> ## 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 Index

Creates and returns an `EncryptedIndex` instance based on the provided configuration.

```python theme={null}
client.create_index(
    index_name,
    index_key,
    index_config = None,
    embedding_model = None,
    metric = None,
)
```

### Parameters

| Parameter         | Type                                       | Default | Description                                                                                                                                      |
| ----------------- | ------------------------------------------ | ------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `index_name`      | `str`                                      | -       | Unique name for the index                                                                                                                        |
| `index_key`       | `bytes`                                    | -       | 32-byte encryption key                                                                                                                           |
| `index_config`    | `IndexIVFFlat \| IndexIVFPQ \| IndexIVFSQ` | `None`  | *(Optional)* Index configuration object                                                                                                          |
| `embedding_model` | `str`                                      | `None`  | *(Optional)* Embedding model identifier                                                                                                          |
| `metric`          | `str`                                      | `None`  | *(Optional)* Distance metric to use (`"euclidean"`, `"squared_euclidean"`, or `"cosine"`). When `None`, the server determines the default metric |

### Returns

An instance of `EncryptedIndex` configured with the provided parameters.

### Exceptions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Error">
    * Throws if the index name already exists on the server.
    * Throws if the index configuration is invalid or missing required parameters.
    * Throws if the encryption key is not exactly 32 bytes.
    * Throws if the embedding model is not supported by the server.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Service Errors">
    * Throws if the CyborgDB service is unavailable or unreachable.
    * Throws if there are internal server errors on the CyborgDB service.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

### Example Usage

#### Automatic Index Config

```python theme={null}
from cyborgdb import Client

# Initialize client
client = Client(base_url='http://localhost:8000', api_key='your-api-key')

# Generate a secure encryption key
index_key = client.generate_key(save=True)

# Create an index
index = client.create_index('documents', index_key)
```

<Note>For more info on `generate_key`, refer to [Generate Key](./generate-key).</Note>

#### IVFFlat Index

```python theme={null}
from cyborgdb import Client, IndexIVFFlat

# Initialize client
client = Client(base_url='http://localhost:8000', api_key='your-api-key')

# Generate a secure encryption key
index_key = client.generate_key(save=True)

# Create a basic IVFFlat index
config = IndexIVFFlat()
index = client.create_index('documents', index_key, config)
```

#### IVFPQ Index with Embedding Model

```python theme={null}
from cyborgdb import Client, IndexIVFPQ

# Initialize client
client = Client(base_url='http://localhost:8000', api_key='your-api-key')

# Generate a secure encryption key
index_key = client.generate_key(save=True)

# Create an IVFPQ index with automatic embedding generation
config = IndexIVFPQ(pq_dim=64, pq_bits=8)
index = client.create_index('documents', index_key, config, embedding_model='all-MiniLM-L6-v2')
```

<Note>For more info on auto-generating embeddings, refer to [Auto-Generate Embeddings](../../guides/data-operations/add-items#automatic-embedding-generation).</Note>