Getting Started

This SDK is the server half of your integration. Your users connect from your app with a client SDK, and anything that needs a connected user or a live WebSocket belongs there: client initialization, guest and anonymous sessions, typing indicators and presence. See the client-side overview for what lives there. Token signing stays on this side, because it needs your API secret.

Setup

The official Python SDK for Stream covers Chat, Video, Moderation, and Feeds.

GitHubgithub.com/GetStream/stream-py
PyPIpypi.org/project/getstream

Install the SDK:

pip install getstream

Initialize the client with your API key and secret (available on the Dashboard):

from getstream import Stream

client = Stream(api_key="your-api-key", api_secret="your-api-secret")

The client also reads STREAM_API_KEY and STREAM_API_SECRET from environment variables, so you can construct it with no arguments:

client = Stream()

Server-side Token

Your backend generates a user token that the client SDKs use to authenticate. A typical place to issue this token is during login or registration.

token = client.create_token(user_id="user-id")
# return the token to the client app

Tokens with an expiry (in seconds):

token = client.create_token(user_id="user-id", expiration=3600)

For token expiry and revocation details, see Authentication and tokens.

Making Your First API Call

Create a user, open a channel, and send a message:

from getstream.models import UserRequest, ChannelInput, MessageRequest

# Upsert a user
client.upsert_users(
    UserRequest(id="john", name="John")
)

# Create or join a channel
channel = client.chat.channel("messaging", "hello-world")
channel.get_or_create(data=ChannelInput(created_by_id="john"))

# Send a message
channel.send_message(
    MessageRequest(text="Hello, Stream!", user_id="john")
)
Next
Backend