---
id: krakenex
version: "2.2.2"
license: unclear
license_treatment: copyleft
maintenance: dormant
---

# krakenex — kraken.com cryptocurrency exchange API

License: copyleft · Maintenance: dormant · Downloads: 93.4K/mo

## What it is and what it does

krakenex is a lightweight Python wrapper around the Kraken cryptocurrency exchange REST API. It abstracts away HTTP request formatting and authentication, letting you call Kraken's public endpoints (market data, ticker info) and private endpoints (account balances, trading history) with simple Python method calls. The package intentionally stays minimal—it does not wrap responses into higher-level objects or provide trading logic, leaving that to libraries built on top of it.

The package depends only on requests for HTTP communication. It is designed for developers building trading bots, data analysis tools, or exchange integrations, not for end-user traders. The codebase is documented in docstrings and the repository includes examples. Given its dormant maintenance status and high install friction, it is best suited for projects where the Kraken API interface is stable and you do not expect frequent updates.

Use it for:

- Fetch real-time market data (ticker prices, order book) from Kraken for analysis or display
- Build a trading bot that places orders and manages positions on Kraken via the private API
- Integrate Kraken account data (balances, trade history) into a portfolio tracking application
- Query public market information for research or backtesting cryptocurrency trading strategies

## Worth the install?

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

Provides a minimal Python interface to the Kraken.com cryptocurrency exchange REST API, handling authentication and request formatting for both public and private endpoints.

Yes, if you need direct Kraken API access and accept the dormant maintenance status. The package is stable, has no known vulnerabilities, and a single lightweight dependency (requests). However, high install friction and lack of recent updates mean you should verify that Kraken's API has not changed significantly since the last release (2024-07-01) and consider whether a higher-level wrapper like pykrakenapi better suits your use case.

## Install

pip install krakenex
uv add krakenex
poetry add krakenex

## Installing krakenex

Before you install: Installation friction is high due to the source distribution format. The package is dormant (774 days since last release as of the fact sheet date), though the repository remains active with a last commit on 2024-07-01. Maintenance status suggests limited ongoing development.

License in practice: Licensed under LGPLv3 (copyleft). This means any derivative work or modification must also be licensed under LGPLv3, and source code must be made available. If you're building a proprietary application, you'll need to either keep your code separate or accept the copyleft obligation.

Quickstart:

pip install krakenex

import krakenex
api = krakenex.API()
result = api.query_public('Time')

Requires Python 3.3 or later. For private API access, you must provide API credentials (key and secret) to the API object.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package handles Kraken's current API rate limits and error responses correctly
- Current compatibility with modern Python versions beyond 3.6 (classifiers only list up to 3.6)
- Whether dormant status means the package is no longer maintained or simply stable

## Package facts

- License: not declared (copyleft)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: high
- Maintenance: dormant
- Downloads: 93.4K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

kraken exchange api python, cryptocurrency trading api client, kraken rest api wrapper, bitcoin exchange api, kraken authentication python, crypto market data api, exchange api integration, cryptocurrency, exchange-api, rest-client

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/krakenex) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/krakenex/)