Connecting to Rice

Connecting to your Rice serverless backend is simple. The Python SDK supports multiple transport protocols to optimize for different use cases, abstracting most complexity while giving you control when needed.

Installation

Rice is currently in beta. Please install the client directly from the repository:

# Standard installation (HTTP support)
pip install git+https://github.com/rice-ai-hq/ricedb-python

# Recommended for production (adds gRPC support)
pip install "git+https://github.com/rice-ai-hq/ricedb-python#egg=ricedb[grpc]"

Connection Basics

The RiceDBClient will automatically attempt to connect using the best available transport (gRPC if available, otherwise HTTP).

from ricedb import RiceDBClient

# Connect to your instance host
# Note: Do not include http:// or https:// prefix
client = RiceDBClient("xyz-123.ricedb.cloud")
client.connect()

# Login to get an access token
client.login("admin", "your_password")

Transport Modes

1. HTTP Mode (Port 3000)

• Best for: Development, firewalled environments, simple CRUD.
• Default Port: 3000
• Pros: Works everywhere, easy to debug with curl/Postman.

# Force HTTP mode
client = RiceDBClient("xyz-123.ricedb.cloud", transport="http", port=3000)

2. gRPC Mode (Port 50051)

• Best for: Production, high-throughput, streaming search, real-time subscriptions.
• Default Port: 50051
• Pros: Faster serialization, bidirectional streaming, persistent connections.

# Force gRPC mode
client = RiceDBClient("xyz-123.ricedb.cloud", transport="grpc", port=50051)

Troubleshooting Connections

"Connection Refused"

• Ensure the host address is correct.
• Check if your firewall allows outbound traffic on ports 3000 or 50051.
• Verify the instance status in the Rice Console.

"Authentication Failed"

• Double-check your username (default: admin) and password.
• Passwords can be reset from the Console if needed.

"Transport Error"

• If using gRPC, ensure ricedb[grpc] is installed.
• Try falling back to HTTP to rule out network protocol issues.