actian-vectorai-client

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
ModuleNotFoundError	Verify the SDK is installed in the active Python environment.
gRPC connection errors	Confirm VectorAI DB is reachable at localhost:6574 or set ACTIAN_VECTORAI_URL.
Python version mismatch	Run python --version; the SDK requires Python 3.10 or later.
Permission errors during install	Install in a virtual environment or use pip install --user actian-vectorai-client.

Next steps

Quickstart

Create a collection, insert vectors, and run a search.

Python reference

Review namespaces, configuration, filters, batching, and errors.