---
id: xbbg
version: "1.4.6"
license: Apache-2.0
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# xbbg — Independent client for Bloomberg-connected data workflows

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 111.6K/mo

## What it is and what it does

xbbg is an independent Bloomberg client that wraps Bloomberg's DAPI/SAPI/ZFP services with a Rust-backed engine, providing Python helpers for common request patterns (reference data, historical data, intraday bars, ticks, BQL, equity screening) plus async support and multiple output backends. It targets workflows that grow beyond simple one-off requests into streaming subscriptions, managed Bloomberg environments, and non-pandas data pipelines.

The package requires you to bring your own authorized Bloomberg access and manages the connection, request parsing, and data movement through a shared Rust engine. It supports sync and async APIs, outputs to Narwhals, native Arrow, PyArrow, pandas, Polars, DuckDB, and related libraries, and includes typed errors, diagnostics, and field lookup helpers. Configuration covers DAPI, SAPI/B-PIPE, ZFP, TLS, failover hosts, and SOCKS5.

Use it for:

- Fetch reference data (prices, fundamentals, identifiers) for multiple securities in a single call with Bloomberg-style overrides.
- Retrieve historical time series and intraday bars/ticks for backtesting or real-time analysis workflows.
- Run BQL queries, equity screens, and constituent lookups for portfolio construction and monitoring.
- Build async worker pools for concurrent Bloomberg requests in high-throughput data pipelines.
- Output Bloomberg data directly to Polars, DuckDB, or Arrow formats without pandas as an intermediate step.
- Configure and connect to managed Bloomberg environments (B-PIPE, ZFP, TLS) with automatic failover and diagnostics.

## Worth the install?

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

xbbg is a Bloomberg client for Python that provides high-level helpers for BDP, BDS, BDH, intraday bars, ticks, BQL, and related analytics, backed by a Rust engine with support for sync and async APIs and multiple output backends.

Yes, if you have Bloomberg access and need more than a basic bdp wrapper. xbbg is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and is built for workflows that scale from simple requests to streaming, async, and non-pandas data pipelines. The Rust engine and Arrow-shaped output are advantages over pure-Python alternatives. Install friction is moderate due to compiled wheels, but the dependency footprint is lean without blpapi as a hard requirement.

## Install

pip install xbbg
uv add xbbg
poetry add xbbg

## Installing xbbg

Before you install: Medium install friction due to compiled wheels for multiple Python versions (3.10–3.14) and platforms, but no direct blpapi dependency required. Active maintenance with a release 7 days ago and 759 repository stars.

License in practice: Apache-2.0 permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, making it suitable for most financial workflows.

Quickstart:

pip install xbbg

from xbbg import blp

prices = blp.bdp(["AAPL US Equity", "MSFT US Equity"], "PX_LAST")
hist = blp.bdh("SPX Index", "PX_LAST", "2024-01-01", "2024-12-31")

Requires authorized Bloomberg environment (Terminal/DAPI, SAPI/B-PIPE, or ZFP) and Bloomberg's shared runtime library (blpapi3_64.dll on Windows, libblpapi3_64.so on macOS/Linux). Linux wheels require glibc ≥ 2.28.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the Rust engine's performance advantage over pure-Python alternatives is material for typical workflows
- Whether async worker pools and isolated subscription sessions are production-tested in high-frequency scenarios
- Whether the field cache and testing helpers are documented and stable for integration testing

## Package facts

- License: Apache-2.0 (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: medium
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 111.6K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

bloomberg data api client, bdp bds bdh helpers, intraday bars ticks streaming, bql beqs equity screening, async bloomberg requests, arrow dataframe output, financial data workflows, bloomberg-api, financial-data, async-support

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