Documentation

Semantic Text Search Using LangChain (OpenAI) and Redis

Prasan Kumar
Author
Prasan Kumar, Technical Solutions Developer at Redis
Will Johnston
Author
Will Johnston, Developer Growth Manager at Redis

What you will learn in this tutorial#

This tutorial explores the implementation of semantic text search in product descriptions using LangChain (OpenAI) and Redis. The focus areas include:

  • Contextualizing E-Commerce: Dive into an e-commerce scenario where semantic text search empowers users to find products through detailed textual queries.
  • Database Implementation: Learn to create and store semantic embeddings from product descriptions in Redis for efficient search capabilities.
  • Search API Development: Understand how to build an API that leverages OpenAI for semantic analysis of text and Redis for data management.

Terminology#

  • LangChain: A versatile library for developing language model applications, combining language models, storage systems, and custom logic.
  • OpenAI: A provider of cutting-edge language models like GPT-3, essential for applications in semantic search and conversational AI.

Microservices architecture for an e-commerce application#

GITHUB CODE

Below is a command to the clone the source code for the application used in this tutorial

git clone --branch v9.2.0 https://github.com/redis-developer/redis-microservices-ecommerce-solutions

Lets take a look at the architecture of the demo application:

  1. 1.products service: handles querying products from the database and returning them to the frontend
  2. 2.orders service: handles validating and creating orders
  3. 3.order history service: handles querying a customer's order history
  4. 4.payments service: handles processing orders for payment
  5. 5.api gateway: unifies the services under a single endpoint
  6. 6.mongodb/ postgresql: serves as the write-optimized database for storing orders, order history, products, etc.
INFO

You don't need to use MongoDB/ Postgresql as your write-optimized database in the demo application; you can use other prisma supported databases as well. This is just an example.

E-commerce application frontend using Next.js and Tailwind#

The e-commerce microservices application consists of a frontend, built using Next.js with TailwindCSS. The application backend uses Node.js. The data is stored in Redis and either MongoDB or PostgreSQL, using Prisma. Below are screenshots showcasing the frontend of the e-commerce app.

Dashboard: Displays a list of products with different search functionalities, configurable in the settings page.

Settings: Accessible by clicking the gear icon at the top right of the dashboard. Control the search bar, chatbot visibility, and other features here.

Dashboard (Semantic Text Search): Configured for semantic text search, the search bar enables natural language queries. Example: "pure cotton blue shirts."

Dashboard (Semantic Image-Based Queries): Configured for semantic image summary search, the search bar allows for image-based queries. Example: "Left chest nike logo."

Chat Bot: Located at the bottom right corner of the page, assisting in product searches and detailed views.

Selecting a product in the chat displays its details on the dashboard.

Shopping Cart: Add products to the cart and check out using the "Buy Now" button.

Order History: Post-purchase, the 'Orders' link in the top navigation bar shows the order status and history.

Admin Panel: Accessible via the 'admin' link in the top navigation. Displays purchase statistics and trending products.

Database setup#

INFO

Sign up for an OpenAI account to get your API key to be used in the demo (add OPEN_AI_API_KEY variable in .env file). You can also refer to the OpenAI API documentation for more information.

GITHUB CODE

Below is a command to the clone the source code for the application used in this tutorial

git clone --branch v9.2.0 https://github.com/redis-developer/redis-microservices-ecommerce-solutions

Sample data#

Consider a simplified e-commerce dataset featuring product details for semantic search.

database/fashion-dataset/001/products/*.json
const products = [
  {
    productId: '11000',
    price: 3995,
    productDisplayName: 'Puma Men Slick 3HD Yellow Black Watches',
    variantName: 'Slick 3HD Yellow',
    brandName: 'Puma',
    ageGroup: 'Adults-Men',
    gender: 'Men',
    displayCategories: 'Accessories',
    masterCategory_typeName: 'Accessories',
    subCategory_typeName: 'Watches',
    styleImages_default_imageURL:
      'http://host.docker.internal:8080/images/11000.jpg',
    productDescriptors_description_value: 'Stylish and comfortable, ...',
    stockQty: 25,
  },
  //...
];

Seeding product details embeddings#

Implement the addEmbeddingsToRedis function to integrate AI-generated product description embeddings with Redis.

This process involves two main steps:

  1. 1.Generating Vector Documents: Utilizing the convertToVectorDocuments function, we transform product details into vector documents. This transformation is crucial as it converts product details into a format suitable for Redis storage.
  2. 2.Seeding Embeddings into Redis: The seedOpenAIEmbeddings function is then employed to store these vector documents into Redis. This step is essential for enabling efficient retrieval and search capabilities within the Redis database.

import { Document } from 'langchain/document';
import { OpenAIEmbeddings } from 'langchain/embeddings/openai';
import { RedisVectorStore } from 'langchain/vectorstores/redis';

const convertToVectorDocuments = async (
  _products: Prisma.ProductCreateInput[],
) => {
  const vectorDocs: Document[] = [];

  if (_products?.length > 0) {
    for (let product of _products) {
      let doc = new Document({
        metadata: {
          productId: product.productId,
        },
        pageContent: ` Product details are as follows:
                productId: ${product.productId}.
    
                productDisplayName: ${product.productDisplayName}.
                
                price: ${product.price}.
    
                variantName: ${product.variantName}.
    
                brandName: ${product.brandName}.
    
                ageGroup: ${product.ageGroup}.
    
                gender: ${product.gender}.
    
                productColors: ${product.productColors}
    
                Category:  ${product.displayCategories}, ${product.masterCategory_typeName} - ${product.subCategory_typeName}
    
                productDescription:  ${product.productDescriptors_description_value}`,
      });

      vectorDocs.push(doc);
    }
  }
  return vectorDocs;
};

const seedOpenAIEmbeddings = async (
  vectorDocs: Document[],
  _redisClient: NodeRedisClientType,
  _openAIApiKey: string,
) => {
  if (vectorDocs?.length && _redisClient && _openAIApiKey) {
    console.log('openAIEmbeddings started !');

    const embeddings = new OpenAIEmbeddings({
      openAIApiKey: _openAIApiKey,
    });
    const vectorStore = await RedisVectorStore.fromDocuments(
      vectorDocs,
      embeddings,
      {
        redisClient: _redisClient,
        indexName: 'openAIProductsIdx',
        keyPrefix: 'openAIProducts:',
      },
    );
    console.log('OpenAIEmbeddings completed');
  }
};

const addEmbeddingsToRedis = async (
  _products: Prisma.ProductCreateInput[],
  _redisClient: NodeRedisClientType,
  _openAIApiKey: string,
  _huggingFaceApiKey?: string,
) => {
  if (_products?.length > 0 && _redisClient && _openAIApiKey) {
    const vectorDocs = await convertToVectorDocuments(_products);

    await seedOpenAIEmbeddings(vectorDocs, _redisClient, _openAIApiKey);
  }
};

Examine the structured openAI product details within Redis using RedisInsight.

TIP

Download RedisInsight to visually explore your Redis data or to engage with raw Redis commands in the workbench.

Setting up the search API#

API end point#

This section covers the API request and response structure for getProductsByVSSText, which is essential for retrieving products based on semantic text search.

Request Format

The example request format for the API is as follows:

POST http://localhost:3000/products/getProductsByVSSText
{
   "searchText":"pure cotton blue shirts",

   //optional
   "maxProductCount": 4, // 2 (default)
   "similarityScoreLimit":0.2, // 0.2 (default)
}

Response Structure

The response from the API is a JSON object containing an array of product details that match the semantic search criteria:

{
  "data": [
    {
      "productId": "11031",
      "price": 1099,
      "productDisplayName": "Jealous 21 Women Check Blue Tops",
      "productDescriptors_description_value": "Composition : Green and navy blue checked round neck blouson tunic top made of 100% cotton, has a full buttoned placket, three fourth sleeves with buttoned cuffs and a belt below the waist<br /><br /><strong>Fitting</strong><br />Regular<br /><br /><strong>Wash care</strong><br />Machine/hand wash separately in mild detergent<br />Do not bleach or wring<br />Dry in shade<br />Medium iron<br /><br />If you're in the mood to have some checked fun, this blouson tunic top from jealous 21 will fulfil your heart's desire with &eacute;lan. The cotton fabric promises comfort, while the smart checks guarantee unparalleled attention. Pair this top with leggings and ballerinas for a cute, neat look.<br /><br /><em>Model statistics</em><br />The model wears size M in tops<br />Height: 5'7\"; Chest: 33\"; Waist: 25\"</p>",
      "stockQty": 25,
      "productColors": "Blue,Green",
      "similarityScore": 0.168704152107
      //...
    }
  ],
  "error": null,
  "auth": "SES_fd57d7f4-3deb-418f-9a95-6749cd06e348"
}

API implementation#

The backend implementation of this API involves following steps:

  1. 1.getProductsByVSSText function handles the API Request.
  2. 2.getSimilarProductsScoreByVSS function performs semantic search on product details. It integrates with OpenAI's semantic analysis capabilities to interpret the searchText and identify relevant products from Redis vector store.
server/src/services/products/src/open-ai-prompt.ts
const getSimilarProductsScoreByVSS = async (
  _params: IParamsGetProductsByVSS,
) => {
  let {
    standAloneQuestion,
    openAIApiKey,

    //optional
    KNN,
    scoreLimit,
  } = _params;

  let vectorDocs: Document[] = [];
  const client = getNodeRedisClient();

  KNN = KNN || 2;
  scoreLimit = scoreLimit || 1;

  let embeddings = new OpenAIEmbeddings({
    openAIApiKey: openAIApiKey,
  });
  let indexName = 'openAIProductsIdx';
  let keyPrefix = 'openAIProducts:';

  if (embeddings) {
    // create vector store
    const vectorStore = new RedisVectorStore(embeddings, {
      redisClient: client,
      indexName: indexName,
      keyPrefix: keyPrefix,
    });

    // search for similar products
    const vectorDocsWithScore = await vectorStore.similaritySearchWithScore(
      standAloneQuestion,
      KNN,
    );

    // filter by scoreLimit
    for (let [doc, score] of vectorDocsWithScore) {
      if (score <= scoreLimit) {
        doc['similarityScore'] = score;
        vectorDocs.push(doc);
      }
    }
  }

  return vectorDocs;
};
server/src/services/products/src/service-impl.ts
const getProductsByVSSText = async (
  productsVSSFilter: IProductsVSSBodyFilter,
) => {
  let { searchText, maxProductCount, similarityScoreLimit } = productsVSSFilter;
  let products: IProduct[] = [];

  const openAIApiKey = process.env.OPEN_AI_API_KEY || '';
  maxProductCount = maxProductCount || 2;
  similarityScoreLimit = similarityScoreLimit || 0.2;

  if (!openAIApiKey) {
    throw new Error('Please provide openAI API key in .env file');
  }

  if (!searchText) {
    throw new Error('Please provide search text');
  }

  //VSS search
  const vectorDocs = await getSimilarProductsScoreByVSS({
    standAloneQuestion: searchText,
    openAIApiKey: openAIApiKey,
    KNN: maxProductCount,
    scoreLimit: similarityScoreLimit,
  });

  if (vectorDocs?.length) {
    const productIds = vectorDocs.map((doc) => doc?.metadata?.productId);

    //get product with details
    products = await getProductByIds(productIds, true);
  }

  //...

  return products;
};

Frontend UI#

  • Settings configuration: Enable Semantic text search in the settings page
  • Performing a search: Use textual queries on the dashboard.
  •  Users can click on the product description within the product card to view the complete details.

Discover the power of semantic text search for enhancing the e-commerce experience. This tutorial guides you through integrating OpenAI's semantic capabilities with Redis for a dynamic product search engine.

Further reading#