---
id: qiskit-ibm-runtime
version: "0.49.0"
license: Apache 2.0
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# qiskit-ibm-runtime — IBM Quantum client for IBM Quantum Compute (formerly Qiskit Runtime).

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 670.5K/mo

## What it is and what it does

This package is the official Python client for IBM Quantum Compute, a cloud-based service for running quantum circuits on IBM quantum processors. It provides access to Qiskit primitives—Sampler and Estimator—which are foundational building blocks for quantum algorithms. The Sampler executes circuits and returns measurement results, while the Estimator computes expectation values of quantum observables. Both primitives are optimized for IBM hardware and include built-in error suppression (dynamical decoupling, noise-aware compilation) and error mitigation (readout mitigation, zero-noise extrapolation, probabilistic error cancellation).

The package handles authentication via IBM Cloud credentials, circuit optimization for target hardware, and job submission and result retrieval. It depends on Qiskit for circuit construction, numpy and scipy for numerical operations, and IBM platform services for cloud integration. You authenticate once by saving credentials to disk or via environment variables, then instantiate a service and submit quantum jobs. The package is actively maintained, supports Python 3.10+, and has no known security vulnerabilities.

Use it for:

- Execute parameterized quantum circuits on real IBM quantum hardware with automatic error mitigation applied.
- Compute expectation values of quantum operators for variational quantum algorithms and quantum machine learning.
- Sample measurement outcomes from quantum circuits to validate quantum algorithms before scaling to larger systems.
- Develop and test quantum applications using cloud-based quantum processors without local simulator overhead.
- Integrate quantum computation into classical workflows via the Sampler and Estimator primitive interfaces.

## Worth the install?

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

Provides a Python client to access IBM Quantum Compute (formerly Qiskit Runtime), enabling execution of quantum circuits on IBM quantum hardware with built-in error suppression and mitigation.

Yes. This is the official client for IBM Quantum Compute and is essential if you need to run quantum circuits on IBM hardware. It is actively maintained, has low install friction, carries no security vulnerabilities, uses a permissive license, and provides well-documented primitives for quantum algorithm development. Install it if you have IBM Quantum Platform or IBM Cloud access and want to execute real quantum computations.

## Install

pip install qiskit-ibm-runtime
uv add qiskit-ibm-runtime
poetry add qiskit-ibm-runtime

## Installing qiskit-ibm-runtime

Before you install: Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel. Actively maintained with a recent release (4 days old) and active repository status. Depends on 12 runtime packages including qiskit, numpy, scipy, and IBM platform services—all widely used and well-maintained.

License in practice: Licensed under Apache 2.0 (permissive), allowing commercial and private use with minimal restrictions. You may use, modify, and distribute this package freely provided you include the license notice.

Quickstart:

pip install qiskit-ibm-runtime

from qiskit_ibm_runtime import QiskitRuntimeService
service = QiskitRuntimeService(channel="ibm_quantum_platform", token="YOUR_API_KEY", instance="YOUR_CRN")

Requires valid IBM Quantum Platform or IBM Cloud credentials (API token and Cloud Resource Name) to authenticate with the service.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package supports quantum simulators in addition to hardware backends.
- Performance characteristics and typical execution latency for quantum circuits.
- Specific error suppression and mitigation techniques available beyond those named in the description.

## Package facts

- License: Apache 2.0 (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 670.5K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

quantum circuit execution IBM, qiskit runtime service client, IBM quantum hardware access, quantum sampler estimator primitives, quantum error mitigation, IBM quantum compute platform, quantum circuit optimization, quantum-computing, ibm-cloud, primitives

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