Case Study: OpenAI accelerates SDK development and improves developer experience with Stainless

OpenAI makes artificial intelligence accessible to millions

OpenAI, a leader in artificial intelligence, faced a significant challenge with its software development kits (SDKs). Their custom-built Python SDK consumed too many engineering resources to maintain, while their auto-generated Node.js SDK lacked complex features and resulted in a poor developer experience, leading to customer complaints. They turned to the vendor Stainless for a better solution.

Stainless implemented its SDK generation service for OpenAI, handling the entire process from their OpenAPI specification. This solution provided robust, feature-rich SDKs with support for streaming, auto-retry, and advanced typing without requiring dedicated engineers from OpenAI. The results were substantial: over 25 new API features were released with simultaneous SDK support, more than 100 GitHub issues were closed, and Stainless now handles all ongoing maintenance and end-customer support, allowing OpenAI's team to focus on core product development.

OpenAI

Nikunj Handa

API Product