{"library":"segment-analytics-python","title":"Segment Analytics Python","description":"The `segment-analytics-python` library provides a hassle-free way to integrate analytics into any Python application. It acts as an official Python client for the Segment REST API, allowing users to send customer behavioral data to Segment, which then routes it to various analytics services and data warehouses. As of version 2.3.5, the library is in maintenance mode, meaning it will continue to send data as intended but will receive no new feature support and only critical maintenance updates from Segment.","status":"maintenance","version":"2.3.5","language":"en","source_language":"en","source_url":"https://github.com/segmentio/analytics-python","tags":["analytics","event tracking","customer data","segment.io"],"install":[{"cmd":"pip install segment-analytics-python","lang":"bash","label":"Install latest version"}],"dependencies":[],"imports":[{"note":"The top-level 'analytics' module in `segment-analytics-python` should be imported as `segment.analytics` to avoid potential naming conflicts with other 'analytics' modules or local files.","wrong":"import analytics","symbol":"analytics","correct":"import segment.analytics as analytics"},{"note":"For advanced use cases like sending data to multiple Segment sources, you can initialize a new Client directly with a specific write_key.","symbol":"Client","correct":"from segment.analytics.client import Client"}],"quickstart":{"code":"import os\nimport segment.analytics as analytics\n\n# It's recommended to set the write_key via an environment variable for security\nWRITE_KEY = os.environ.get('SEGMENT_WRITE_KEY', 'YOUR_SEGMENT_WRITE_KEY')\n\nif not WRITE_KEY or WRITE_KEY == 'YOUR_SEGMENT_WRITE_KEY':\n    print(\"WARNING: SEGMENT_WRITE_KEY environment variable not set or using placeholder. Analytics calls will not be sent.\")\n    analytics.send = False # Disable sending if key is not set\nelse:\n    analytics.write_key = WRITE_KEY\n    print(f\"Segment write_key set: {analytics.write_key[:4]}...{analytics.write_key[-4:]}\")\n\n# Configure for development (optional, but recommended to see errors)\nanalytics.debug = True\ndef on_error(error, items):\n    print(f\"An error occurred with Segment: {error}. Items: {items}\")\nanalytics.on_error = on_error\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('Sign Up Completed', {\n    'method': 'email',\n    'plan': 'premium'\n})\n\n# Page view (for server-side apps, typically not directly used for web page views)\nanalytics.page('App Home', {\n    'path': '/home',\n    'title': 'Homepage'\n})\n\n# Group (associate a user with a group, e.g., a company)\nanalytics.group('user-123', 'company-456', {\n    'name': 'Acme Corp',\n    'industry': 'Software'\n})\n\n# Flush any remaining events in the queue\nanalytics.flush()\nprint(\"Segment events sent (or queued if SEND_DISABLED is not set).\")","lang":"python","description":"This quickstart demonstrates how to initialize the Segment client, identify a user, track an event, record a page view, and associate a user with a group. It includes best practices for handling the `write_key` via environment variables and setting up error handling for development. Remember to replace `YOUR_SEGMENT_WRITE_KEY` or set the `SEGMENT_WRITE_KEY` environment variable."},"warnings":[{"fix":"Continue to use the library for existing integrations, but be aware of the lack of new features. For new projects or if advanced features are required, evaluate other Segment SDKs or consider the implications of a maintenance-only library.","message":"The `segment-analytics-python` library is in maintenance mode. This means it will only receive critical bug fixes and security updates, but no new features. Users should be aware that active development has ceased.","severity":"deprecated","affected_versions":"2.x.x onwards"},{"fix":"Always call `analytics.flush()` or `analytics.shutdown()` at the end of your application's lifecycle or script to ensure all queued events are sent. For development, set `analytics.debug = True` and an `on_error` handler to catch issues.","message":"Events are batched and sent asynchronously by default. In development or for scripts that exit quickly, you might not see events sent if `analytics.flush()` or `analytics.shutdown()` are not called, or if `analytics.send = False` is set for testing.","severity":"gotcha","affected_versions":"All versions"},{"fix":"Review the official Segment Python library documentation for detailed migration guides if coming from a 1.x version. Ensure imports are updated to `import segment.analytics as analytics` and verify method signatures if you encounter errors.","message":"If you were using an older version (1.x) of `analytics-python`, some configurations or imports might have changed in version 2.x. Specifically, the recommended import path is `import segment.analytics as analytics`. Pinning dependencies to `1.X` was recommended to avoid breaking changes in the past.","severity":"breaking","affected_versions":"Migration from 1.x to 2.x"},{"fix":"Always retrieve the Segment `write_key` from a secure environment variable (e.g., `SEGMENT_WRITE_KEY`) and ensure it's correctly assigned to `analytics.write_key`. Validate that the key is present before making analytics calls.","message":"Incorrectly setting the `write_key` or not setting it at all will result in analytics events not being sent to Segment. Hardcoding the `write_key` directly in code is also a security risk.","severity":"gotcha","affected_versions":"All versions"}],"env_vars":null,"last_verified":"2026-04-05T00:00:00.000Z","next_check":"2026-07-04T00:00:00.000Z"}