Python Service Quickstart

CyborgDB can be deployed as a Python service using pip installation. This approach provides a lightweight alternative to Docker, allowing you to run the CyborgDB service directly in your Python environment with full control over dependencies and configuration.

Looking to use Docker? Check out our Docker Quickstart Guide.

Overview

The Python service is ideal for developers who prefer managing Python environments directly, need custom dependency management, or want to integrate CyborgDB service into existing Python applications. It provides the same REST API functionality as the Docker version.

1. Get an API Key (Optional)

   The service runs without an API key — leave CYBORGDB_API_KEY unset and the core engine starts in free-tier mode, capped at 1,000,000 items per index. Set it to lift that cap. Get a key from the CyborgDB Admin Dashboard, or generate a temporary demo key with any of the SDKs:

   Python

   import cyborgdb
   print(cyborgdb.get_demo_api_key())
   

   import { getDemoApiKey } from 'cyborgdb';
   console.log(await getDemoApiKey());
   

   demoKey, _ := cyborgdb.GetDemoAPIKey("my demo app")
   fmt.Println(demoKey)
   

   Pass the key as CYBORGDB_API_KEY when starting the service. This is the core license key, not a service-authentication credential — it does not gate access to the REST API.

   Service authentication is separate and controlled by CYBORGDB_SERVICE_ROOT_KEY. Leave it unset (the default) and the service accepts all requests. Set it to require callers to send the root key — or a cdbk_ user token minted under it — in the X-API-Key header. See Managing Keys.

2. Check Prerequisites

   Ensure you have the required Python version and environment tools:

   • Python: 3.10, 3.11, 3.12, 3.13, or 3.14
   • Package Manager: conda (recommended) or pip with virtual environment

   While conda is mentioned in the build instructions, the wheel works with any Python environment manager including pip, pipenv, poetry, etc.
3. Choose Your Storage Backend (Optional)

   The service ships with three storage backends. Skip this step and you get disk (embedded RocksDB) by default — the data directory is ~/.cyborgdb/data.

   • Disk (default) — embedded RocksDB on local disk. Persistent, no external dependencies. Best for single-node deployments and edge devices.
   • S3 — AWS S3 or any S3-compatible store (MinIO, Cloudflare R2, …). Best for cloud-native and multi-node deployments.
   • Memory — in-process only, nothing persists across restarts. For tests and ephemeral indexes.

   For full details, see the Backing Stores guide.

   v0.17 collapsed the storage surface. The previous standalone, postgres, and redis backends and the catch-all CYBORGDB_CONNECTION_STRING are gone — switch standalone → disk and use the new CYBORGDB_DISK_PATH / CYBORGDB_S3_* variables.
4. Install CyborgDB Service

   Install the CyborgDB service package using conda and pip:

   Conda Environment (Recommended)

   # Create conda environment
   conda create -n cyborgdb-service python=3.12
   conda activate cyborgdb-service
   
   # Install the service
   pip install cyborgdb-service
   
   # If you want to use automatic embedding generation, install with:
   pip install cyborgdb-service[embeddings]
   

   # Create a virtual environment
   python -m venv cyborgdb-env
   source cyborgdb-env/bin/activate
   
   # Install the service
   pip install cyborgdb-service
   

   # Install directly (not recommended for production)
   pip install cyborgdb-service
   

   Using conda or a virtual environment is strongly recommended to avoid dependency conflicts with other Python packages.
5. Configure Environment Variables

   Set the required environment variables for your deployment:

   Disk (default)

   No environment variables are required — disk is the default and data goes to ~/.cyborgdb/data. Set these only to override the defaults:

   Linux/macOS

   # Optional: lift the free-tier 1M-items-per-index cap
   # export CYBORGDB_API_KEY=cyborg_your_api_key_here
   # Optional: pin the data directory
   # export CYBORGDB_DISK_PATH=/var/lib/cyborgdb
   

   # CYBORGDB_API_KEY=cyborg_your_api_key_here
   # CYBORGDB_DISK_PATH=/var/lib/cyborgdb
   

   Memory

   Linux/macOS

   export CYBORGDB_DB_TYPE=memory
   # Optional: lift the free-tier 1M-items-per-index cap
   # export CYBORGDB_API_KEY=cyborg_your_api_key_here
   

   CYBORGDB_DB_TYPE=memory
   # CYBORGDB_API_KEY=cyborg_your_api_key_here
   

   Memory storage does not persist across restarts. Use for tests and ephemeral indexes only.

   S3 (AWS)

   Linux/macOS

   export CYBORGDB_DB_TYPE=s3
   export CYBORGDB_S3_BUCKET=my-bucket
   export CYBORGDB_S3_REGION=us-east-1
   # Optional: lift the free-tier 1M-items-per-index cap
   # export CYBORGDB_API_KEY=cyborg_your_api_key_here
   # On EC2/ECS/EKS the instance role is picked up automatically.
   # Off AWS, set AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID / AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY instead.
   

   CYBORGDB_DB_TYPE=s3
   CYBORGDB_S3_BUCKET=my-bucket
   CYBORGDB_S3_REGION=us-east-1
   # CYBORGDB_API_KEY=cyborg_your_api_key_here
   

   S3 (MinIO / R2)

   Linux/macOS

   export CYBORGDB_DB_TYPE=s3
   export CYBORGDB_S3_BUCKET=my-bucket
   export CYBORGDB_S3_ENDPOINT=https://minio.internal:9000
   export CYBORGDB_S3_ACCESS_KEY=minioadmin
   export CYBORGDB_S3_SECRET_KEY=minioadmin
   # Optional: lift the free-tier 1M-items-per-index cap
   # export CYBORGDB_API_KEY=cyborg_your_api_key_here
   

   CYBORGDB_DB_TYPE=s3
   CYBORGDB_S3_BUCKET=my-bucket
   CYBORGDB_S3_ENDPOINT=https://minio.internal:9000
   CYBORGDB_S3_ACCESS_KEY=minioadmin
   CYBORGDB_S3_SECRET_KEY=minioadmin
   # CYBORGDB_API_KEY=cyborg_your_api_key_here
   

   With a custom CYBORGDB_S3_ENDPOINT the AWS default credential chain is bypassed entirely — CYBORGDB_S3_ACCESS_KEY / CYBORGDB_S3_SECRET_KEY are required.

   Using a .env file is the most convenient method as it persists your configuration and keeps sensitive data out of your shell history.

   For more information on environment variables, refer to this guide.

6. Start the Service

   Run the CyborgDB service using the installed command:

   cyborgdb-service
   

   The service will start and display startup information including:

   • Configured storage backend (memory, disk, or s3)
   • Server URL (default: http://localhost:8000)
   • Available API endpoints

   For additional configuration options, run cyborgdb-service --help to see all available command-line arguments.
7. Verify Installation

   Once the service is running, verify it’s working correctly:

   Health Check:

   curl http://localhost:8000/v1/health
   

   API Documentation: Navigate to http://localhost:8000/v1/docs to explore the interactive API documentation.

   You should see a response indicating the service is healthy and ready to accept requests.

8. Advanced Configuration

   For production deployments, consider these additional configurations:

   Environment Variables

   Variable	Description	Required	Example
   CYBORGDB_API_KEY	Core license key. Free tier (1M items/index) when unset	❌	cyborg_abc123...
   CYBORGDB_SERVICE_ROOT_KEY	Service auth root (an operator-chosen secret). Auth disabled (all requests allowed) when unset	❌	a-long-random-secret
   CYBORGDB_DB_TYPE	Storage backend (memory, disk, s3)	❌ (defaults to disk)	s3
   CYBORGDB_DISK_PATH	Data directory for disk storage	❌	/var/lib/cyborgdb
   CYBORGDB_S3_BUCKET	Bucket name for s3 storage	Required for S3	my-bucket
   CYBORGDB_S3_REGION	Region for s3 storage	❌	us-east-1
   PORT	Service port	❌	8000
   SSL_CERT_PATH	Path to SSL certificate file	❌	/etc/ssl/certs/server.crt
   SSL_KEY_PATH	Path to SSL private key file	❌	/etc/ssl/private/server.key

   None of these are required — the service starts with no configuration, using disk storage rooted at ~/.cyborgdb/data, free-tier licensing, and authentication disabled. For the full list (including S3 credentials and KMS), see the Environment Variables guide.

   Production Deployment

   For production environments, consider using a process manager:

   # Using gunicorn (install separately)
   pip install gunicorn
   gunicorn cyborgdb_service.main:app --port 8000
   
   # Using systemd service (Linux)
   sudo systemctl enable cyborgdb-service
   sudo systemctl start cyborgdb-service
   

   HTTPS Configuration

   For production deployments, configure HTTPS by providing SSL certificates:

   Environment Variables:

   export SSL_CERT_PATH=/path/to/certificate.crt
   export SSL_KEY_PATH=/path/to/private.key
   

   Complete Production Example:

   # Set all required environment variables including SSL
   export CYBORGDB_API_KEY=cyborg_your_api_key_here
   export CYBORGDB_DB_TYPE=s3
   export CYBORGDB_S3_BUCKET=cyborgdb-prod
   export CYBORGDB_S3_REGION=us-east-1
   export SSL_CERT_PATH=/etc/ssl/certs/server.crt
   export SSL_KEY_PATH=/etc/ssl/private/server.key
   
   # Start service (will automatically use HTTPS)
   cyborgdb-service
   

   Using .env File with SSL:

   # Create a .env file with SSL configuration
   cat > .env << EOF
   CYBORGDB_API_KEY=cyborg_your_api_key_here
   CYBORGDB_DB_TYPE=s3
   CYBORGDB_S3_BUCKET=cyborgdb-prod
   CYBORGDB_S3_REGION=us-east-1
   SSL_CERT_PATH=/path/to/certificate.crt
   SSL_KEY_PATH=/path/to/private.key
   EOF
   
   # Start service
   cyborgdb-service
   

   Using Let’s Encrypt (Production):

   # Install certbot (Ubuntu/Debian)
   sudo apt-get install certbot
   
   # Generate certificate for your domain
   sudo certbot certonly --standalone -d your-domain.com
   
   # Set environment variables to Let's Encrypt certificates
   export SSL_CERT_PATH=/etc/letsencrypt/live/your-domain.com/fullchain.pem
   export SSL_KEY_PATH=/etc/letsencrypt/live/your-domain.com/privkey.pem
   
   # Start service with HTTPS
   cyborgdb-service
   

   The server automatically switches to HTTPS when both certificate files are provided and exist. Without certificates, it starts in HTTP mode.
9. Next Steps

   Now that your CyborgDB service is running, you can interact with it using client SDKs:

   Install Client SDKs:

   Python

   pip install cyborgdb
   

   npm install cyborgdb
   

   npm install cyborgdb
   

   go get github.com/cyborginc/cyborgdb-go
   

   REST API Reference

   Learn how to use the REST API for direct integration

   Python SDK Reference

   Learn how to use the Python SDK for direct integration

   JS/TS SDK Reference

   Learn how to use the JavaScript/TypeScript SDK for direct integration

   Go SDK Reference

   Learn how to use the Go SDK for direct integration

Comparison with Docker Service

Aspect	Python Service	Docker Service
Installation	pip install	docker run
Dependencies	Managed by pip/conda	Bundled in container
Resource Usage	Lower overhead	Higher overhead
Environment Isolation	Python virtualenv	Container isolation
Deployment Complexity	Simple Python deployment	Container orchestration
Configuration	Environment variables/files	Environment variables
Best For	Development, Python-heavy workflows	Production, cloud deployment

Both approaches provide identical CyborgDB functionality. Choose based on your deployment preferences and infrastructure requirements.