# AI SDK

**Source:** https://promtable.com/glossary/ai-sdk

> An AI SDK is the official client library a vendor ships for calling their model APIs — Anthropic SDK, OpenAI SDK, Google GenAI SDK, Mistral SDK, Vercel AI SDK (multi-vendor wrapper). Handles auth, retries, streaming, types.

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An AI SDK is the official client library a vendor ships for calling their model APIs — Anthropic SDK, OpenAI SDK, Google GenAI SDK, Mistral SDK, Vercel AI SDK (multi-vendor wrapper). Handles auth, retries, streaming, types.

Calling HTTP APIs directly works but loses ergonomics: each vendor's quirks (auth header naming, streaming format, error retry policy) become app code. AI SDKs abstract this: official client libraries handle auth, automatic retries with backoff, streaming responses, type safety, tool use round-trips. 2026 landscape: vendor-official SDKs (Anthropic SDK, OpenAI SDK, Google GenAI SDK, Mistral SDK, Cohere SDK), multi-vendor wrappers (Vercel AI SDK, LiteLLM, Vellum), language-specific (TypeScript / Python first-class, Go / Rust / Java second). Production tips: pin SDK version (breaking changes happen), use multi-vendor wrappers if you need portability, monitor SDK changelog for new features (prompt caching, computer use, MCP arrived through SDK updates).

## When to use

- Any production LLM integration.

## Common mistakes

- Hand-rolling HTTP calls — miss retries, streaming, type safety.
- Pinning to ancient SDK — miss new features for months.

## Related terms

- [llm-gateway](https://promtable.com/glossary/llm-gateway)
- [vercel-ai-sdk](https://promtable.com/glossary/vercel-ai-sdk)
- [model-name-portability](https://promtable.com/glossary/model-name-portability)

*Last updated: 2026-06-01*
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Original page: https://promtable.com/glossary/ai-sdk
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