Ollama API: A Practical Guide with Examples

Originally published on DevToolHub.

Every Ollama install runs a local HTTP server on port 11434, and that server is the real interface to the models. The ollama run command is a thin client on top of it. Once you know the two main endpoints, the streaming format, and the options object, you can wire a local model into any application.

There is also an OpenAI-compatible route, so existing code that talks to OpenAI can point at Ollama with a base-URL change.

How the Ollama API works

The Ollama API is a plain REST API served at http://localhost:11434. You send JSON with POST, and by default you get a stream of newline-delimited JSON objects back. No API key is required for local access.

Check the server with curl http://localhost:11434/api/version.

Generating text: /api/generate and /api/chat

Use /api/generate for a single prompt with no history:

curl http://localhost:11434/api/generate -d '{
  "model": "llama3.1",
  "prompt": "Summarize in one sentence: Ollama serves a local HTTP API on port 11434.",
  "stream": false
}'

Use /api/chat for turn-by-turn context or tool calling. Pass a messages array with role values of system, user, assistant, or tool, and send the whole history on each request:

curl http://localhost:11434/api/chat -d '{
  "model": "llama3.1",
  "messages": [
    {"role": "system", "content": "You answer in one short sentence."},
    {"role": "user", "content": "What is the KV cache?"}
  ],
  "stream": false
}'

For application code, /api/chat is the better default even for single questions.

Streaming and response metrics

By default stream is true, and Ollama returns one JSON object per chunk. The final chunk has "done": true plus timing data:

{"model":"llama3.1","response":"","done":true,
 "total_duration":4883583458,"prompt_eval_count":26,
 "eval_count":298,"eval_duration":3789981000}

All durations are in nanoseconds. Tokens per second is eval_count / eval_duration * 1e9. Set "stream": false for a single response object.

Setting model options

The options object tunes sampling and context per request:

curl http://localhost:11434/api/chat -d '{
  "model": "llama3.1",
  "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Name three container runtimes."}],
  "stream": false,
  "options": {"temperature": 0.2, "num_ctx": 8192, "num_predict": 200, "seed": 42, "stop": ["\n\n"]}
}'

• temperature — lower is more deterministic
• num_ctx — context window in tokens for this request
• num_predict — cap on generated tokens
• seed — with temperature: 0, gives repeatable output
• stop — strings that end generation

Setting num_ctx above what your hardware holds forces a partial CPU offload. Confirm with ollama ps.

Structured JSON output from the Ollama API

Set format to "json" for any valid JSON, or pass a JSON schema object to force a shape:

curl http://localhost:11434/api/chat -d '{
  "model": "llama3.1",
  "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "List two Linux distros with release years. Respond in JSON."}],
  "stream": false,
  "format": {
    "type": "object",
    "properties": {
      "distros": {"type": "array", "items": {
        "type": "object",
        "properties": {"name": {"type": "string"}, "year": {"type": "integer"}},
        "required": ["name", "year"]
      }}
    },
    "required": ["distros"]
  }
}'

Keep the word "JSON" in the prompt and use a low temperature.

Tool calling with the Ollama API

/api/chat supports function calling through a tools array. The model replies with a tool_calls entry instead of text when it decides to use one:

curl http://localhost:11434/api/chat -d '{
  "model": "llama3.1",
  "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "What is the weather in Toronto?"}],
  "stream": false,
  "tools": [{
    "type": "function",
    "function": {
      "name": "get_weather",
      "description": "Get the current weather for a city",
      "parameters": {"type": "object", "properties": {"city": {"type": "string"}}, "required": ["city"]}
    }
  }]
}'

Run the function, then send the result back as a message with "role": "tool". Tool support depends on the model.

Calling the Ollama API from Python

Install with pip install ollama.

from ollama import chat

response = chat(model='llama3.1', messages=[
    {'role': 'user', 'content': 'Why is the sky blue?'},
])
print(response.message.content)

Streaming:

from ollama import chat

stream = chat(model='llama3.1',
    messages=[{'role': 'user', 'content': 'Explain the KV cache in two sentences.'}],
    stream=True)
for chunk in stream:
    print(chunk['message']['content'], end='', flush=True)

Remote host:

from ollama import Client
client = Client(host='http://192.168.1.50:11434')

There is an AsyncClient with the same methods, plus embed(), list(), ps(), and pull().

The OpenAI-compatible endpoint

Ollama serves an OpenAI-style API at http://localhost:11434/v1 with /v1/chat/completions, /v1/completions, /v1/embeddings, and /v1/models:

from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(base_url='http://localhost:11434/v1', api_key='ollama')
response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model='llama3.1',
    messages=[{'role': 'user', 'content': 'Hello'}],
)
print(response.choices[0].message.content)

The api_key is required by the SDK but ignored by Ollama. Use /v1 for compatibility and /api for full features.

Securing the Ollama API for remote access

The Ollama API has no built-in authentication. Anyone who can reach port 11434 can use, pull, or delete your models. Keep it bound to 127.0.0.1 and put a reverse proxy in front with auth and TLS:

server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name ollama.example.com;
    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:11434;
        proxy_set_header Host localhost:11434;
        auth_basic "Ollama";
        auth_basic_user_file /etc/nginx/.htpasswd;
    }
}

Setting OLLAMA_HOST=0.0.0.0 without a proxy puts an unauthenticated model server on the open network. Only do that inside a private network or behind an IP-restricted firewall.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What port does the Ollama API use?
A: Port 11434 on 127.0.0.1 by default. Change it with OLLAMA_HOST, for example OLLAMA_HOST=0.0.0.0:11434.

Q: Does the Ollama API need an API key?
A: No, not for local use. Ollama's hosted cloud models use a key; self-hosted remote access should sit behind a reverse proxy that adds authentication.

Q: What is the difference between /api/generate and /api/chat?
A: /api/generate takes a single prompt string. /api/chat takes a messages array with roles and supports tool calling. Use /api/chat for application code.

Q: How do I get JSON output from the Ollama API?
A: Set format to "json" or to a JSON schema object. Keep the word "JSON" in your prompt and use a low temperature.

Q: Can I use the OpenAI Python SDK with Ollama?
A: Yes. Point base_url at http://localhost:11434/v1 and pass any non-empty api_key.