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Working with the OpenAI API

Beginner 3 hours English Course Certificate
SkillsOpenAI APIPythonLLM applicationsAPI requestsText generationPrompt integration

Is this course right for you?

Our take
This is where prompting turns into building: in about three hours of DataCamp you write Python that sends requests to OpenAI's models and handles what comes back — generating and transforming text, and more.

Good for: Learning to build with the OpenAI API in Python.

Skip if: You cannot code in Python, or you only want to write prompts.

It's a genuine bridge from using chatbots to building with them, but it assumes you can already code in Python, so it's the wrong course if you only want to write prompts or you don't code yet. There's also a cost most people miss going in: calling the API is billed by OpenAI per use — a real if usually small charge, entirely separate from your course fee, that quietly adds up while you experiment.

DataCamp runs on a subscription (around $14/month billed annually, first chapter free to try), and its certificate is a completion record, not an accredited qualification. Since APIs shift, check the methods still match OpenAI's current SDK before leaning on them (as of 2026).

Comparison · LBS

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About this course

Working with the OpenAI API is where prompting turns into building. In three hours you write Python that sends requests to OpenAI's models and handle the responses, covering practical use cases: generating and transforming text, classifying sentiment, and wiring up a basic chatbot.

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Instructor

JC
James Chapman
DataCamp instructor

Taught by James Chapman, an AI Curriculum Manager at DataCamp, with a developer-first, build-as-you-learn approach.

Frequently asked questions

Yes — you write Python to call the API, so basic Python is expected. It rewards putting the ideas into practice, and what you learn transfers well beyond the specific examples used here.

Yes — using the OpenAI API is billed by usage by OpenAI, separate from your DataCamp subscription, though practice costs are usually small.

Yes — the first chapter is free; the rest needs a DataCamp subscription. It rewards putting the ideas into practice, and what you learn transfers well beyond the specific examples used here.

Around three hours. It rewards putting the ideas into practice, and what you learn transfers well beyond the specific examples used here.

Yes — a DataCamp certificate of completion is included with the subscription. It records what you completed rather than acting as an accredited qualification.
Paid
DataCamp subscription
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