Adapters
Introduction
In DIAL, model adapters unify provider-specific model APIs with the Unified Protocol of DIAL Core. Each adapter consists of:
- Coded implementation that talks to the AI model and implements the Unified Protocol.
- Metadata object that you manage in Builders/Adapters, which establishes the relationship to the models.
DIAL includes adapters for Azure OpenAI models, GCP Vertex AI models, and AWS Bedrock models.
Compatibility with Azure OpenAI API, makes it simple to add new adapters for language models or develop them with DIAL SDK.
DIAL enables use of self-hosted (deployed withing the DIAL infrastructure) and external adapters.
Main Screen
The main screen displays all registered adapters in your DIAL instance.
Adapters grid
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| ID | Unique identifier of the adapter. |
| Display Name | Name of the adapter displayed on UI. |
| Description | Brief description of the adapter (e.g., "Adapter for OpenAI models"). |
| Updated time | Timestamp of the last update. |
| Topics | Semantic tags associated with adapter. |
| Source type | Type of the adapter source: external endpoint or adapter container. |
| Source | URL for externally-deployed adapters or the name of the adapter container for self-hosted adapters. |
Create
On the main screen, you can add new adapters by following these steps:
-
Click + Create to invoke the Create Adapter modal.
Field Required Description ID Yes Unique identifier. Display name Yes Unique name of the adapter displayed on UI. Description No Description of the adapter. Source type Yes External Endpoint for externally-deployed adapters or Adapter Container for self-hosted. Completion endpoint Conditional Applies to External Endpoint source type.
Chat completion endpoint URL of the adapter service that implements the Unified Protocol (following the format:{ADAPTER_ORIGIN}/openai/deployments/).Container Conditional Applies to Adapter Container source type.
Name of the adapter container. Click to select from the list of available containers. -
Once all required fields are filled, click Create. The dialog closes and the new adapter's configuration screen is opened. A new adapter will appear immediately on the main screen once it is created.
Configuration
Click any adapter on the main screen to open its configuration page.
Top Bar Controls
- Create Model: Use to create a model deployment using the selected model adapter as a source type. Created models will be available in the Entities/Models section.
- Delete: Use to remove the adapter itself and all models utilizing it. Note: After confirmation - the adapter and all related models are deleted.
- Save: Use to save and apply any changes.
- Discard: Use to discard any unsaved changes. You can revert changes in the Audit section.
- JSON Editor (Toggle): Switch between the form-based UI and raw JSON view of the adapter's configuration. Use JSON mode for copy-paste or advanced edits.
Properties
In the Properties tab, you can view and define identity and metadata of the selected adapter.
| Field | Required | Editable | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| ID | - | No | Unique read-only identifier of the adapter. |
| Updated Time | - | No | Timestamp of the last update to this adapter's configuration. |
| Creation Time | - | No | Adapter creation timestamp. |
| Display Name | Yes | Yes | Unique name of the adapter displayed on UI. |
| Description | No | Yes | Brief description of the adapter. |
| Source type | Yes | Yes | External Endpoint for externally-deployed adapters or Adapter Container for self-hosted. |
| Completion endpoint | Yes | Yes | Chat completion endpoint URL of the adapter service that implements the Unified Protocol (following the format: {ADAPTER_ORIGIN}/openai/deployments/). |
| Container | Conditional | Yes | Applies to Adapter Container source type. Name of the adapter container. Click to select from the list of available containers. |
| Topics | No | Yes | Semantic tags associated with adapter. Click to display a list of available topics. You can add your own custom topics to the list following these rules: - The topic name must not exceed 255 characters. - The topic name must not contain leading or trailing spaces. |
Models
In the Models tab, you can view and add AI models exposed by the selected adapter.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| ID | Model's identifier. |
| Display Name | Name of the AI model displayed on UI. |
| Description | Description of the model. |
Add
You can add AI models that will be processed by the selected adapter.
- Click + Add.
- Select one or more available models in the modal window. You can check all the available models in the Entities → Models section. You can also use + Create Model button on this screen to create a new model on the fly.
- Click Apply to insert them into the table.
Remove
You can remove models processed by the adapter.
- Click the actions menu in the model’s line.
- Choose Remove in the menu.
Audit
On this screen, you can access a detailed preview and revert any changes made to the selected AI model adapter.
TIP: This section mimics the functionality available in the global Audit → Activities menu, but is scoped specifically to the selected AI model adapter.
JSON Editor
Advanced users with technical expertise can work with the adapter properties in a JSON editor view mode. It is useful for advanced scenarios of bulk updates, copy/paste between environments, or tweaking settings not exposed in the form UI.
Switching to the JSON Editor
- Navigate to Builders → Adapters, then select the adapter you want to edit.
- Click the JSON Editor toggle (top-right). The UI reveals the raw JSON.
TIP: Switching modes is disabled if there are any unsaved changes.