---
id: openbb-platform-api
version: "1.3.6"
license: AGPL-3.0-only
license_treatment: agpl
maintenance: active
---

# openbb-platform-api — OpenBB Platform API: Launch script and widgets builder for the Open Data Platform REST API and Workspace Backend Connector.

License: agpl · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 87.7K/mo

## What it is and what it does

OpenBB Platform API is a launcher and configuration tool that spins up a FastAPI-based REST API server for the OpenBB financial data platform. It can run either the default OpenBB Platform API or a custom FastAPI application as a backend connector for OpenBB Workspace. The package provides a command-line entry point (openbb-api) that wraps uvicorn configuration, handles widget schema generation from FastAPI endpoints, and supports SSL/TLS setup for HTTPS deployment.

The package is designed for developers building custom data backends or extending the OpenBB ecosystem. It automatically generates widget definitions from FastAPI endpoint docstrings and type hints, allowing endpoints to render as markdown, table, or metric widgets in the Workspace UI. It supports factory functions, custom instance names, and fine-grained control over which API routes are exposed to the widget builder.

Use it for:

- Launch the default OpenBB Platform API server locally for Workspace integration without writing custom code.
- Build and deploy a custom FastAPI backend that integrates with OpenBB Workspace as a data provider.
- Configure SSL/TLS certificates and uvicorn parameters (host, port, workers) for production deployment.
- Automatically generate widget schemas from FastAPI endpoints to expose data as interactive UI components.
- Exclude or filter specific API routes from the widget builder to control what appears in Workspace.

## Worth the install?

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

Launches and configures a FastAPI-based OpenBB Platform API server, or custom backend, for use as an OpenBB Workspace data integration endpoint.

Yes, if you are building or extending an OpenBB Workspace backend or need to launch the OpenBB Platform API. The package is actively maintained, has low install friction, and provides a clean CLI for server setup. The AGPL-3.0 license is a hard constraint for proprietary use; confirm compatibility with your project's licensing strategy before installing.

## Install

pip install openbb-platform-api
uv add openbb-platform-api
poetry add openbb-platform-api

## Installing openbb-platform-api

Before you install: Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel. The package is actively maintained (last commit 2026-07-30) and depends only on deepdiff and openbb-core, both standard dependencies. Requires Python 3.10 or later.

License in practice: Licensed under AGPL-3.0-only, which requires that any modifications or derivative works using this package must also be released under the same license and have source code available. This is a copyleft restriction suitable for open-source projects but may conflict with proprietary software strategies.

Quickstart:

pip install openbb-platform-api

# Launch the default OpenBB Platform API
openbb-api

# Or launch a custom FastAPI app as a backend
openbb-api --app /path/to/main.py --name app

Requires Python 3.10 or later (supports up to 3.14). The openbb-api command-line entry point depends on uvicorn being available in the environment.

Verify before relying:

- Whether deepdiff and openbb-core are lightweight or introduce significant transitive dependencies.
- Performance characteristics and resource overhead of the uvicorn server under typical financial data workloads.
- Compatibility and stability of the custom backend factory pattern with complex FastAPI applications.

## Package facts

- License: AGPL-3.0-only (agpl)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 87.7K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

fastapi server launcher, openbb platform api, custom backend fastapi, workspace data integration, api configuration tool, uvicorn wrapper, financial data backend, fastapi-server, financial-data, rest-api

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/openbb-platform-api) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/openbb-platform-api/)