---
id: alibabacloud-tea-openapi
version: "0.4.5"
license: Apache License 2.0
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# alibabacloud-tea-openapi — Alibaba Cloud openapi SDK Library for Python

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 6.6M/mo

## What it is and what it does

This is the foundational OpenAPI client library for Alibaba Cloud services in Python. It abstracts the low-level HTTP and authentication mechanics needed to call Alibaba Cloud's OpenAPI endpoints, working in concert with the alibabacloud-credentials and alibabacloud-gateway-spi packages to handle credential resolution and request routing.

Developers use it as the base layer when building integrations with Alibaba Cloud services—typically by importing its models and utilities, then layering service-specific logic on top. It handles serialization, signing, and response parsing so you don't have to. The package is in Beta status, actively maintained, and supports Python 3.7 through 3.12.

Use it for:

- Building Python applications that call Alibaba Cloud APIs for compute, storage, or database services.
- Integrating Alibaba Cloud services into existing Python backend infrastructure or data pipelines.
- Automating Alibaba Cloud resource provisioning and management from Python scripts.
- Wrapping Alibaba Cloud APIs in higher-level Python libraries or frameworks specific to your domain.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Provides a Python SDK for calling Alibaba Cloud OpenAPI services, handling authentication, request formatting, and response parsing.

Yes, if you are building on Alibaba Cloud infrastructure. The package is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, carries a permissive license, and integrates cleanly with Alibaba's credential and gateway ecosystem. Install friction is low. Not relevant if you are not using Alibaba Cloud services.

## Install

pip install alibabacloud-tea-openapi
uv add alibabacloud-tea-openapi
poetry add alibabacloud-tea-openapi

## Installing alibabacloud-tea-openapi

Before you install: Low friction installation with a pure-Python wheel. Actively maintained as of 2026-07-14 with recent commits. Depends on five runtime packages including cryptography and Alibaba-specific credential and gateway libraries.

License in practice: Licensed under Apache License 2.0 (permissive), allowing use in commercial and open-source projects with minimal restrictions beyond attribution and liability disclaimers.

Quickstart:

pip install alibabacloud_tea_openapi

from alibabacloud_tea_openapi import models
# Use with Alibaba Cloud credential and gateway libraries to construct and send API requests

Requires Python 3.7 or later; intended for use with Alibaba Cloud services and their credential/gateway infrastructure.

Verify before relying:

- Specific OpenAPI endpoint coverage and which Alibaba Cloud services are supported by this SDK version.
- Whether this package is the recommended entry point or if service-specific SDKs are preferred for most use cases.
- Performance characteristics and rate-limiting behavior when calling high-volume Alibaba Cloud APIs.

## Package facts

- License: Apache License 2.0 (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 6.6M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

alibaba cloud api client, openapi sdk python, alibaba cloud sdk, tea openapi wrapper, aliyun api integration, cloud service client library, alibaba openapi authentication, cloud-sdk, alibaba-cloud, openapi-client

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