[Fixed] TypeError: OpenAIApi is not a constructor – Javascript

The Problem:

You are trying to create an OpenAI API instance using the OpenAIApi constructor in Node.js, but you are encountering a ‘TypeError: OpenAIApi is not a constructor’ error. This suggests that the OpenAIApi class may not be available or properly exported in the ‘openai’ module version you are using (v4.3.1).

You are using Node.js version 16.7.0 and OpenAI API version 4.3.1, and you are attempting to create an instance of the OpenAIApi class using the ‘new’ keyword. However, the OpenAIApi class may not be exported correctly in the version of the ‘openai’ module that you have installed.

Resolve this issue by verifying that you have installed the latest version of the ‘openai’ module, and that the OpenAIApi class is properly exported in the module.

The Solutions:

Solution 1: Use correct class name

The documentation suggests using OpenAIApi as the constructor, but in reality, the required class name is OpenAI.

const { OpenAI } = require('openai');

const openai = new OpenAI({ key: apiKey });

Solution 2: Use destructured import

Alternatively, you can use destructuring to import the OpenAI class directly:

const { OpenAI } = require('openai');

const openai = new OpenAI({ key: apiKey });

Solution 3: Using Custom Namespace Name

The OpenAI Node.js library provides an easy way to interact with the OpenAI API. However, you may encounter an error like `TypeError: OpenAIApi is not a constructor` when trying to create a new OpenAI API instance. This error occurs because you’re using the curly braces (destructuring) when importing the OpenAI library.

To resolve this issue, remove the curly braces from the import statement and directly assign the OpenAIApi class to a variable. Here’s an example:

const OpenAIApi = require('openai');

const openai = new OpenAIApi({ key: apiKey });

This corrected import statement ensures that you’re importing the OpenAIApi class directly, allowing you to create a new instance of the OpenAI API successfully.

Moreover, you can also customize the namespace name for the OpenAI library. Instead of using the default OpenAIApi, you can assign it to a different variable name, such as OpenAI or MyOpenAIApi.

For instance, you can use the following import statement:

const MyOpenAIApi = require('openai');

const openai = new MyOpenAIApi({ key: apiKey });

This allows you to use openai as the namespace for interacting with the OpenAI API. You can access the API methods using openai.<method_name>, where <method_name> is the specific API method you want to use.

By following these steps, you can easily create an instance of the OpenAI API and interact with its various methods without encountering the TypeError: OpenAIApi is not a constructor error.

Solution 4: Update Package Version and Install

1. Update Package Version:

   • Open your package.json file.

   • Find the line where you have the openai package. It should look something like this:

     "openai": "4.3.1",
     

   • Update the version number to ^4.0.0. This will allow you to install any version of the openai package that is at least version 4.0.0.

2. Install the Package:

   • Run the following command in your terminal:

     npm install
     

   • This will install the updated version of the openai package.

3. Use the Correct Import Statement:

   • Change the import statement in your code to use the correct name for the OpenAI class:

     const OpenAI = require("openai");
     

   • This will import the OpenAI class from the openai package.

4. Create an Instance of the OpenAI Class:

   • Create an instance of the OpenAI class and pass your API key to the constructor:

     const openai = new OpenAI({
       apiKey: process.env.OPENAI_API_KEY,
     });
     

   • This will create an instance of the OpenAI class that you can use to interact with the OpenAI API.

5. Use the openai Instance to Make API Calls:

   • You can now use the openai instance to make API calls. For example, to generate text, you would use the following code:

     const response = await openai.createCompletion({
       model: "text-davinci-002",
       prompt: "Once upon a time",
     });
     

   • This code will generate text based on the prompt you provided.

By following these steps, you can resolve the TypeError: OpenAIApi is not a constructor error and use the OpenAI API in your Node.js application.

Video Explanation: