Perplexity is an answer engine that performs real-time web search to provide concise, sourced answers to user queries. It emphasizes verifiable responses by returning live references and citations alongside generated answers, enabling users to check sources. Perplexity integrates into developer workflows (e.g., a GitHub Copilot extension) and exposes an API and community CLI clients so developers can query the engine from IDEs or the terminal. Its value lies in combining generative Q&A with transparent, source-backed search results to improve trust and productivity for research and coding tasks.