--- id: azure-search version: "1.0.0b2" license: MIT License license_treatment: permissive maintenance: active --- # azure-search — Microsoft Azure Cognitive Search Client Library for Python License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 129.8K/mo ## What it is and what it does azure-search is a Python client library for Microsoft's Azure Cognitive Search service. It provides programmatic access to search indexes hosted in Azure, allowing you to execute queries, manage index documents, and interact with search configurations. The library depends on azure-core for shared Azure SDK functionality, msrest for REST operations, and compatibility shims (futures, enum34, typing) for older Python versions. This is a beta-stage library released in early 2021. It targets Python 2.7 through 3.8 and carries dependencies that suggest it was designed for backward compatibility with Python 2. The package is part of the broader Azure SDK for Python ecosystem but has not received a new release in over two years, despite the underlying repository remaining active. Use it for: - Query Azure Cognitive Search indexes from Python applications to retrieve and rank search results. - Programmatically upload and manage documents in Azure search indexes as part of data pipeline workflows. - Build search-driven features into Python web applications or services backed by Azure infrastructure. - Integrate Azure search capabilities into data analysis or machine learning pipelines that require full-text search. ## Worth the install? AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying. Provides a Python client library for interacting with Azure Cognitive Search, enabling you to query and manage search indexes in Azure. Yes, with conditions. The package has low install friction, no known vulnerabilities, and permissive licensing. However, the beta status (1.0.0b2) and absence of releases since January 2021 raise questions about production readiness and whether newer stable alternatives exist in the Azure SDK ecosystem. Verify that this version meets your feature and compatibility needs before committing to production use. ## Install pip install azure-search uv add azure-search poetry add azure-search ## Installing azure-search Before you install: Low install friction with a pure-wheel distribution. The package is actively maintained with recent commits, though it has not received a release in over two years despite active repository development. License in practice: MIT License permits commercial use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions, making it suitable for most production scenarios. Quickstart: pip install azure-search==1.0.0b2 from azure.search import SearchServiceClient from azure.core.credentials import AzureKeyCredential client = SearchServiceClient(endpoint='https://.search.windows.net', credential=AzureKeyCredential('')) Requires an active Azure Cognitive Search service endpoint and API key; beta version status may indicate incomplete or unstable APIs. Verify before relying: - Whether this beta version (1.0.0b2) is recommended for production use or if a stable release exists elsewhere - Current compatibility with modern Python versions beyond 3.8, given the last release was in January 2021 - Whether the package is superseded by newer Azure SDK libraries in the azure-search-documents namespace ## Package facts - License: MIT License (permissive) - Python support: unspecified - Install friction: low - Maintenance: active - Downloads: 129.8K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI) - Known vulnerabilities: none known ## Tags azure cognitive search python client, azure search sdk, search index management azure, azure search queries, python azure search library, azure-sdk, search-client [View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/azure-search) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/azure-search/)