Daita CLI + NexaAPI: Build & Power AI Agents with the Cheapest Inference API (2026)
daita-cli just dropped on PyPI. It's a command-line tool for building, deploying, and managing hosted AI agents — the kind of infrastructure that used to require a dedicated DevOps team.
But every AI agent needs an inference backend. The model calls that actually make your agent intelligent. And that's where most developers overpay.
This tutorial shows you how to pair Daita CLI with NexaAPI — the cheapest AI inference API available — for a complete, production-ready agent stack.
What Is Daita CLI?
Daita CLI is a Python package for managing AI agents. It provides:
- Agent deployment and lifecycle management
- Observation and monitoring of agent runs
- Configuration management for multi-agent systems
- CLI-first workflow for developer productivity
Install it:
pip install daita-cli
What Inference API Should Power Your Daita Agents?
Your agents need to call AI models. The three options most developers consider:
| Option | Cost | Models | Reliability |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAI direct | $2.50-$15/M tokens | GPT-5.4 only | Good |
| Anthropic direct | $3-$25/M tokens | Claude only | Good |
| NexaAPI | ~$0.50-$3/M tokens | 56+ models | 99.9% uptime |
NexaAPI gives your agents access to GPT-5.4, Claude Sonnet 4.6, Gemini 3.1 Pro, FLUX, Sora, and 50+ more models — all at approximately 1/5 of official pricing.
For image generation: $0.003/image (vs $0.04 for DALL-E 3).
Python Tutorial: Daita CLI + NexaAPI
Installation
pip install nexaapi daita-cli
Building an AI Agent with NexaAPI Inference
# agent.py — AI agent powered by NexaAPI
from nexaapi import NexaAPI
import daita_cli
# Initialize NexaAPI — cheapest AI inference available
client = NexaAPI(api_key='YOUR_NEXAAPI_KEY')
class ResearchAgent:
"""
An AI agent that researches topics and generates reports.
Powered by NexaAPI for cheap, reliable inference.
"""
def __init__(self, model='gpt-5.4'):
self.model = model
self.conversation_history = []
def think(self, prompt: str) -> str:
"""Call NexaAPI for reasoning — same model, 1/5 the cost"""
self.conversation_history.append({
"role": "user",
"content": prompt
})
response = client.chat.completions.create(
model=self.model,
messages=self.conversation_history,
max_tokens=2048
)
result = response.choices[0].message.content
self.conversation_history.append({
"role": "assistant",
"content": result
})
return result
def generate_image(self, description: str) -> str:
"""Generate images for reports — $0.003 each"""
response = client.image.generate(
model='flux-schnell',
prompt=description,
width=1024,
height=1024
)
return response.image_url
def run(self, task: str) -> dict:
"""Execute a research task"""
# Step 1: Plan the research
plan = self.think(f"Create a research plan for: {task}")
# Step 2: Execute research
findings = self.think(f"Based on this plan: {plan}
Research and summarize: {task}")
# Step 3: Generate a cover image
image_url = self.generate_image(f"Professional illustration for: {task}")
return {
"task": task,
"plan": plan,
"findings": findings,
"cover_image": image_url
}
# Deploy with Daita CLI
@daita_cli.agent(name="research-agent", version="1.0")
def main():
agent = ResearchAgent(model='gpt-5.4')
result = agent.run("Latest trends in AI API pricing 2026")
print(f"Research complete: {result['findings'][:200]}...")
print(f"Cover image: {result['cover_image']}")
if __name__ == "__main__":
main()
Deploy with Daita CLI
# Initialize your agent project
daita init research-agent
# Configure NexaAPI as your inference backend
daita config set NEXAAPI_KEY your-api-key
daita config set INFERENCE_BACKEND nexaapi
# Deploy the agent
daita deploy agent.py
# Monitor agent runs
daita logs research-agent --tail
daita status research-agent
JavaScript/Node.js Tutorial
// agent.js — AI agent powered by NexaAPI
// npm install nexaapi
import NexaAPI from 'nexaapi';
const client = new NexaAPI({ apiKey: 'YOUR_NEXAAPI_KEY' });
class ResearchAgent {
constructor(model = 'gpt-5.4') {
this.model = model;
this.history = [];
}
async think(prompt) {
this.history.push({ role: 'user', content: prompt });
const response = await client.chat.completions.create({
model: this.model,
messages: this.history,
maxTokens: 2048
});
const result = response.choices[0].message.content;
this.history.push({ role: 'assistant', content: result });
return result;
}
async generateImage(description) {
const response = await client.image.generate({
model: 'flux-schnell',
prompt: description,
width: 1024,
height: 1024
});
return response.imageUrl;
}
async run(task) {
const plan = await this.think(`Create a research plan for: ${task}`);
const findings = await this.think(`Research and summarize: ${task}`);
const imageUrl = await this.generateImage(`Professional illustration for: ${task}`);
return { task, plan, findings, coverImage: imageUrl };
}
}
// Run the agent
const agent = new ResearchAgent('gpt-5.4');
const result = await agent.run('AI API pricing trends 2026');
console.log('Findings:', result.findings.slice(0, 200));
console.log('Cover image:', result.coverImage);
Cost Breakdown: NexaAPI for AI Agents
Here's what running 1,000 agent tasks/day costs with NexaAPI vs direct providers:
| Task Type | Tokens/Task | NexaAPI Cost | OpenAI Direct | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research (text) | ~5,000 | $0.02 | $0.10 | 80% |
| Report + Image | ~5,000 + 1 img | $0.023 | $0.14 | 84% |
| Multi-step reasoning | ~15,000 | $0.06 | $0.30 | 80% |
1,000 agent tasks/day:
- OpenAI direct: ~$100/day ($3,000/month)
- NexaAPI: ~$20/day ($600/month)
- Monthly savings: $2,400
Why NexaAPI for Agent Inference?
- 56+ models in one API — switch between GPT-5.4, Claude, Gemini without code changes
- Cheapest pricing — ~1/5 of official rates, no subscription
- OpenAI-compatible format — your existing agent code works as-is
- Image + video + audio — agents that generate multimedia, not just text
- Pay as you go — scale from 0 to millions of calls without tier upgrades
Get Started
- 📦 Daita CLI:
pip install daita-cli— PyPI - 🌐 NexaAPI: nexa-api.com
- 📦 NexaAPI Python:
pip install nexaapi— PyPI - 📦 NexaAPI Node.js:
npm install nexaapi— npm - ⚡ RapidAPI: rapidapi.com/user/nexaquency
Build smarter agents. Pay less for inference. That's the stack.



