Fine-tune LLMs using reinforcement learning with TRL - SFT for instruction tuning, DPO for preference alignment, PPO/GRPO for reward optimization, and reward model training. Use when need RLHF, align model with preferences, or train from human feedback. Works with HuggingFace Transformers.
apm install @orchestra-research/fine-tuning-with-trl---
name: fine-tuning-with-trl
description: Fine-tune LLMs using reinforcement learning with TRL - SFT for instruction tuning, DPO for preference alignment, PPO/GRPO for reward optimization, and reward model training. Use when need RLHF, align model with preferences, or train from human feedback. Works with HuggingFace Transformers.
version: 1.0.0
author: Orchestra Research
license: MIT
tags: [Post-Training, TRL, Reinforcement Learning, Fine-Tuning, SFT, DPO, PPO, GRPO, RLHF, Preference Alignment, HuggingFace]
dependencies: [trl, transformers, datasets, peft, accelerate, torch]
---
# TRL - Transformer Reinforcement Learning
## Quick start
TRL provides post-training methods for aligning language models with human preferences.
**Installation**:
```bash
pip install trl transformers datasets peft accelerate
```
**Supervised Fine-Tuning** (instruction tuning):
```python
from trl import SFTTrainer
trainer = SFTTrainer(
model="Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B",
train_dataset=dataset, # Prompt-completion pairs
)
trainer.train()
```
**DPO** (align with preferences):
```python
from trl import DPOTrainer, DPOConfig
config = DPOConfig(output_dir="model-dpo", beta=0.1)
trainer = DPOTrainer(
model=model,
args=config,
train_dataset=preference_dataset, # chosen/rejected pairs
processing_class=tokenizer
)
trainer.train()
```
## Common workflows
### Workflow 1: Full RLHF pipeline (SFT → Reward Model → PPO)
Complete pipeline from base model to human-aligned model.
Copy this checklist:
```
RLHF Training:
- [ ] Step 1: Supervised fine-tuning (SFT)
- [ ] Step 2: Train reward model
- [ ] Step 3: PPO reinforcement learning
- [ ] Step 4: Evaluate aligned model
```
**Step 1: Supervised fine-tuning**
Train base model on instruction-following data:
```python
from transformers import AutoModelForCausalLM, AutoTokenizer
from trl import SFTTrainer, SFTConfig
from datasets import load_dataset
# Load model
model = AutoModelForCausalLM.from_pretrained("Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B")
tokenizer = AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained("Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B")
# Load instruction dataset
dataset = load_dataset("trl-lib/Capybara", split="train")
# Configure training
training_args = SFTConfig(
output_dir="Qwen2.5-0.5B-SFT",
per_device_train_batch_size=4,
num_train_epochs=1,
learning_rate=2e-5,
logging_steps=10,
save_strategy="epoch"
)
# Train
trainer = SFTTrainer(
model=model,
args=training_args,
train_dataset=dataset,
tokenizer=tokenizer
)
trainer.train()
trainer.save_model()
```
**Step 2: Train reward model**
Train model to predict human preferences:
```python
from transformers import AutoModelForSequenceClassification
from trl import RewardTrainer, RewardConfig
# Load SFT model as base
model = AutoModelForSequenceClassification.from_pretrained(
"Qwen2.5-0.5B-SFT",
num_labels=1 # Single reward score
)
tokenizer = AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained("Qwen2.5-0.5B-SFT")
# Load preference data (chosen/rejected pairs)
dataset = load_dataset("trl-lib/ultrafeedback_binarized", split="train")
# Configure training
training_args = RewardConfig(
output_dir="Qwen2.5-0.5B-Reward",
per_device_train_batch_size=2,
num_train_epochs=1,
learning_rate=1e-5
)
# Train reward model
trainer = RewardTrainer(
model=model,
args=training_args,
processing_class=tokenizer,
train_dataset=dataset
)
trainer.train()
trainer.save_model()
```
**Step 3: PPO reinforcement learning**
Optimize policy using reward model:
```bash
python -m trl.scripts.ppo \
--model_name_or_path Qwen2.5-0.5B-SFT \
--reward_model_path Qwen2.5-0.5B-Reward \
--dataset_name trl-internal-testing/descriptiveness-sentiment-trl-style \
--output_dir Qwen2.5-0.5B-PPO \
--learning_rate 3e-6 \
--per_device_train_batch_size 64 \
--total_episodes 10000
```
**Step 4: Evaluate**
```python
from transformers import pipeline
# Load aligned model
generator = pipeline("text-generation", model="Qwen2.5-0.5B-PPO")
# Test
prompt = "Explain quantum computing to a 10-year-old"
output = generator(prompt, max_length=200)[0]["generated_text"]
print(output)
```
### Workflow 2: Simple preference alignment with DPO
Align model with preferences without reward model.
Copy this checklist:
```
DPO Training:
- [ ] Step 1: Prepare preference dataset
- [ ] Step 2: Configure DPO
- [ ] Step 3: Train with DPOTrainer
- [ ] Step 4: Evaluate alignment
```
**Step 1: Prepare preference dataset**
Dataset format:
```json
{
"prompt": "What is the capital of France?",
"chosen": "The capital of France is Paris.",
"rejected": "I don't know."
}
```
Load dataset:
```python
from datasets import load_dataset
dataset = load_dataset("trl-lib/ultrafeedback_binarized", split="train")
# Or load your own
# dataset = load_dataset("json", data_files="preferences.json")
```
**Step 2: Configure DPO**
```python
from trl import DPOConfig
config = DPOConfig(
output_dir="Qwen2.5-0.5B-DPO",
per_device_train_batch_size=4,
num_train_epochs=1,
learning_rate=5e-7,
beta=0.1, # KL penalty strength
max_prompt_length=512,
max_length=1024,
logging_steps=10
)
```
**Step 3: Train with DPOTrainer**
```python
from transformers import AutoModelForCausalLM, AutoTokenizer
from trl import DPOTrainer
model = AutoModelForCausalLM.from_pretrained("Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct")
tokenizer = AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained("Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct")
trainer = DPOTrainer(
model=model,
args=config,
train_dataset=dataset,
processing_class=tokenizer
)
trainer.train()
trainer.save_model()
```
**CLI alternative**:
```bash
trl dpo \
--model_name_or_path Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct \
--dataset_name argilla/Capybara-Preferences \
--output_dir Qwen2.5-0.5B-DPO \
--per_device_train_batch_size 4 \
--learning_rate 5e-7 \
--beta 0.1
```
### Workflow 3: Memory-efficient online RL with GRPO
Train with reinforcement learning using minimal memory.
Copy this checklist:
```
GRPO Training:
- [ ] Step 1: Define reward function
- [ ] Step 2: Configure GRPO
- [ ] Step 3: Train with GRPOTrainer
```
**Step 1: Define reward function**
```python
def reward_function(completions, **kwargs):
"""
Compute rewards for completions.
Args:
completions: List of generated texts
Returns:
List of reward scores (floats)
"""
rewards = []
for completion in completions:
# Example: reward based on length and unique words
score = len(completion.split()) # Favor longer responses
score += len(set(completion.lower().split())) # Reward unique words
rewards.append(score)
return rewards
```
Or use a reward model:
```python
from transformers import pipeline
reward_model = pipeline("text-classification", model="reward-model-path")
def reward_from_model(completions, prompts, **kwargs):
# Combine prompt + completion
full_texts = [p + c for p, c in zip(prompts, completions)]
# Get reward scores
results = reward_model(full_texts)
return [r["score"] for r in results]
```
**Step 2: Configure GRPO**
```python
from trl import GRPOConfig
config = GRPOConfig(
output_dir="Qwen2-GRPO",
per_device_train_batch_size=4,
num_train_epochs=1,
learning_rate=1e-5,
num_generations=4, # Generate 4 completions per prompt
max_new_tokens=128
)
```
**Step 3: Train with GRPOTrainer**
```python
from datasets import load_dataset
from trl import GRPOTrainer
# Load prompt-only dataset
dataset = load_dataset("trl-lib/tldr", split="train")
trainer = GRPOTrainer(
model="Qwen/Qwen2-0.5B-Instruct",
reward_funcs=reward_function, # Your reward function
args=config,
train_dataset=dataset
)
trainer.train()
```
**CLI**:
```bash
trl grpo \
--model_name_or_path Qwen/Qwen2-0.5B-Instruct \
--dataset_name trl-lib/tldr \
--output_dir Qwen2-GRPO \
--num_generations 4
```
## When to use vs alternatives
**Use TRL when:**
- Need to align model with human preferences
- Have preference data (chosen/rejected pairs)
- Want to use reinforcement learning (PPO, GRPO)
- Need reward model training
- Doing RLHF (full pipeline)
**Method selection**:
- **SFT**: Have prompt-completion pairs, want basic instruction following
- **DPO**: Have preferences, want simple alignment (no reward model needed)
- **PPO**: Have reward model, need maximum control over RL
- **GRPO**: Memory-constrained, want online RL
- **Reward Model**: Building RLHF pipeline, need to score generations
**Use alternatives instead:**
- **HuggingFace Trainer**: Basic fine-tuning without RL
- **Axolotl**: YAML-based training configuration
- **LitGPT**: Educational, minimal fine-tuning
- **Unsloth**: Fast LoRA training
## Common issues
**Issue: OOM during DPO training**
Reduce batch size and sequence length:
```python
config = DPOConfig(
per_device_train_batch_size=1, # Reduce from 4
max_length=512, # Reduce from 1024
gradient_accumulation_steps=8 # Maintain effective batch
)
```
Or use gradient checkpointing:
```python
model.gradient_checkpointing_enable()
```
**Issue: Poor alignment quality**
Tune beta parameter:
```python
# Higher beta = more conservative (stays closer to reference)
config = DPOConfig(beta=0.5) # Default 0.1
# Lower beta = more aggressive alignment
config = DPOConfig(beta=0.01)
```
**Issue: Reward model not learning**
Check loss type and learning rate:
```python
config = RewardConfig(
learning_rate=1e-5, # Try different LR
num_train_epochs=3 # Train longer
)
```
Ensure preference dataset has clear winners:
```python
# Verify dataset
print(dataset[0])
# Should have clear chosen > rejected
```
**Issue: PPO training unstable**
Adjust KL coefficient:
```python
config = PPOConfig(
kl_coef=0.1, # Increase from 0.05
cliprange=0.1 # Reduce from 0.2
)
```
## Advanced topics
**SFT training guide**: See [references/sft-training.md](references/sft-training.md) for dataset formats, chat templates, packing strategies, and multi-GPU training.
**DPO variants**: See [references/dpo-variants.md](references/dpo-variants.md) for IPO, cDPO, RPO, and other DPO loss functions with recommended hyperparameters.
**Reward modeling**: See [references/reward-modeling.md](references/reward-modeling.md) for outcome vs process rewards, Bradley-Terry loss, and reward model evaluation.
**Online RL methods**: See [references/online-rl.md](references/online-rl.md) for PPO, GRPO, RLOO, and OnlineDPO with detailed configurations.
## Hardware requirements
- **GPU**: NVIDIA (CUDA required)
- **VRAM**: Depends on model and method
- SFT 7B: 16GB (with LoRA)
- DPO 7B: 24GB (stores reference model)
- PPO 7B: 40GB (policy + reward model)
- GRPO 7B: 24GB (more memory efficient)
- **Multi-GPU**: Supported via `accelerate`
- **Mixed precision**: BF16 recommended (A100/H100)
**Memory optimization**:
- Use LoRA/QLoRA for all methods
- Enable gradient checkpointing
- Use smaller batch sizes with gradient accumulation
## Resources
- Docs: https://huggingface.co/docs/trl/
- GitHub: https://github.com/huggingface/trl
- Papers:
- "Training language models to follow instructions with human feedback" (InstructGPT, 2022)
- "Direct Preference Optimization: Your Language Model is Secretly a Reward Model" (DPO, 2023)
- "Group Relative Policy Optimization" (GRPO, 2024)
- Examples: https://github.com/huggingface/trl/tree/main/examples/scripts