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chandra/README.md
Vik Paruchuri 8cb96bfd65 README
2026-01-12 17:59:28 -05:00

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# Chandra
[![Discord](https://img.shields.io/badge/Discord-Join%20us-5865F2?logo=discord&logoColor=white)](https://discord.gg/KuZwXNGnfH)
An OCR model for complex documents — handwriting, tables, math equations, and messy forms.
<img src="assets/examples/forms/handwritten_form.png" width="700px"/>
## Benchmarks
Overall scores on the [olmocr bench](https://github.com/allenai/olmocr):
<img src="assets/benchmarks/bench.png" width="600px"/>
## Hosted API
A hosted API with additional accuracy improvements is available at [datalab.to](https://www.datalab.to/). Try the [free playground](https://www.datalab.to/playground) without installing.
## Community
Join [Discord](https://discord.gg//KuZwXNGnfH) to discuss development and get help.
## Quick Start
```shell
pip install chandra-ocr
# Start vLLM server, then run OCR
chandra_vllm
chandra input.pdf ./output
# Or use HuggingFace locally
chandra input.pdf ./output --method hf
# Interactive web app
chandra_app
```
**Python:**
```python
from chandra.model import InferenceManager
from chandra.input import load_pdf_images
manager = InferenceManager(method="hf")
images = load_pdf_images("document.pdf")
results = manager.generate(images)
print(results[0].markdown)
```
## How it Works.
- **Two inference modes**: Run locally via HuggingFace Transformers, or deploy a vLLM server for production throughput
- **Layout-aware output**: Every text block, table, and image comes with bounding box coordinates
- **Structured formats**: Output as Markdown, HTML, or JSON with full layout metadata
- **40+ languages** supported
## What It Handles
**Handwriting** — Doctor notes, filled forms, homework. Chandra reads cursive and messy print that trips up traditional OCR.
**Tables** — Preserves structure including merged cells (colspan/rowspan). Works on financial filings, invoices, and data tables.
**Math** — Inline and block equations rendered as LaTeX. Handles textbooks, worksheets, and research papers.
**Forms** — Reconstructs checkboxes, radio buttons, and form fields with their values.
**Complex Layouts** — Multi-column documents, newspapers, textbooks with figures and captions.
## Examples
| | |
|---|---|
| <img src="assets/examples/handwriting/doctor_note.png" width="350px"/><br/>**Handwriting** | <img src="assets/examples/tables/water_damage.png" width="350px"/><br/>**Tables** |
| <img src="assets/examples/math/ega.png" width="350px"/><br/>**Math** | <img src="assets/examples/newspapers/nyt.png" width="350px"/><br/>**Newspapers** |
<details>
<summary>More examples</summary>
| Type | Name | Link |
|------|------|------|
| Tables | 10K Filing | [View](https://github.com/datalab-to/chandra/blob/master/assets/examples/tables/10k.png) |
| Forms | Lease Agreement | [View](https://github.com/datalab-to/chandra/blob/master/assets/examples/forms/lease.png) |
| Handwriting | Math Homework | [View](https://github.com/datalab-to/chandra/blob/master/assets/examples/handwriting/math_hw.png) |
| Books | Geography Textbook | [View](https://github.com/datalab-to/chandra/blob/master/assets/examples/books/geo_textbook_page.png) |
| Books | Exercise Problems | [View](https://github.com/datalab-to/chandra/blob/master/assets/examples/books/exercises.png) |
| Math | Attention Diagram | [View](https://github.com/datalab-to/chandra/blob/master/assets/examples/math/attn_all.png) |
| Math | Worksheet | [View](https://github.com/datalab-to/chandra/blob/master/assets/examples/math/worksheet.png) |
| Newspapers | LA Times | [View](https://github.com/datalab-to/chandra/blob/master/assets/examples/newspapers/la_times.png) |
| Other | Transcript | [View](https://github.com/datalab-to/chandra/blob/master/assets/examples/other/transcript.png) |
| Other | Flowchart | [View](https://github.com/datalab-to/chandra/blob/master/assets/examples/other/flowchart.png) |
</details>
## Installation
```bash
pip install chandra-ocr
```
For HuggingFace inference, we recommend installing [flash attention](https://github.com/Dao-AILab/flash-attention) for better performance.
**From source:**
```bash
git clone https://github.com/datalab-to/chandra.git
cd chandra
uv sync
source .venv/bin/activate
```
## Usage
### CLI
```bash
# Single file with vLLM server
chandra input.pdf ./output --method vllm
# Directory with local model
chandra ./documents ./output --method hf
```
**Options:**
- `--method [hf|vllm]`: Inference method (default: vllm)
- `--page-range TEXT`: Page range for PDFs (e.g., "1-5,7,9-12")
- `--max-output-tokens INTEGER`: Max tokens per page
- `--max-workers INTEGER`: Parallel workers for vLLM
- `--include-images/--no-images`: Extract and save images (default: include)
- `--include-headers-footers/--no-headers-footers`: Include page headers/footers (default: exclude)
- `--batch-size INTEGER`: Pages per batch (default: 1)
**Output structure:**
```
output/
└── filename/
├── filename.md # Markdown
├── filename.html # HTML with bounding boxes
├── filename_metadata.json
└── images/ # Extracted images
```
### vLLM Server
For production or batch processing:
```bash
chandra_vllm
```
Launches a Docker container with optimized inference. Configure via environment:
- `VLLM_API_BASE`: Server URL (default: `http://localhost:8000/v1`)
- `VLLM_MODEL_NAME`: Model name (default: `chandra`)
- `VLLM_GPUS`: GPU device IDs (default: `0`)
### Configuration
Settings via environment variables or `local.env`:
```bash
MODEL_CHECKPOINT=datalab-to/chandra
MAX_OUTPUT_TOKENS=8192
VLLM_API_BASE=http://localhost:8000/v1
VLLM_GPUS=0
```
## Commercial Usage
Code is Apache 2.0. Model weights use a modified OpenRAIL-M license: free for research, personal use, and startups under $2M funding/revenue. Cannot be used competitively with our API. For broader commercial licensing, see [pricing](https://www.datalab.to/pricing?utm_source=gh-chandra).
## Credits
- [Huggingface Transformers](https://github.com/huggingface/transformers)
- [vLLM](https://github.com/vllm-project/vllm)
- [olmocr](https://github.com/allenai/olmocr)
- [Qwen3 VL](https://github.com/QwenLM/Qwen3)