---
id: ouster-sdk
version: "1.0.1"
license: BSD-3-Clause AND Ouster-Freeware-EULA (See project links)
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# ouster-sdk — Ouster Sensor SDK

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 73.7K/mo

## What it is and what it does

Ouster SDK is a production-stable Python library for interacting with Ouster multi-beam flash lidar sensors. It handles sensor configuration, UDP data stream acquisition, recording to pcap and Open Sensor Format (OSF), and conversion of raw measurements into range/signal/reflectivity images and Cartesian point clouds. The SDK also includes visualization, mapping, pose optimization, localization, and zone monitoring tools.

The package is designed for prototyping, evaluation, and non-safety-critical applications. It provides frame-based numpy access to lidar data, a responsive pcap/sensor visualizer, and efficient projection routines. Installation is straightforward via pre-built wheels on Python 3.8 through 3.13 across Linux, macOS, and Windows; source builds are also supported on Ubuntu, Debian, and macOS.

Use it for:

- Record and playback lidar sensor data in pcap or OSF format for offline analysis and algorithm development.
- Query and configure Ouster sensor parameters programmatically via SDK interfaces.
- Convert raw lidar measurements to Cartesian point clouds for 3D scene reconstruction and visualization.
- Build robotics applications using real-time UDP lidar streams with reliable buffering.
- Visualize multi-beam flash lidar data with the built-in responsive visualizer for debugging.
- Integrate lidar data into mapping, localization, and zone monitoring workflows.

## Worth the install?

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

Ouster SDK provides Python interfaces to configure, record, and process data from Ouster lidar sensors, including point cloud projection, visualization, and multi-beam flash lidar data handling.

Yes. Ouster SDK is actively maintained (version 1.0.1 released 2026-08-13), has no known vulnerabilities, and offers production-stable interfaces for Ouster sensor integration. Medium install friction is acceptable given comprehensive pre-built wheel coverage and broad Python version support. Install if you work with Ouster lidar hardware or need to process Ouster recordings; skip if you use a different lidar vendor.

## Install

pip install ouster-sdk
uv add ouster-sdk
poetry add ouster-sdk

## Installing ouster-sdk

Before you install: Medium install friction: pre-built wheels available for Python 3.10, 3.11, 3.12, 3.13 on Linux (x86_64, ARM64), macOS 14 (x86_64, ARM64), and Windows; 17 runtime dependencies including numpy, Pillow, and flask add some weight but are widely available.

License in practice: Dual-licensed under BSD-3-Clause (source code) and Ouster-Freeware-EULA (pre-built binaries). Permissive for most use; review the freeware EULA terms for proprietary Ouster components bundled in wheels.

Quickstart:

pip install ouster-sdk

import ouster.sdk.client as client

sensor = client.Sensor.connect()
data = sensor.get_metadata()

Requires Python 3.8 or later; sensor connection requires network access to an Ouster device or a pcap/OSF recording file.

Verify before relying:

- Whether all 17 runtime dependencies are required for basic use or only for specific features like visualization or ROS integration.
- Performance characteristics and typical latency for UDP stream buffering and point cloud projection at sensor frame rates.
- Network configuration and authentication requirements for sensor connection.

## Package facts

- License: BSD-3-Clause AND Ouster-Freeware-EULA (See project links) (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: medium
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 73.7K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

lidar sensor data processing, ouster lidar python sdk, point cloud visualization, lidar pcap recording playback, sensor configuration and control, 3d lidar data conversion, flash lidar data handling, lidar-hardware, point-cloud, sensor-sdk

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