---
id: python-novaclient
version: "18.13.0"
license: Apache License, Version 2.0
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# python-novaclient — Client library for OpenStack Compute API

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 539.2K/mo

## What it is and what it does

python-novaclient is the official Python client library for OpenStack's Compute API (Nova). It translates Python method calls into REST API requests to an OpenStack cloud, allowing developers to programmatically create, manage, and monitor virtual machine instances, images, flavors, and other compute resources. The package implements the full OpenStack Compute API surface and is maintained as part of the OpenStack project.

The library is built on keystoneauth1 for secure authentication and uses oslo libraries for serialization and internationalization. It's designed for both direct Python integration into applications and as a dependency for higher-level OpenStack tools. The package supports Python 3.9 through 3.12 and is classified as Production/Stable.

Use it for:

- Automate provisioning and teardown of virtual machines in an OpenStack cloud from Python applications.
- Build infrastructure-as-code tools that manage compute resources programmatically rather than through the web UI.
- Query and monitor running instances, flavors, and images across an OpenStack deployment.
- Integrate OpenStack compute operations into CI/CD pipelines or orchestration frameworks.
- Develop custom management dashboards or reporting tools that interact with Nova compute services.

## Worth the install?

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

Python bindings to the OpenStack Compute API, providing programmatic access to OpenStack Nova compute resources and a command-line interface for managing instances, images, and other compute operations.

Yes, if you need to interact with OpenStack Compute (Nova) from Python. The package is actively maintained, has low install friction, carries a permissive license, and implements the full API surface. Install it when you're building applications or tools that manage OpenStack compute resources programmatically.

## Install

pip install python-novaclient
uv add python-novaclient
poetry add python-novaclient

## Installing python-novaclient

Before you install: Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel distribution. Active maintenance status with a recent release. Depends on 8 runtime packages including keystoneauth1 for authentication and oslo libraries for serialization and utilities.

License in practice: Apache License 2.0 (permissive) — you can use, modify, and distribute this package freely in commercial and open-source projects, with minimal restrictions.

Quickstart:

pip install python-novaclient

from novaclient import client

nova = client.Client('2.1', session=keystone_session)
servers = nova.servers.list()

Requires keystoneauth1 session for authentication to an OpenStack cloud; you must have credentials and access to an OpenStack deployment.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the deprecated command-line script (nova) is still actively used or if programmatic access is the primary interface.
- Performance characteristics and scalability limits when managing large numbers of compute resources.

## Package facts

- License: Apache License, Version 2.0 (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 539.2K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

openstack compute client, nova api python bindings, openstack instance management, openstack compute cli, nova client library, openstack vm management, compute resource provisioning, openstack, cloud-infrastructure, api-client

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