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Non-OpenAI Models

AutoGen allows you to use non-OpenAI models through proxy servers that provide an OpenAI-compatible API or a custom model client class.

Benefits of this flexibility include access to hundreds of models, assigning specialized models to agents (e.g., fine-tuned coding models), the ability to run AutoGen entirely within your environment, utilising both OpenAI and non-OpenAI models in one system, and cost reductions in inference.

OpenAI-compatible API proxy server​

Any proxy server that provides an API that is compatible with OpenAI's API will work with AutoGen.

These proxy servers can be cloud-based or running locally within your environment.

Cloud or Local Proxy Servers

Cloud-based proxy servers​

By using cloud-based proxy servers, you are able to use models without requiring the hardware and software to run them.

These providers can host open source/weight models, like Hugging Face and Mistral AI, or their own closed models.

When cloud-based proxy servers provide an OpenAI-compatible API, using them in AutoGen is straightforward. With LLM Configuration done in the same way as when using OpenAI's models, the primary difference is typically the authentication which is usually handled through an API key.

Examples of using cloud-based proxy servers providers that have an OpenAI-compatible API are provided below:

Locally run proxy servers​

An increasing number of LLM proxy servers are available for use locally. These can be open-source (e.g., LiteLLM, Ollama, vLLM) or closed-source (e.g., LM Studio), and are typically used for running the full-stack within your environment.

Similar to cloud-based proxy servers, as long as these proxy servers provide an OpenAI-compatible API, running them in AutoGen is straightforward.

Examples of using locally run proxy servers that have an OpenAI-compatible API are provided below:

tip

If you are planning to use Function Calling, not all cloud-based and local proxy servers support Function Calling with their OpenAI-compatible API, so check their documentation.

Configuration for Non-OpenAI models​

Whether you choose a cloud-based or locally-run proxy server, the configuration is done in the same way as using OpenAI's models, see LLM Configuration for further information.

You can use model configuration filtering to assign specific models to agents.

Custom Model Client class​

For more advanced users, you can create your own custom model client class, enabling you to define and load your own models.

See the AutoGen with Custom Models: Empowering Users to Use Their Own Inference Mechanism blog post and this notebook for a guide to creating custom model client classes.