Add back inference.inference API

[pquentin]

This function was removed from the specification in favor of one API per provider and task type, but the existing function was stable and widely used in Python. Still, we mark it as deprecated to encourage users to migrate to the new APIs. Usage:

❯ python
Python 3.13.2 (main, Feb  4 2025, 14:51:09) [Clang 16.0.0 (clang-1600.0.26.6)] on darwin
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> from elasticsearch import Elasticsearch
>>> client = Elasticsearch("http://localhost:9200", basic_auth=("elastic", "..."))
>>> resp = client.inference.inference(
...     task_type="sparse_embedding",
...     inference_id="my-elser-model",
...     input="The sky above the port was the color of television tuned to a dead channel.",
... )
... print(resp)
... 
<python-input-2>:1: DeprecationWarning: In elasticsearch-py 8.18.0, inference.inference() is deprecated in favor of provider-specific APIs such as inference.put_elasticsearch() or inference.put_hugging_face().
  resp = client.inference.inference(
{'sparse_embedding': [{'is_truncated': False, 'embedding': {'port': 2.2090192, 'sky': 2.0603642, 'dead': 1.7242892, 'color': 1.5448499, 'above': 1.499859, 'television': 1.4837542, 'channel': 1.4109092, 'tv': 1.305537, 'scene': 1.1813625, 'tune': 0.9547886, 'symbol': 0.91213614, 'picture': 0.9103771, 'ports': 0.90121895, 'was': 0.8100137, 'below': 0.79527164, 'submarine': 0.77112997, 'tower': 0.7330783, 'ship': 0.7280335, 'atmosphere': 0.70177543, 'ufo': 0.6849597, 'alien': 0.6790674, 'tuned': 0.6633533, 'blue': 0.64610964, 'transmission': 0.6227346, 'russian': 0.5944273, 'bridge': 0.59391767, 'flood': 0.5818034, 'illusion': 0.5817699, 'radio': 0.5588502, 'broadcast': 0.5511641, 'airport': 0.54556763, 'prison': 0.5353672, 'signal': 0.5314421, 'station': 0.52959406, 'cloud': 0.52808267, 'island': 0.5245473, 'image': 0.5218425, 'sea': 0.5203932, 'uss': 0.51837164, 'aurora': 0.5099126, 'titanic': 0.50224626, 'pearl': 0.50044096, 'died': 0.49722457, 'naval': 0.49488223, 'broken': 0.49210304, 'sonar': 0.48001108, 'the': 0.46300593, 'song': 0.46270418, 'error': 0.46174952, 'remote': 0.4598964, 'network': 0.4586804, 'radar': 0.45608574, 'earthquake': 0.45489678, 'metaphor': 0.45072076, 'story': 0.4491404, 'lamp': 0.43336144, 'night': 0.41938552, 'became': 0.41637257, 'satellite': 0.41268998, 'underground': 0.40874982, 'death': 0.4079397, 'effect': 0.40663618, 'location': 0.40259305, 'vision': 0.40226272, 'symbolism': 0.4005573, 'episode': 0.39282712, 'poem': 0.39172614, 'status': 0.3882544, 'museum': 0.38189277, 'china': 0.37348503, 'red': 0.36933205, 'emergency': 0.3670889, 'tunnel': 0.3613389, 'incident': 0.350411, 'israel': 0.34983605, 'protocol': 0.34854302, 'film': 0.34562296, 'london': 0.336757, 'boat': 0.33477768, 'lore': 0.32566208, 'nuclear': 0.32439935, 'smell': 0.32404825, 'dream': 0.31649122, 'problem': 0.31217098, 'playback': 0.30998576, 'constellation': 0.30270416, 'purple': 0.29363653, 'cipher': 0.2912225, 'colors': 0.28874406, 'black': 0.28550884, 'were': 0.2842106, 'old': 0.28287837, 'fire': 0.28244266, 'imagery': 0.2810566, 'clue': 0.2715889, 'russia': 0.26432338, 'flag': 0.26225692, 'japanese': 0.26003373, 'cabin': 0.2597665, 'atlantic': 0.25722393, 'animation': 0.25713176, 'forest': 0.2567781, 'kennedy': 0.25460494, 'strange': 0.25116727, 'filming': 0.25008273, 'orange': 0.2482836, 'vietnam': 0.24598219, 'nearby': 0.24553679, 'iran': 0.24273792, 'aerial': 0.24193129, 'river': 0.2396681, 'green': 0.23921812, 'babylon': 0.23905087, 'strait': 0.23882979, 'sequence': 0.23608813, 'camouflage': 0.23444194, 'disney': 0.2331045, 'berlin': 0.23056225, 'camera': 0.22905798, 'fog': 0.2251829, 'legend': 0.22036001, 'zone': 0.21286118, 'virus': 0.21158794, 'point': 0.20780057, 'novel': 0.20623815, 'bird': 0.20264089, 'cathedral': 0.20263526, 'map': 0.20047511, 'egypt': 0.19883329, 'service': 0.19767128, 'flight': 0.18951172, 'painting': 0.1863695, 'fake': 0.18316564, 'airfield': 0.18034673, 'outbreak': 0.17866752, 'terminal': 0.17247757, 'conspiracy': 0.17055894, 'hospital': 0.17018627, 'anime': 0.16893299, 'moon': 0.1684777, 'lost': 0.16821538, 'factory': 0.16648911, 'window': 0.16367425, 'temple': 0.16190767, 'ocean': 0.15841754, 'bomb': 0.15705353, 'frontier': 0.15160067, 'video': 0.15018733, 'movie': 0.14806989, 'plot': 0.14697476, 'operation': 0.14466576, 'underwater': 0.13930322, 'pollution': 0.13882253, 'soviet': 0.12976635, 'york': 0.12287338, 'plane': 0.11332273, 'had': 0.11293873, 'miracle': 0.10984619, 'broadcasting': 0.10845212, 'roosevelt': 0.10508619, 'finch': 0.104957506, 'artificial': 0.10206794, 'white': 0.10005419, 'of': 0.09966204, 'street': 0.09834608, 'horror': 0.097284846, 'atlantis': 0.08996741, 'weapon': 0.08809974, 'pilot': 0.08798632, '/': 0.08737807, 'dye': 0.08705118, 'virginia': 0.086224094, 'brooklyn': 0.08584159, 'aura': 0.078928195, 'turkish': 0.07839939, 'bell': 0.07477341, 'theme': 0.071492776, 'streaming': 0.06840253, 'origin': 0.067463376, 'gulf': 0.06598424, 'photograph': 0.06392058, 'pirate': 0.062070806, 'hiroshima': 0.06158804, 'live': 0.05573571, 'she': 0.053732224, 'probe': 0.048098806, 'mine': 0.046599265, 'nasa': 0.042406052, 'haunted': 0.041438032, 'siren': 0.040074036, 'channels': 0.037849978, 'legacy': 0.034275383, 'telegraph': 0.032172866, 'elevation': 0.02726977, 'venetian': 0.027095169, 'storm': 0.021212257, 'bot': 0.021103363, 'normandy': 0.016386928, 'indicator': 0.014706303, 'dish': 0.010365698, 'pacific': 0.008873081, 'dark': 0.0043345788, 'flickering': 0.0028316185, 'show': 0.0026052603}}]}
>>> 

[miguelgrinberg]

This is probably okay, but just noting that chat_completion is not in the list of task types in the current (8.17) client.

[pquentin]

Right, I wondered about it. Not including it encourages using the new way (post_eis_chat_completion, I guess) but having it allows users to keep using it for now.

[miguelgrinberg]

It's fine to keep it if it is a legal value. I only pointed it out in case it was a mistake.