02-quickstart.md

Quick Start

Get started with OpenViking in 5 minutes.

Prerequisites

Before using OpenViking, ensure your environment meets the following requirements:

• Python Version: 3.10 or higher
• Operating System: Linux, macOS, Windows
• Network Connection: Stable network connection required (for downloading dependencies and accessing model services)

Installation & Startup

OpenViking can be installed via a Python Package to be used as a local library, or you can quickly launch it as an independent service using Docker.

Option 1: Install via pip (As a local library)

pip install openviking --upgrade --force-reinstall

Option 2: Start via Docker (As an independent service)

If you prefer to run OpenViking as a standalone service, Docker is recommended.

1. Prepare Configuration and Data Directories Create a data directory on your host machine and prepare the ov.conf configuration file (see the "Configuration" section below for details):

   mkdir -p ~/.openviking/data
   touch ~/.openviking/ov.conf

2. Start with Docker Compose Create a docker-compose.yml file:

   services:
     openviking:
       image: ghcr.io/volcengine/openviking:main
       container_name: openviking
       ports:
         - "1933:1933"
       volumes:
         - ~/.openviking/ov.conf:/app/ov.conf
         - ~/.openviking/data:/app/data
       restart: unless-stopped

   Then run the following command in the same directory:

   docker-compose up -d

💡 Mac Local Network Access Tip (Connection reset error):

By default, OpenViking only listens to 127.0.0.1 for security reasons. If you are using Docker on a Mac, your host machine may not be able to access it directly via localhost:1933.

Recommended Solution: Use socat for port forwarding (No config changes needed): Override the default startup command in your docker-compose.yml to use socat for internal port forwarding:

services:
  openviking:
    image: ghcr.io/volcengine/openviking:main
    ports:
      - "1933:1934" # Map host 1933 to container 1934
    volumes:
      - ~/.openviking/ov.conf:/app/ov.conf
      - ~/.openviking/data:/app/data
    command: /bin/sh -c "apt-get update && apt-get install -y socat && socat TCP-LISTEN:1934,fork,reuseaddr TCP:127.0.0.1:1933 & openviking-server"

This perfectly solves the access issue for Mac host machines.

Model Preparation

OpenViking requires the following model capabilities:

• VLM Model: For image and content understanding
• Embedding Model: For vectorization and semantic retrieval

OpenViking supports multiple model services:

• Volcengine (Doubao Models): Recommended, cost-effective with good performance, free quota for new users. For purchase and activation, see: Volcengine Purchase Guide
• OpenAI Models: Supports GPT-4V and other VLM models, plus OpenAI Embedding models
• Other Custom Model Services: Supports model services compatible with OpenAI API format

Configuration

Configuration File Template

Create a configuration file ~/.openviking/ov.conf:

{
  "embedding": {
    "dense": {
      "api_base" : "<api-endpoint>",
      "api_key"  : "<your-api-key>",
      "provider" : "<provider-type>",
      "dimension": 1024,
      "model"    : "<model-name>"
    }
  },
  "vlm": {
    "api_base" : "<api-endpoint>",
    "api_key"  : "<your-api-key>",
    "provider" : "<provider-type>",
    "model"    : "<model-name>"
  }
}

For complete examples for each model provider, see Configuration Guide - Examples.

Environment Variables

When the config file is at the default path ~/.openviking/ov.conf, no additional setup is needed — OpenViking loads it automatically.

If the config file is at a different location, specify it via environment variable:

export OPENVIKING_CONFIG_FILE=/path/to/your/ov.conf

Run Your First Example

Create Python Script

Create example.py:

import openviking as ov

# Initialize OpenViking client with data directory
client = ov.OpenViking(path="./data")

try:
    # Initialize the client
    client.initialize()

    # Add resource (supports URL, file, or directory)
    add_result = client.add_resource(
        path="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/volcengine/OpenViking/refs/heads/main/README.md"
    )
    root_uri = add_result['root_uri']

    # Explore the resource tree structure
    ls_result = client.ls(root_uri)
    print(f"Directory structure:\n{ls_result}\n")

    # Use glob to find markdown files
    glob_result = client.glob(pattern="**/*.md", uri=root_uri)
    if glob_result['matches']:
        content = client.read(glob_result['matches'][0])
        print(f"Content preview: {content[:200]}...\n")

    # Wait for semantic processing to complete
    print("Wait for semantic processing...")
    client.wait_processed()

    # Get abstract and overview of the resource
    abstract = client.abstract(root_uri)
    overview = client.overview(root_uri)
    print(f"Abstract:\n{abstract}\n\nOverview:\n{overview}\n")

    # Perform semantic search
    results = client.find("what is openviking", target_uri=root_uri)
    print("Search results:")
    for r in results.resources:
        print(f"  {r.uri} (score: {r.score:.4f})")

    # Close the client
    client.close()

except Exception as e:
    print(f"Error: {e}")

Run the Script

python example.py

Expected Output

Directory structure:
...

Content preview: ...

Wait for semantic processing...
Abstract:
...

Overview:
...

Search results:
  viking://resources/... (score: 0.8523)
  ...

Congratulations! You have successfully run OpenViking.

Server Mode

Want to run OpenViking as a shared service? See Quick Start: Server Mode.

Next Steps

• Configuration Guide - Detailed configuration options
• API Overview - API reference
• Resource Management - Resource management API