ibmcloudant
Python client library for IBM Cloudant
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, with conditions. Install if you are building on IBM Cloudant or CouchDB and can accept a 0.x API surface that may change before 1.0. Pin your version to avoid surprises. The library is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and low install friction. Avoid if you need a stable 1.0+ contract or are evaluating multiple database clients.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Cloudant service credentials (URL and API key or username/password) set via environment variables or programmatic configuration before authentication will succeed.
- Low friction installation with a pure-Python wheel.
- Actively maintained with a release 4 days old and recent commits.
License · maintenance · safety
permissive license (permissive) — Permissive Apache license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, typical for IBM Cloud SDKs.
last release 2026-08-10 (4 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-14 · 58 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 4,527,987 downloads/mo, #2,288 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install ibmcloudant
from ibmcloudant.cloudant_v1 import CloudantV1
service = CloudantV1.new_instance()
response = service.get_all_dbs().get_result()
print(response)- Specific limitations and breaking changes planned before 1.0 release are not detailed in the excerpt.
- Performance characteristics and scalability limits for large document sets or high-throughput scenarios.
- Whether all Cloudant Gen 2 endpoints are fully supported or if workarounds are needed.
What it is and what it does
The IBM Cloudant Python SDK is an official client library that abstracts HTTP interactions with IBM Cloudant and Apache CouchDB databases. It handles authentication, automatic retries, request timeouts, and provides both object-oriented and byte-stream interfaces for document operations. The library is marked production-ready but remains at version 0.x, meaning the API may change before reaching 1.0.
Developers use it to perform standard database tasks—creating, reading, updating, and deleting documents—without manually constructing HTTP requests. It includes built-in support for pagination, changes feed following, and thread-safe client instances. The SDK integrates with IBM Cloud's authentication ecosystem and supports both IAM API keys and CouchDB session authentication.
Use it for
- Build applications that store and retrieve JSON documents in IBM Cloudant or Apache CouchDB without writing raw HTTP code.
- Implement real-time data synchronization using the built-in changes feed follower to track database mutations.
- Perform bulk document operations and stream large responses as byte content to avoid memory overhead.
- Integrate Cloudant into microservices on IBM Cloud with automatic credential management and retry logic.
- Query and paginate through large result sets with built-in pagination support.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, with conditions.
Install if you are building on IBM Cloudant or CouchDB and can accept a 0.x API surface that may change before 1.0. Pin your version to avoid surprises. The library is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and low install friction. Avoid if you need a stable 1.0+ contract or are evaluating multiple database clients.
Install
ibmcloudant on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction installation with a pure-Python wheel. Actively maintained with a release 4 days old and recent commits. Supports current Python versions (3.10–3.14). Standard IBM Cloud SDK dependencies keep the footprint manageable.
Requires Cloudant service credentials (URL and API key or username/password) set via environment variables or programmatic configuration before authentication will succeed.
License in practice
Permissive Apache license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, typical for IBM Cloud SDKs.
Quickstart
pip install ibmcloudant
from ibmcloudant.cloudant_v1 import CloudantV1
service = CloudantV1.new_instance()
response = service.get_all_dbs().get_result()
print(response)Verify before relying
- Specific limitations and breaking changes planned before 1.0 release are not detailed in the excerpt.
- Performance characteristics and scalability limits for large document sets or high-throughput scenarios.
- Whether all Cloudant Gen 2 endpoints are fully supported or if workarounds are needed.
Package facts
| License | permissive license permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.10 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 4 packagesibm_cloud_sdk_corerequestspython_dateutilPyJWT |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 4 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 4,527,987 / month, #2,288 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: Apache Software LicenseOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Topic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Application FrameworksTopic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python Modules |
Evidence: ibmcloudant-0.11.10-py3-none-any.whl
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See also cloudant · CouchDB · ibm-platform-services · ibm-vpc · apache-airflow-providers-cloudant · ibm-secrets-manager-sdk · aerospike · pydocumentdb · ibm-eventnotifications · ibm-cloud-sdk-core