Chroma Integration

Chroma is an open-source embedding database designed for AI applications. It makes it easy to build LLM apps with embeddings and retrieval-augmented generation.

Chroma-based RAG apps can use LLM API for the generation step.

Prerequisites

An LLM API account with an API key
Chroma installed or accessible

Setup

Get Your LLM API Key

Log in to your LLM API dashboard
Click Create Key to Start
Copy your new API key immediately — it will only be shown once
Store the key securely (e.g., in a password manager or .env file)

LLM API is an OpenAI-compatible gateway that gives you access to dozens of AI models through a single API key and endpoint.

Use LLM API with Chroma RAG

Set up Chroma and create a collection.
Configure LLM API for generation:

from openai import OpenAI
client = OpenAI(
api_key="your-llm-api-key-here",
base_url="https://api.llmapi.ai/v1"
)

Query Chroma for context, then pass to LLM API for answers.

Test the Integration

Verify that Chroma can successfully communicate with LLM API by sending a test request. All requests will now be routed through LLM API.

Chroma's in-memory mode is great for prototyping RAG apps with LLM API.

Benefits of Using LLM API with Chroma

Multi-Provider Access: Use models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and more through a single API
Cost Control: Track and limit your AI spending with detailed usage analytics
Unified Billing: One account for all providers instead of managing multiple API keys
Caching: Reduce costs with response caching for repeated requests

View all available models on the models page.