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Understanding the Two Client Classes in Phoenix Library | Arize AI Community

Phoenix Support

Understanding the Two Client Classes in Phoenix Library

·May 02, 2025 10:48 PM

I wonder why are there two Client classes? for datasets

phoenix_client = px.Client()

while for prompts it's

from phoenix.client import Client
client = Client()

5 comments

· Sorted by Oldest

RunLLM
APP
·
Both px.Client() and phoenix.client.Client() refer to the same underlying class for interacting with Phoenix servers; the difference is just in the import path. The recommended and current approach is to use from phoenix.client import Client for all client operations, including datasets and prompts, as the client SDK has been modularized and decoupled from the main phoenix package for lightweight usage in applications (docs, migration note).If you see px.Client(), it's likely an older usage or an alias (import phoenix as px). For new code, always use from phoenix.client import Client to ensure compatibility and clarity (docs, api ref). Would you like more detail on the client structure or migration?Sources: - Phoenix API Reference: client - phoenix-client migration PR - docs
💡 Hint: Mention RunLLM in the thread for followups.
RunLLM
APP
·
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Dustin N.
·
hi Zhuyi X. RunLLM is incorrect here—we're slowly moving all client methods under phoenix.client.Client as it's separately installable as a standalone package with a minimal dependency footprint
Zhuyi X.
·
bot seems to be wrong, px.Client() is from arize-phoenix , while phoenix.client.Client() is from arize-phoenix-client.
1
Dustin N.
·
eventually we hope all clientside interactions with a Phoenix server can be mediated by a lightweight client as opposed to the original client which requires the entire phoenix server bundled alongside it
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