{"id":5565,"library":"analytics-python","title":"Segment Analytics Python","description":"analytics-python is Segment's official Python client library, designed for integrating analytics into any Python application. It simplifies data collection and routing to various analytics services via a single API. The library uses an internal queue for non-blocking calls, batching messages, and asynchronously flushing data to Segment's servers. Currently, this specific package (version 1.4.post1) is in maintenance mode, receiving only critical updates, with Segment recommending `segment-analytics-python` (version 2.x) for new feature support and active development.","status":"maintenance","version":"1.4.post1","language":"en","source_language":"en","source_url":"https://github.com/segmentio/analytics-python","tags":["analytics","segment","tracking","customer-data"],"install":[{"cmd":"pip install analytics-python","lang":"bash","label":"Install with pip"}],"dependencies":[{"reason":"HTTP client for making requests to the Segment API.","package":"requests","optional":false},{"reason":"Date and time utilities.","package":"python-dateutil","optional":false},{"reason":"Python 2 and 3 compatibility utilities (often a dependency of other packages, may not be explicitly listed by users).","package":"six","optional":false},{"reason":"Monotonic time for reliable timing (conditional for older Python versions).","package":"monotonic","optional":true},{"reason":"JSON Web Token implementation (used for authentication if crypto features are enabled).","package":"PyJWT","optional":true}],"imports":[{"symbol":"analytics","correct":"import segment.analytics as analytics"}],"quickstart":{"code":"import os\nimport segment.analytics as analytics\n\n# Configure with your Write Key from Segment\n# It's recommended to load this from an environment variable or secure config\nanalytics.write_key = os.environ.get('SEGMENT_WRITE_KEY', 'YOUR_SEGMENT_WRITE_KEY')\n\n# For testing, you might want to run in synchronous mode and debug\n# analytics.debug = True\n# analytics.sync_mode = True\n\n# Identify a user\nanalytics.identify('user-123', {\n    'name': 'John Doe',\n    'email': 'john.doe@example.com',\n    'plan': 'premium'\n})\n\n# Track an event\nanalytics.track('user-123', 'Signed Up', {\n    'method': 'Email',\n    'plan': 'premium'\n})\n\n# Track a page view\nanalytics.page('user-123', 'Home Page', {\n    'title': 'Welcome to our site'\n})\n\n# Group a user with a company/account\nanalytics.group('user-123', 'group-456', {\n    'name': 'Acme Corp',\n    'industry': 'Technology'\n})\n\n# Alias users\nanalytics.alias('anonymous-id', 'user-123')\n\n# Flush any buffered events before exiting (important in short-lived scripts)\nanalytics.flush()","lang":"python","description":"This quickstart demonstrates how to initialize the Segment client with a write key and send common analytics events like `identify`, `track`, `page`, `group`, and `alias`. It includes a crucial `flush()` call to ensure all events are sent, especially in applications that might terminate quickly."},"warnings":[{"fix":"Consider upgrading to `segment-analytics-python` by `pip install segment-analytics-python` and updating import paths and potentially API calls according to its documentation.","message":"The `analytics-python` library (version 1.x) is officially in maintenance mode. This means it will send data as intended but will not receive new feature support, only critical maintenance updates. Segment recommends migrating to `segment-analytics-python` (version 2.x) for active development and new features.","severity":"breaking","affected_versions":"< 2.0.0"},{"fix":"Verify destination compatibility with historical data before importing. For Google Analytics, historical data cannot be imported via this method.","message":"When performing historical data imports using the `timestamp` argument, some destinations like Google Analytics do not accept historical timestamped data, which can lead to data discrepancies or failures for specific integrations.","severity":"gotcha","affected_versions":"All versions"},{"fix":"Implement explicit `analytics.flush()` calls in application shutdown hooks or error handlers. If `sync_mode = True` is used, messages are sent immediately, but this can impact performance.","message":"In server-side applications, it is crucial to call `analytics.flush()` before the application exits or shuts down. This ensures that all buffered events are sent to Segment, preventing data loss, especially if not running in synchronous mode.","severity":"gotcha","affected_versions":"All versions"},{"fix":"Instead of setting `analytics.write_key` globally, create `analytics.Client(write_key='YOUR_KEY_1')` and `analytics.Client(write_key='YOUR_KEY_2')` instances and use them separately.","message":"If your application needs to send data to multiple Segment sources (each with a different `write_key`), you must initialize a new `Client` instance for each `write_key` to manage them independently.","severity":"gotcha","affected_versions":"All versions"}],"env_vars":null,"last_verified":"2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z","next_check":"2026-07-08T00:00:00.000Z"}