Create a connection-Platform For AI(PAI)-阿里云帮助中心

When you develop Application Flows, you need to access external services like models and databases. You can create reusable connections to store access credentials and configurations, and then select these connections directly in Application Flow nodes.

Model service connection

A Model Service connection manages the various model services invoked in a LangStudio workflow.

To configure a connection, go to LangStudio > Connection > Model Service, and click New Connection. The following table describes the key parameters for different connection types.

Connection type	Description
General LLM Service	Configures an LLM service that is compatible with the OpenAI protocol. Service Provider: PAI-EAS Model Service: Select an LLM service deployed to EAS. EAS automatically populates the `base_url` and `api_key` fields with the service's VPC endpoint and token. Third-party Model Service: Use a third-party service that is compatible with the OpenAI protocol. You must manually enter the `base_url` and `api_key`. Model Name: The value of the `model` parameter in the OpenAI API request. For models from Model Gallery, the model name is on the model details page. To open it, click the model's card on the Model Gallery page. Tool Call: Specifies whether the model supports the OpenAI API's Tool Call feature. When using an Agent node, you must select a model that supports Tool Call.
General Embedding Model Service	Configures an embedding model service deployed to EAS or a third-party platform.
General Multimodal Embedding Model Service	Configures a multimodal embedding model service deployed to EAS or a third-party platform. It supports the vectorization of multimodal data, including images and text.
Alibaba Cloud Model Studio Service	Enter an `api_key` from the same region as the `base_url`. For more information, see Get API Key.
DeepSeek Model Service	`api_key`: Go to the DeepSeek official website to create or find your `api_key`.
AI Search Open Platform Model Service	You must first activate the service. Then, refer to Get Service Endpoint and Manage API Keys to configure the `endpoint` and `api_key`.
Multimodal Label Model	Enables intelligent labeling of multimodal data.
General reranker service	Reranks the top-k documents that an embedding model returns. Only supports model services deployed from Model Gallery.

Database connection

A Database connection stores the access configurations for various databases.

To configure a connection, go to LangStudio > Connection > Database, and click New Connection. The following table describes the key parameters.

Database	Description
Search and Analysis Service - Elasticsearch	uri: The format is `http://<private address>:<private port>`. Log on to the Elasticsearch console and obtain the required values from the Basic Information section on the details page of the target Elasticsearch instance. username/password: The default username is `elastic`, and the password is the login password that you set when you created the instance. If you forget the login password, you can reset the instance access password.
OpenSearch	url: The public access address of your OpenSearch Vector Search Edition instance. Note You must enable public access for the OpenSearch Vector Search Edition instance and add the IP addresses for EAS access to public or internal resources to the allowlist. username/password: The username and password you entered when you created the OpenSearch Vector Search Edition instance.
Milvus	uri: The format is `http://<Milvus internal access address>`. Log on to the Milvus console and obtain the address from the Access Address section on the details page of the target instance. token: The username and password for the Milvus instance. The format is `<yourUsername>:<yourPassword>`. database: The database name (default: default).
Hologres	host/port: In the Hologres console, find the host and port for your VPC in the Network Information section of the instance's details page. database: The database name you set when you create a database. user/password: The username and password for a custom user that you created. For more information, see Create a custom user. When selecting the member role, choose Instance Super Administrator (SuperUser).
ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL	host/port: The internal address and port. For more information, see View and manage instance connection addresses and ports. database: The name you set when you create a database. username/password: The account and password you set when you create a database account.

Search service connection

Create a connection for Alibaba Cloud IQS Internet Search to enable real-time internet search for LLM applications.

Prerequisites

Ensure that you have activated Alibaba Cloud Information Query Service. For more information, see New User Guide.

Configuration steps

Go to LangStudio and select a region and Workspace.
Go to the Connection > Search Service tab and click New Connection.
- Connection Type: Select Alibaba Cloud IQS Internet Search.
- api_key: Find your key on the Information Query Service - credential management page.

Custom connection

If the Model Service, Database, and Search Service connections do not meet your needs, you can create a Custom connection using a key-value pair.

Example: Configure a SerpApi connection.

Custom key: Enter api_key.
Custom value: Enter your SerpApi API Key.
You can register for an account and get an API Key from the official SerpApi website (the free plan provides 100 searches per month).

Next steps

After you create a connection, you can use it in Application Flow development.