IDE Integration

This guide walks you step by step through creating a simple Python project in your IDE and connecting it to the OxAPI.

Note: No prior backend experience is required.

What You’ll Build

A small Python script that:

Connects to the Oxlo.ai API
Sends a prompt
Prints the response

Step 1 - Install Python

If you don’t already have Python:

Visit python.org
Download Python 3.11 or later
Install it

After installation, open a terminal and run:

bash

python --version

You should see something like:

bash

Python 3.x.x

Step 2 - Create a New Project in Your IDE

VS Code / Cursor

Open VS Code
Click File → Open Folder
Create a new folder called OxAPI-script
Open that folder

Step 3 - Create a Virtual Environment (Recommended)

In your IDE terminal, run:

bash

python -m venv venv

Activate it:

macOS / Linux

bash

source venv/bin/activate

Windows

bash

venv\Scripts\activate

Step 4 - Install Required Packages

Run:

bash

pip install openai python-dotenv

We use:

openai → the official OpenAI Python SDK (works with Oxlo.ai out of the box)
python-dotenv → to safely store your API key

Step 5 - Create a .env File

Inside your project folder, create a file named .env and add this line:

bash

OXAPI_KEY=your_actual_api_key_here

⚠️ Security: Never commit this file to GitHub.

Step 6 - Create main.py

Create a new file called main.py and paste this code:

python

import os
import openai
from dotenv import load_dotenv

# Load environment variables
load_dotenv()

client = openai.OpenAI(
    base_url="https://api.oxlo.ai/v1",
    api_key=os.getenv("OXAPI_KEY")
)

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="llama-3.2-3b",
    messages=[
        {"role": "user", "content": "Explain AI in one sentence."}
    ],
    max_tokens=512
)

print(response.choices[0].message.content)

✅ OpenAI Compatible: Oxlo.ai is fully compatible with the OpenAI SDK. Just set base_url to https://api.oxlo.ai/v1 and use your Oxlo API key. Any code written for OpenAI works with Oxlo — no changes needed beyond these two fields.

Step 7 - Run the Script

In your IDE terminal:

bash

python main.py

If everything is set up correctly, you will see the model's response printed in your terminal. You are now successfully connected to Oxlo.ai using the OpenAI SDK.

How It Works

Your API key is stored securely in .env
Python loads it into memory
The script sends an authenticated request
Oxlo.ai returns a structured JSON response

Common Errors

401 Unauthorized

Check your API key
Make sure there are no extra spaces
Confirm your .env file is saved

ModuleNotFoundError

Run:

bash

pip install requests python-dotenv

Next Steps

You can now:

Modify the prompt
Change the model
Build a web app around this script
Convert this into a backend API