AI Providers

DrGPT supports multiple AI providers, each with different strengths, capabilities, and pricing models. This guide helps you choose and configure the right provider for your needs.

Supported Providers

OpenAI

Models Available:

  • gpt-4 - Most capable model, best for complex reasoning

  • gpt-4o-mini - Fast and cost-effective (default)

  • gpt-3.5-turbo - Good balance of speed and capability

Strengths:

  • Excellent general knowledge and reasoning

  • Strong code generation capabilities

  • Fast response times

  • Consistent API reliability

Best For: General AI assistance, code generation, complex problem solving

Anthropic (Claude)

Models Available:

  • claude-3-opus-20240229 - Highest capability model

  • claude-3-sonnet-20240229 - Balanced performance and speed

  • claude-3-haiku-20240307 - Fast and efficient

Strengths:

  • Thoughtful and nuanced responses

  • Strong analytical capabilities

  • Excellent for writing and editing

  • Good safety considerations

Best For: Analysis, writing assistance, ethical reasoning, detailed explanations

Google AI (Gemini)

Models Available:

  • gemini-pro - Advanced reasoning and multimodal capabilities

  • gemini-pro-vision - Image understanding (future support)

Strengths:

  • Latest information access

  • Strong factual accuracy

  • Good performance on technical topics

  • Competitive pricing

Best For: Research, factual queries, technical documentation

Provider Configuration

Setting API Keys

Each provider requires an API key:

OpenAI:

# Get key from: https://platform.openai.com/api-keys
export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-your-openai-key-here"

Anthropic:

# Get key from: https://console.anthropic.com/
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-your-anthropic-key-here"

Google AI:

# Get key from: https://aistudio.google.com/app/apikey
export GOOGLE_API_KEY="your-google-api-key-here"

Default Provider Configuration

Set your preferred default provider:

# Set default provider and model
export DRGPT_DEFAULT_PROVIDER="openai"
export DRGPT_DEFAULT_MODEL="gpt-4o-mini"

Using Providers

Specifying Provider Per Request

# Use OpenAI
drgpt --provider openai "Explain quantum computing"

# Use Anthropic
drgpt --provider anthropic "Analyze this philosophical argument"

# Use Google AI
drgpt --provider google "What are the latest developments in AI?"

Specifying Models

# OpenAI with specific model
drgpt --provider openai --model gpt-4 "Complex reasoning task"

# Anthropic with specific model
drgpt --provider anthropic --model claude-3-opus-20240229 "Detailed analysis"

Listing Available Options

# List all providers and models
drgpt --list-providers

# Check current configuration
drgpt --status

Provider Characteristics

Response Quality

OpenAI GPT-4: - Excellent for complex reasoning - Strong mathematical capabilities - Good code generation - Balanced and comprehensive responses

Anthropic Claude: - Thoughtful and nuanced analysis - Strong ethical reasoning - Excellent writing quality - Detailed explanations

Google Gemini: - Fast and accurate responses - Good technical knowledge - Strong factual accuracy - Latest information access

Speed and Performance

Fastest: gpt-4o-mini, claude-3-haiku-20240307

Balanced: gpt-3.5-turbo, claude-3-sonnet-20240229, gemini-pro

Highest Quality: gpt-4, claude-3-opus-20240229

Cost Considerations

Most Cost-Effective: - gpt-4o-mini (OpenAI) - claude-3-haiku-20240307 (Anthropic)

Premium Options: - gpt-4 (OpenAI) - claude-3-opus-20240229 (Anthropic)

Use Case Recommendations

Code Generation

Best Providers:

  1. OpenAI (gpt-4, gpt-4o-mini) - Excellent code quality - Multiple language support - Good debugging assistance

# Code generation with OpenAI
drgpt --provider openai --code "Create a REST API with authentication"

  1. Anthropic (claude-3-sonnet-20240229) - Clean, well-structured code - Good documentation generation - Thoughtful architecture decisions

# Code with Anthropic
drgpt --provider anthropic --code "Design a scalable database schema"

Writing and Analysis

Best Provider: Anthropic Claude

  • Superior writing quality

  • Detailed analysis capabilities

  • Nuanced understanding of complex topics

# Writing assistance with Claude
drgpt --provider anthropic "Improve this technical documentation"

Research and Factual Queries

Best Provider: Google Gemini

  • Access to recent information

  • Strong factual accuracy

  • Good for technical research

# Research with Gemini
drgpt --provider google "Latest developments in renewable energy"

System Administration

Best Providers:

  1. OpenAI for general commands

  2. Google Gemini for system-specific information

# System commands with OpenAI
drgpt --provider openai --shell "Optimize PostgreSQL performance"

General Problem Solving

Best Provider: OpenAI GPT-4

  • Excellent reasoning capabilities

  • Balanced responses

  • Good at breaking down complex problems

# Problem solving with GPT-4
drgpt --provider openai --model gpt-4 "How do I scale my web application?"

Provider Switching Strategies

Task-Based Switching

Use different providers for different types of tasks:

# Research phase - use Gemini
drgpt --provider google "Research microservices architecture patterns"

# Analysis phase - use Claude
drgpt --provider anthropic "Analyze pros and cons of microservices"

# Implementation phase - use OpenAI
drgpt --provider openai --code "Create microservice template"

Quality vs Speed Trade-offs

# Quick questions - fast models
drgpt --provider openai --model gpt-4o-mini "Brief explanation of Docker"

# Complex analysis - premium models
drgpt --provider anthropic --model claude-3-opus-20240229 "Comprehensive analysis of market trends"

Cost Optimization

# Daily work - cost-effective models
drgpt --provider openai --model gpt-4o-mini "Code review suggestions"

# Important decisions - premium models
drgpt --provider openai --model gpt-4 "Architecture decision for critical system"

Advanced Configuration

Custom API Endpoints

For self-hosted or custom API endpoints:

# Custom OpenAI-compatible endpoint
export OPENAI_API_BASE="http://localhost:8000/v1"
export OPENAI_API_KEY="your-custom-key"

Provider-Specific Settings

Configure provider-specific parameters:

# Higher creativity for writing tasks
drgpt --provider anthropic --temperature 0.9 "Write a creative story"

# More focused responses for technical tasks
drgpt --provider openai --temperature 0.1 "Explain sorting algorithms"

Rate Limiting and Quotas

Manage API usage across providers:

# Check current usage (if supported by provider)
drgpt --provider openai --usage

# Set conservative limits
export DRGPT_MAX_TOKENS=1000
export DRGPT_REQUESTS_PER_MINUTE=10

Provider Status and Monitoring

Checking Provider Health

# Test all providers
drgpt --test-providers

# Test specific provider
drgpt --provider openai --test

Monitoring Usage

# Show current configuration
drgpt --status

# Show provider-specific information
drgpt --provider openai --info

Error Handling and Fallbacks

DrGPT can automatically fall back to alternative providers:

# Set fallback provider
export DRGPT_FALLBACK_PROVIDER="anthropic"

# Enable automatic retries
export DRGPT_RETRY_COUNT=3

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

API Key Not Working:

# Verify API key is set
echo $OPENAI_API_KEY

# Test with simple query
drgpt --provider openai "test"

Provider Not Available:

# List available providers
drgpt --list-providers

# Check provider status
drgpt --provider openai --status

Rate Limits Exceeded:

# Switch to different provider
drgpt --provider anthropic "your question"

# Use lower-tier model
drgpt --provider openai --model gpt-3.5-turbo "your question"

Best Practices

API Key Security

  1. Never commit API keys to version control

  2. Use environment variables for API keys

  3. Rotate keys regularly

  4. Use least-privilege keys when possible

Provider Selection Guidelines

  1. Start with cost-effective models for testing

  2. Use premium models for important tasks

  3. Match provider strengths to your use case

  4. Test different providers for your specific needs

Cost Management

  1. Monitor usage across providers

  2. Set spending limits where available

  3. Use cheaper models for routine tasks

  4. Cache responses for repeated queries

Future Providers

DrGPT is designed to easily support new AI providers. Planned additions include:

  • Azure OpenAI Service

  • AWS Bedrock

  • Cohere

  • Local AI models (Ollama, LocalAI)

Contributing new provider support is welcome - see our contributing guide for details.

Next Steps