--- sidebar_label: Perplexity description: "Integrate Perplexity's online LLMs with real-time web search for fact-checking, current events, and knowledge-grounded responses" --- # Perplexity The [Perplexity API](https://blog.perplexity.ai/blog/introducing-pplx-api) provides chat completion models with built-in search capabilities, citations, and structured output support. Perplexity models retrieve information from the web in real-time, enabling up-to-date responses with source citations. Perplexity follows OpenAI's chat completion API format - see our [OpenAI documentation](https://promptfoo.dev/docs/providers/openai) for the base API details. ## Setup 1. Get an API key from your [Perplexity Settings](https://www.perplexity.ai/settings/api) 2. Set the `PERPLEXITY_API_KEY` environment variable or specify `apiKey` in your config ## Supported Models Perplexity offers several specialized models optimized for different tasks: | Model | Context Length | Description | Use Case | | ------------------- | -------------- | --------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ | | sonar-pro | 200k | Advanced search model with 8k max output tokens | Long-form content, complex reasoning | | sonar | 128k | Lightweight search model | Quick searches, cost-effective responses | | sonar-reasoning-pro | 128k | Premier reasoning model with Chain of Thought (CoT) | Complex analyses, multi-step problem solving | | sonar-reasoning | 128k | Fast real-time reasoning model | Problem-solving with search | | sonar-deep-research | 128k | Expert-level research model | Comprehensive reports, exhaustive research | | r1-1776 | 128k | Offline chat model (no search) | Creative content, tasks without web search needs | ## Basic Configuration ```yaml providers: - id: perplexity:sonar-pro config: temperature: 0.7 max_tokens: 4000 - id: perplexity:sonar config: temperature: 0.2 max_tokens: 1000 search_domain_filter: ['wikipedia.org', 'nature.com', '-reddit.com'] # Include wikipedia/nature, exclude reddit search_recency_filter: 'week' # Only use recent sources ``` ## Features ### Search and Citations Perplexity models automatically search the internet and cite sources. You can control this with: - `search_domain_filter`: List of domains to include/exclude (prefix with `-` to exclude) - `search_recency_filter`: Time filter for sources ('month', 'week', 'day', 'hour') - `return_related_questions`: Get follow-up question suggestions - `web_search_options.search_context_size`: Control search context amount ('low', 'medium', 'high') ```yaml providers: - id: perplexity:sonar-pro config: search_domain_filter: ['stackoverflow.com', 'github.com', '-quora.com'] search_recency_filter: 'month' return_related_questions: true web_search_options: search_context_size: 'high' ``` ### Date Range Filters Control search results based on publication date: ```yaml providers: - id: perplexity:sonar-pro config: # Date filters - format: "MM/DD/YYYY" search_after_date_filter: '3/1/2025' search_before_date_filter: '3/15/2025' ``` ### Location-Based Filtering Localize search results by specifying user location: ```yaml providers: - id: perplexity:sonar config: web_search_options: user_location: latitude: 37.7749 longitude: -122.4194 country: 'US' # Optional: ISO country code ``` ### Structured Output Get responses in specific formats using JSON Schema: ```yaml providers: - id: perplexity:sonar config: response_format: type: 'json_schema' json_schema: schema: type: 'object' properties: title: { type: 'string' } year: { type: 'integer' } summary: { type: 'string' } required: ['title', 'year', 'summary'] ``` Or with regex patterns (sonar model only): ```yaml providers: - id: perplexity:sonar config: response_format: type: 'regex' regex: regex: "(?:(?:25[0-5]|2[0-4][0-9]|[01]?[0-9][0-9]?)\.){3}(?:25[0-5]|2[0-4][0-9]|[01]?[0-9][0-9]?)" ``` **Note**: First request with a new schema may take 10-30 seconds to prepare. For reasoning models, the response will include a `` section followed by the structured output. ### Image Support Enable image retrieval in responses: ```yaml providers: - id: perplexity:sonar-pro config: return_images: true ``` ### Cost Tracking promptfoo includes built-in cost calculation for Perplexity models based on their official pricing. You can specify the usage tier with the `usage_tier` parameter: ```yaml providers: - id: perplexity:sonar-pro config: usage_tier: 'medium' # Options: 'high', 'medium', 'low' ``` The cost calculation includes: - Different rates for input and output tokens - Model-specific pricing (sonar, sonar-pro, sonar-reasoning, etc.) - Usage tier considerations (high, medium, low) ## Advanced Use Cases ### Comprehensive Research For in-depth research reports: ```yaml providers: - id: perplexity:sonar-deep-research config: temperature: 0.1 max_tokens: 4000 search_domain_filter: ['arxiv.org', 'researchgate.net', 'scholar.google.com'] web_search_options: search_context_size: 'high' ``` ### Step-by-Step Reasoning For problems requiring explicit reasoning steps: ```yaml providers: - id: perplexity:sonar-reasoning-pro config: temperature: 0.2 max_tokens: 3000 ``` ### Offline Creative Tasks For creative content that doesn't require web search: ```yaml providers: - id: perplexity:r1-1776 config: temperature: 0.7 max_tokens: 2000 ``` ## Best Practices ### Model Selection - **sonar-pro**: Use for complex queries requiring detailed responses with citations - **sonar**: Use for factual queries and cost efficiency - **sonar-reasoning-pro/sonar-reasoning**: Use for step-by-step problem solving - **sonar-deep-research**: Use for comprehensive reports (may take 30+ minutes) - **r1-1776**: Use for creative content not requiring search ### Search Optimization - Set `search_domain_filter` to trusted domains for higher quality citations - Use `search_recency_filter` for time-sensitive topics - For cost optimization, set `web_search_options.search_context_size` to "low" - For comprehensive research, set `web_search_options.search_context_size` to "high" ### Structured Output Tips - When using structured outputs with reasoning models, responses will include a `` section followed by the structured output - For regex patterns, ensure they follow the supported syntax - JSON schemas cannot include recursive structures or unconstrained objects ## Example Configurations Check our [perplexity.ai-example](https://github.com/promptfoo/promptfoo/tree/main/examples/provider-perplexity) with multiple configurations showcasing Perplexity's capabilities: - **promptfooconfig.yaml**: Basic model comparison - **promptfooconfig.structured-output.yaml**: JSON schema and regex patterns - **promptfooconfig.search-filters.yaml**: Date and location-based filters - **promptfooconfig.research-reasoning.yaml**: Specialized research and reasoning models You can initialize these examples with: ```bash npx promptfoo@latest init --example provider-perplexity ``` ## Pricing and Rate Limits Pricing varies by model and usage tier: | Model | Input Tokens (per million) | Output Tokens (per million) | | ------------------- | -------------------------- | --------------------------- | | sonar | $1 | $1 | | sonar-pro | $3 | $15 | | sonar-reasoning | $1 | $5 | | sonar-reasoning-pro | $2 | $8 | | sonar-deep-research | $2 | $8 | | r1-1776 | $2 | $8 | Rate limits also vary by usage tier (high, medium, low). Specify your tier with the `usage_tier` parameter to get accurate cost calculations. Check [Perplexity's pricing page](https://docs.perplexity.ai/docs/pricing) for the latest rates. ## Troubleshooting - **Long Initial Requests**: First request with a new schema may take 10-30 seconds - **Citation Issues**: Use `search_domain_filter` with trusted domains for better citations - **Timeout Errors**: For research models, consider increasing your request timeout settings - **Reasoning Format**: For reasoning models, outputs include `` sections, which may need parsing for structured outputs