> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.limitly.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Python SDK Installation

> Install and set up the Limitly Python SDK for your project

The Limitly Python SDK provides a simple and powerful way to integrate rate limiting into your Python application.

## Installation

### Pip

```bash theme={null}
pip install limitly-python
```

### Poetry

```bash theme={null}
poetry add limitly-python
```

### Pipenv

```bash theme={null}
pipenv install limitly-python
```

## Requirements

* Python 3.8 or higher
* requests >= 2.25.0

## Basic Setup

Import and initialize the SDK:

```python theme={null}
from limitly import Limitly

limitly = Limitly(api_key="your_limitly_api_key")
```

## Configuration Options

The SDK accepts the following configuration options:

<ParamField body="api_key" type="string" required>
  Your Limitly API key. You can find this in your Limitly dashboard.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="base_url" type="string">
  The base URL for the Limitly API. Defaults to `https://api.limitly.dev`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="timeout" type="int">
  Request timeout in seconds. Defaults to 30 seconds.
</ParamField>

## Example Configuration

```python theme={null}
from limitly import Limitly

limitly = Limitly(
    api_key="lk_1234567890abcdef",
    base_url="https://api.limitly.dev",
    timeout=30
)
```

## Environment Variables

For security, store your API key in environment variables:

```bash theme={null}
# .env
LIMITLY_API_KEY=lk_1234567890abcdef
```

Then use it in your application:

```python theme={null}
import os
from limitly import Limitly

limitly = Limitly(api_key=os.getenv("LIMITLY_API_KEY"))
```

## Async Support

The Python SDK supports both synchronous and asynchronous operations:

```python theme={null}
import asyncio
from limitly import Limitly

# Synchronous usage
limitly = Limitly(api_key="your_api_key")
result = limitly.validation.validate("user_api_key", "/api/users", "GET")

# Asynchronous usage (if supported by your environment)
async def validate_request():
    result = await limitly.validation.validate("user_api_key", "/api/users", "GET")
    return result
```

## CLI Tool

The SDK includes a command-line interface for testing and management:

```bash theme={null}
# Install with CLI support
pip install limitly-python[cli]

# Use the CLI
limitly --help
limitly validate --api-key user_key --path /api/users --method GET
```

## Development Installation

For development and testing:

```bash theme={null}
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/limitlydev/limitly-python.git
cd limitly-python

# Install in development mode
pip install -e .

# Install development dependencies
pip install -e ".[dev]"
```

## Type Hints

The SDK includes comprehensive type hints for better IDE support:

```python theme={null}
from typing import Dict, Any
from limitly import Limitly, ValidateRequestResponse

limitly = Limitly(api_key="your_api_key")

def validate_user_request(api_key: str, path: str, method: str) -> ValidateRequestResponse:
    return limitly.validation.validate(api_key, path, method)
```

## Next Steps

* [Authentication](/sdk/python/authentication) - Learn how to authenticate with the API
* [Request Validation](/sdk/python/validation) - Validate user requests
* [Middleware](/sdk/python/middleware) - Use middleware for web frameworks
* [API Key Management](/sdk/python/api-keys) - Manage API keys for your users