Installation

Install and configure the Autumn Python SDK

Requirements

The Autumn Python SDK requires Python 3.10 or higher.

Installation

You can install the Autumn Python SDK using your preferred Python package manager:

pip

pip install autumn-sdk

uv add autumn-sdk

poetry add autumn-sdk

The SDK uses modern Python tooling and is optimized for use with uv, a fast Python package installer and resolver.

Getting Your API Key

1. Log in to your Autumn dashboard
2. Navigate to Settings > API Keys
3. Create a new secret key or copy an existing one
4. Store it securely (we recommend using environment variables)

Never commit your secret key to version control. Always use environment variables or a secure secret management system.

Basic Setup

Create a new Python file and initialize the SDK:

from autumn_sdk import Autumn
import os

# Initialize the SDK with your secret key
client = Autumn(
    secret_key=os.getenv("AUTUMN_SECRET_KEY"),
    x_api_version="2.1"  # Optional: specify API version
)

Environment Variables

Create a .env file in your project root:

.env

AUTUMN_SECRET_KEY=sk_live_...

Then load it in your application:

from dotenv import load_dotenv
import os

load_dotenv()

client = Autumn(secret_key=os.getenv("AUTUMN_SECRET_KEY"))

Configuration Options

The SDK supports several configuration options:

from autumn_sdk import Autumn
from autumn_sdk.utils import RetryConfig, BackoffStrategy
import httpx

client = Autumn(
    # Required
    secret_key="sk_live_...",
    
    # Optional configuration
    x_api_version="2.1",              # API version (defaults to latest)
    server_url="https://api.useautumn.com",  # Custom server URL
    timeout_ms=30000,                  # Request timeout in milliseconds
    
    # Custom retry configuration
    retry_config=RetryConfig(
        strategy="backoff",
        backoff=BackoffStrategy(1, 50, 1.1, 100),
        retry_connection_errors=False
    ),
    
    # Custom HTTP client
    client=httpx.Client(headers={"x-custom-header": "value"})
)

Configuration Parameters

secret_key · string · required

Your Autumn API secret key. You can also pass a callable that returns the key for dynamic authentication.

x_api_version · string

API version to use. Defaults to the latest stable version (2.1).

server_url · string

Override the default API server URL. Useful for testing or using a proxy.

timeout_ms · int

Request timeout in milliseconds. Applied to all operations unless overridden per-request.

retry_config · RetryConfig

Custom retry configuration for failed requests. See Retries below.

client · HttpClient

Custom httpx client instance for synchronous operations.

async_client · AsyncHttpClient

Custom httpx async client instance for asynchronous operations.

Retry Configuration

The SDK automatically retries failed requests with exponential backoff. You can customize this behavior:

from autumn_sdk import Autumn
from autumn_sdk.utils import RetryConfig, BackoffStrategy

# Global retry configuration
client = Autumn(
    secret_key="sk_live_...",
    retry_config=RetryConfig(
        strategy="backoff",
        backoff=BackoffStrategy(
            initial_interval=1,      # Start with 1 second
            max_interval=50,         # Cap at 50 seconds
            exponent=1.1,            # Increase by 10% each retry
            max_elapsed_time=100     # Give up after 100 seconds
        ),
        retry_connection_errors=False
    )
)

# Per-operation retry override
from autumn_sdk.utils import RetryConfig, BackoffStrategy

res = client.check(
    customer_id="cus_123",
    feature_id="messages",
    retries=RetryConfig("backoff", BackoffStrategy(1, 30, 1.5, 60), False)
)

Resource Management

The SDK implements proper resource management using Python context managers:

from autumn_sdk import Autumn

# Synchronous context manager
with Autumn(secret_key=os.getenv("AUTUMN_SECRET_KEY")) as client:
    customer = client.customers.get_or_create(customer_id="cus_123")
    # HTTP connections are automatically closed on exit

# Async context manager
import asyncio

async def main():
    async with Autumn(secret_key=os.getenv("AUTUMN_SECRET_KEY")) as client:
        customer = await client.customers.get_or_create_async(customer_id="cus_123")
        # Async HTTP connections are automatically closed on exit

asyncio.run(main())

Always use context managers (with statement) to ensure proper cleanup of HTTP connections, especially in long-running applications.

IDE Support

The SDK includes full type hints and works great with modern IDEs:

PyCharm

For enhanced Pydantic integration in PyCharm, install the Pydantic plugin:

• PyCharm Pydantic Plugin

VS Code

VS Code provides excellent autocomplete and type checking out of the box. For the best experience:

1. Install the Python extension
2. Enable type checking in your settings.json:

{
  "python.analysis.typeCheckingMode": "basic"
}

Testing Your Installation

Verify your installation with this simple test:

test.py

from autumn_sdk import Autumn
import os

def test_installation():
    client = Autumn(secret_key=os.getenv("AUTUMN_SECRET_KEY"))
    
    # Try to get or create a test customer
    try:
        customer = client.customers.get_or_create(
            customer_id="test_customer",
            name="Test User",
            email="[e-mail]"
        )
        print(f"Success! Created customer: {customer.id}")
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Error: {e}")
        return False

if __name__ == "__main__":
    test_installation()

Run the test:

python test.py

Debugging

Enable debug logging to troubleshoot issues:

import logging
from autumn_sdk import Autumn

# Configure logging
logging.basicConfig(level=logging.DEBUG)
logger = logging.getLogger("autumn_sdk")

# Pass logger to SDK
client = Autumn(
    secret_key="sk_live_...",
    debug_logger=logger
)

# All requests and responses will be logged
res = client.check(customer_id="cus_123", feature_id="messages")

Next Steps

Usage Guide

Learn how to use the SDK for common billing and usage tracking tasks

API Reference

Explore the complete API reference