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What is Hugging Face?

Hugging Face Inference Providers is a unified API that gives you access to multiple AI inference providers, including Cerebras, through a single interface. This means you can use familiar Hugging Face tools and SDKs to access Cerebras’s world-class inference speed without changing your existing code structure. Key features include:
  • Unified API - Use the same code structure across multiple providers
  • Simple Integration - Works with OpenAI SDK, Hugging Face Hub client, and standard HTTP requests
  • Model Discovery - Browse all available Cerebras models through Hugging Face’s model hub
  • Flexible Authentication - Use your Hugging Face token to access Cerebras inference
Learn more on the Hugging Face Inference Providers documentation.

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Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:
  • Hugging Face Account - Create a free account at huggingface.co
  • Hugging Face API Token - Generate a token at hf.co/settings/tokens
  • Python 3.7 or higher - Required for running the Python examples
While you can use Hugging Face tokens for authentication, you can also use your Cerebras API key directly. Get one here.

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Getting Started

1

Install the required dependencies

You can use either the Hugging Face Hub client or the OpenAI SDK to access Cerebras through Hugging Face. Install your preferred client:
pip install huggingface_hub --upgrade
2

Set up your API token

Create a .env file in your project directory to store your Hugging Face token securely:
HF_TOKEN=hf_your_token_here
Alternatively, you can set it as an environment variable:
export HF_TOKEN=hf_your_token_here
Your Hugging Face token authenticates you with the Inference Providers API, which then routes your requests to Cerebras’s infrastructure.
3

Make your first inference request

Now you’re ready to make your first request to Cerebras through Hugging Face. Here’s how to use the chat completion endpoint with different clients:
import os
from huggingface_hub import InferenceClient

# Initialize the client with Cerebras provider
client = InferenceClient(
    provider="cerebras",
    api_key=os.getenv("HF_TOKEN"),

)

# Make a chat completion request
completion = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="meta-llama/Llama-3.3-70B-Instruct",
    messages=[
        {"role": "user", "content": "What is the capital of France?"}
    ],
    max_tokens=500,
)

print(completion.choices[0].message.content)
When using the OpenAI SDK, append :cerebras to the model name to specify Cerebras as the provider. With the Hugging Face Hub client, set provider="cerebras" instead.
4

Try streaming responses

For real-time applications, you can stream responses token-by-token as they’re generated. This is especially useful for chat interfaces and interactive applications where you want to display results as they arrive:
import os
from huggingface_hub import InferenceClient

client = InferenceClient(
    provider="cerebras",
    api_key=os.getenv("HF_TOKEN"),
)

# Enable streaming with stream=True
stream = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="meta-llama/Llama-3.3-70B-Instruct",
    messages=[
        {"role": "user", "content": "Write a short poem about AI."}
    ],
    max_tokens=500,
    stream=True,
)

# Process the stream
for chunk in stream:
    if chunk.choices[0].delta.content:
        print(chunk.choices[0].delta.content, end="", flush=True)

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Available Cerebras Models

View all available models on the Hugging Face model hub.

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Advanced Usage

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Using Custom Parameters

You can customize your requests with additional parameters supported by the Cerebras API to control response generation: 
import os
from huggingface_hub import InferenceClient

client = InferenceClient(
    provider="cerebras",
    api_key=os.getenv("HF_TOKEN"),
)

completion = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="meta-llama/Llama-3.3-70B-Instruct",
    messages=[
        {"role": "user", "content": "Explain quantum computing."}
    ],
    max_tokens=1000,
    temperature=0.7,  # Controls randomness (0.0-1.0)
    top_p=0.9,        # Nucleus sampling threshold
    seed=42,          # For reproducible outputs
)

print(completion.choices[0].message.content)

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Error Handling

Implement proper error handling to manage API errors gracefully in production applications: 
import os
from huggingface_hub import InferenceClient
from huggingface_hub.errors import HfHubHTTPError

client = InferenceClient(
    provider="cerebras",
    api_key=os.getenv("HF_TOKEN"),
)

try:
    completion = client.chat.completions.create(
        model="meta-llama/Llama-3.3-70B-Instruct",
        messages=[
            {"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}
        ],
        max_tokens=500,
    )
    print(completion.choices[0].message.content)
except HfHubHTTPError as e:
    print(f"API Error: {e}")
except Exception as e:
    print(f"Unexpected error: {e}")

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Using Environment Variables

For better security and configuration management, load environment variables using python-dotenv: 
import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from huggingface_hub import InferenceClient

# Load environment variables from .env file
load_dotenv()

# Verify token is loaded
token = os.getenv("HF_TOKEN")
if not token:
    raise ValueError("HF_TOKEN not found in environment variables")

client = InferenceClient(
    provider="cerebras",
    api_key=token,
)

completion = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="meta-llama/Llama-3.3-70B-Instruct",
    messages=[
        {"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}
    ],
    max_tokens=500,
)

print(completion.choices[0].message.content)

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Next Steps

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FAQ

Since inference is routed through Hugging Face’s proxy, users may experience slightly higher latency compared to calling Cerebras Cloud directly. The overhead is typically minimal (10-50ms), but for applications requiring the absolute lowest latency, consider using the Cerebras API directly.However, Hugging Face Inference Providers offers benefits like:
  • Unified API across multiple providers
  • Simplified authentication with Hugging Face tokens
  • Integration with Hugging Face’s ecosystem and tools
  • Easy provider switching without code changes
The official Hugging Face inference example uses a multimodal input call, which is not currently supported by Cerebras.Cerebras currently supports:
  • Text-based chat completions
  • Standard message formats with role and content
  • Streaming responses
  • Common parameters (temperature, top_p, max_tokens, etc.)
Multimodal inputs (images, audio, etc.) are not yet supported.
When using the Hugging Face Hub client, use the full model name from Hugging Face:
model="meta-llama/Llama-3.3-70B-Instruct"
When using the OpenAI SDK through Hugging Face router, append :cerebras to specify the provider:
model="meta-llama/Llama-3.3-70B-Instruct:cerebras"
You can find all available models at huggingface.co/models?inference_provider=cerebras.
Make sure you’re using a valid Hugging Face token with the correct permissions. You can generate a new token at hf.co/settings/tokens. The token should have at least read access.If you’re using environment variables, ensure they’re properly loaded:
import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()  # Load .env file
token = os.getenv("HF_TOKEN")
if not token:
    raise ValueError("HF_TOKEN not found in environment variables")
Common issues:
  • Token not set in environment variables
  • Token has expired or been revoked
  • Token doesn’t have necessary permissions
  • Typo in token value
Yes! Hugging Face Inference Providers is production-ready and used by many applications. However, consider these factors:
  • Latency: The routing layer adds minimal overhead, but direct API calls to Cerebras will be slightly faster
  • Rate Limits: Check Hugging Face’s rate limits for your account tier
  • Monitoring: Implement proper logging and error handling for production use
  • Reliability: Both Hugging Face and Cerebras maintain high uptime SLAs
  • Costs: Review pricing for both Hugging Face and Cerebras services
For mission-critical applications requiring the absolute lowest latency, consider using the Cerebras API directly. For applications that benefit from a unified API across multiple providers, Hugging Face Inference Providers is an excellent choice.
Both clients work well with Cerebras through Hugging Face, but there are some differences:Hugging Face Hub Client:
  • Native integration with Hugging Face ecosystem
  • Set provider explicitly with provider="cerebras"
  • Use standard Hugging Face model names
  • Better integration with Hugging Face datasets and tools
OpenAI SDK:
  • Familiar interface if you’re already using OpenAI
  • Append :cerebras to model names
  • Easy migration from OpenAI to Cerebras
  • Compatible with OpenAI-style tooling
Choose based on your existing codebase and preferences. Both provide the same underlying functionality and performance.