> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cyborg.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Create Client

The `Client` class provides an interface to connect to the CyborgDB service and manage encrypted indexes. It allows you to create, list, and interact with encrypted indexes through the CyborgDB REST API.

## Creating the Client

To create the client, you need to provide the service URL and optionally an API key for authentication:

<CodeGroup>
  ```python Python SDK icon="python" theme={null}
  from cyborgdb import Client

  # Create client with API key (for production)
  client = Client('http://localhost:8000', 'your-api-key')

  # Create client without API key (for local development)
  local_client = Client('http://localhost:8000', None)
  ```

  ```javascript JavaScript SDK icon="js" theme={null}
  import { Client } from 'cyborgdb';

  // Create client with API key (for production) 
  const client = new Client('http://localhost:8000', 'your-api-key');

  // Create client without API key (for local development)
  const localClient = new Client('http://localhost:8000');
  ```

  ```typescript TypeScript SDK icon="code" theme={null}
  import { Client } from 'cyborgdb';

  // Create client with API key (for production)
  const client = new Client('http://localhost:8000', 'your-api-key');

  // Create client without API key (for local development)
  const localClient = new Client('http://localhost:8000');
  ```

  ```bash cURL icon="rectangle-terminal" theme={null}
  # Test connection with health check
  curl -X GET "http://localhost:8000/v1/health"

  # All subsequent API calls will use this pattern:
  # curl -H "X-API-Key: your-api-key" "http://localhost:8000/v1/..."
  ```
</CodeGroup>

<Tip>If using the REST API directly, you don't need to create a client. You can make HTTP requests directly to the [service endpoints](../../rest-api/introduction).</Tip>

## API Key Authentication

For production deployments, you'll need an API key for authentication. You can get an API key from the [CyborgDB Admin Dashboard](https://cyborgdb.co).

The client handles all authentication automatically once you provide the API key during initialization.

## Service Connection

The client connects to the CyborgDB service via HTTP/HTTPS. All data transmission is secured, and all index data is end-to-end encrypted before being sent to the service.

* **Local Development**: Use `http://localhost:8000` without an API key when running the service locally
* **Production**: Use your hosted service URL with an API key for authentication

## Health Checking

You can verify the service connection and health:

<CodeGroup>
  ```python Python SDK icon="python" theme={null}
  # Note: get_health() is not yet implemented in Python SDK
  # Use try/catch with any operation to verify connection
  try:
      indexes = client.list_indexes()
      print("Service is healthy")
  except Exception as e:
      print(f"Service unavailable: {e}")
  ```

  ```javascript JavaScript SDK icon="js" theme={null}
  // Check service health
  try {
      const health = await client.getHealth();
      console.log('Service status:', health);
  } catch (error) {
      console.error('Service unavailable:', error.message);
  }
  ```

  ```typescript TypeScript SDK icon="code" theme={null}
  // Check service health
  try {
      const health = await client.getHealth();
      console.log('Service status:', health);
  } catch (error) {
      console.error('Service unavailable:', error.message);
  }
  ```

  ```bash cURL icon="rectangle-terminal" theme={null}
  # Check service health (no API key required)
  curl -X GET "http://localhost:8000/v1/health"

  # Expected response:
  # {"status": "healthy", "timestamp": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z"}
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## API Reference

For more information on the `Client` class, refer to the API Reference:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Python SDK Reference" href="../../python-sdk/client/client" icon="python">
    API reference for `Client` in Python
  </Card>

  <Card title="JS/TS SDK Reference" href="../../js-ts-sdk/client/client" icon="js">
    API reference for `Client` in JavaScript/TypeScript
  </Card>
</CardGroup>