Live Currency Rates Using Our Python SDK

Instantiating the Python SDK Currency Class

You are now ready to start using the CurrencyApi.net Python SDK. To get started, create an instance of the Currency class by passing in your API key:

currency = Currency('YOUR_API_KEY')

Fetching Live Currency Rates With Python

Now the fun part begins. Let's retrieve live currency rates with the following method:

result = currency.rates().get()

This will return a JSON response containing all the live currency rates.

The rates() method is a convenience method that returns the /rates endpoint.

Let's put it all together and look at the api response:

from currencyapinet.currency import Currency

currency = Currency('YOUR_API_KEY')
result = currency.rates().get()
print(result)

# Outputs
{
   'valid': True,
   'updated': 1727622003,
   'base': 'USD',
   'rates': {
       'AED': 3.673,
       'AFN': 68,
       'ALL': 88.25,
       'AMD': 387.32,
       'ANG': 1.801995,
       'AOA': 943.5,
       'ARS': 965.4662
       .....

Congratulations! You have successfully fetched live currency rates using our Python SDK.

Available Methods For Rates Endpoint

Method	Description
base()	Sets the base currency for conversions. This will output all currency conversions for that currency. Default is USD.
output()	Specifies the response format: JSON or XML. Default is JSON.

Converting Currency Amounts

With our Currency API and the Python SDK its easy to convert amounts from one currency to another. This returns a smaller response size and is a great way to get the most out of our API.

The convert() method uses the /convert endpoint of our Currency API.

Let's dive in and convert 100 USD to EUR using the Python SDK:

from currencyapinet.currency import Currency

currency = Currency('YOUR_API_KEY')
result = currency.convert().from_currency('USD').to_currency('EUR').amount(100).get()
print(result)

# Outputs
{
    'valid': True,
    'updated': 1727625603,
    'conversion': {
        'amount': 10,
        'from': 'GBP',
        'to': 'USD',
        'result': 13.3710003326705
    }
}

As you can see, the response is much smaller and contains only the information you requested.

Available Methods For Convert Endpoint

Method	Description
from_currency()	The currency you want to convert. This will be a three letter ISO 4217 currency code from one of the currencies we have rates for. Required.
to_currency()	The currency you want to convert the amount 'to'. Again this will be a three letter currency code from the ones we offer. Required.
amount()	The value of the currency you want to convert from. This should be a number and can contain a decimal place. Required.
output()	Specifies the response format: JSON or XML. Default is JSON.

Fetching Historical Currency Rates Using Python

Sometimes you need to access historical currency rates. We have a range of endpoints to help you do just that.

The history() method uses the /history endpoint of our Currency API.

Let's retrieve historical currency rates for the USD base currency on January 1st, 2019 using the Python SDK:

from currencyapinet.currency import Currency

currency = Currency('YOUR_API_KEY')
result = currency.history().date('2019-01-01').base('USD').output('JSON').get()
print(result)

# Outputs
{
    'valid': True,
    'base': 'USD',
    'date': '2019-01-01',
    'rates': {
        'AED': 3.673105,
        'AFN': 75.615,
        'ALL': 107.726773,
        'AMD': 484.068111,
        'ANG': 1.770652,
        'AOA': 308.607,
        'ARS': 37.6515
        .....

The API response returns a JSON object containing historical currency rates for the day you requested.

Available Methods For History Endpoint

Method	Description
date()	The historical date you wish to receive the currency conversions for. This should be formatted as YYYY-MM-DD. Required
base()	Sets the base currency for conversions. This will output all currency conversions for that currency. Default is USD.
output()	Specifies the response format: JSON or XML. Default is JSON.

Use Python SDK To Access Rates Within A Timeframe

Accessing currency rates within a timeframe allows developer to build applications that track currency rates over time. Think graphs, charts, or any other application that requires real-time currency data.

The method timeframe() is a helper method that uses the /timeframe endpoint of our Currency API.

Using this method, we can return multiple days in a single response. Let's retrieve the rates for the USD base currency between January 1st, 2019 and January 1st, 2020 using the Python SDK:

from currencyapinet.currency import Currency

currency = Currency('YOUR_API_KEY')
result = currency.timeframe().start_date('2019-01-01').end_date('2019-01-01').get()
print(result)

# Outputs
{
    'valid': True,
    'base': 'USD',
    'start_date': '2019-01-01',
    'end_date': '2019-01-02',
    'rates': {
        '2019-01-01': {
            'AED': 3.673105,
            'AFN': 75.615,
            'ALL': 107.726773,
            'AMD': 484.068111,
            'ANG': 1.770652,
            'AOA': 308.607,
            'ARS': 37.6515
            .....
        },
        '2019-01-02': {
            'AED': 3.673105,
            'AFN': 75.615,
            'ALL': 107.726773,
            'AMD': 484.068111,
            'ANG': 1.770652,
            'AOA': 308.607,
            'ARS': 37.6515
            ....
        }

The API returns multiple days of currency rates in a single response, making it easy to build applications that track currency rates over time.

Available Methods For Timeframe Endpoint

Method	Description
start_date()	The historical date you wish to receive the currency conversions from. This should be formatted as YYYY-MM-DD. Required
end_date()	The historical date you wish to receive the currency conversions until. This should be formatted as YYYY-MM-DD. Required
base()	Sets the base currency for conversions. This will output all currency conversions for that currency. Default is USD.
output()	Specifies the response format: JSON or XML. Default is JSON.

Best Practices

When using the Python SDK, follow these best practices to ensure efficient and reliable integration:

• Cache responses when possible to reduce API calls and improve performance.
• Handle exceptions to prevent your application from crashing due to unexpected errors.
• Use environment variables to store your API key securely.
• Refer to the official documentation for advanced usage and updates.