lakeFS Python Client (Legacy/Deprecated)

1.44.0 · deprecated · verified Thu Apr 16

This is the legacy Python client for lakeFS, an open-source data version control system. It provides direct access to the lakeFS HTTP API, automatically generated from an OpenAPI specification. As of its last release, v1.44.0, this client has reached End-of-Life (EOL) and is officially deprecated. Users are strongly advised to migrate to the newer `lakefs-sdk` (for direct API access) or `lakefs` (for a higher-level, more Pythonic interface) packages.

Common errors

```
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'lakefs_client.api'
```
cause The `lakefs-client` package is not installed or the environment is not active.

fix Ensure the package is installed: `pip install lakefs-client`.
```
lakefs_client.ApiException: (401) Reason: Unauthorized
```
cause Incorrect lakeFS access credentials (access key ID or secret access key) or an invalid host endpoint.

fix Verify that `LAKEFS_ENDPOINT`, `LAKEFS_ACCESS_KEY_ID`, and `LAKEFS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY` environment variables are correctly set, or that the `Configuration` object is initialized with valid `host`, `username`, and `password`.
```
AttributeError: 'module' object has no attribute 'Configuration'
```
cause Attempting to import `Configuration` directly from `lakefs_client` instead of accessing it as `lakefs_client.Configuration`.

fix Change `from lakefs_client import Configuration` to `import lakefs_client; configuration = lakefs_client.Configuration()`.

Warnings

breaking The `lakefs-client` package is deprecated and has reached End-of-Life (EOL) with its last release, v1.44.0. It will no longer receive updates, new features, or compatibility guarantees for future lakeFS server versions beyond 1.x.
Fix: Migrate your code to use the modern `lakefs` (High-Level SDK) or `lakefs-sdk` (Generated SDK) packages. Refer to the official lakeFS documentation for migration guides.
gotcha The `lakefs-client` SDK is auto-generated and does not offer strong interface guarantees, meaning methods and models might change between minor versions in a non-backward-compatible way for source code.
Fix: While existing programs using `lakefs-client` v1.x will continue to work with lakeFS server v1.x, any new development or updates should use `lakefs-sdk` or `lakefs` for their stability and support.
gotcha Authentication for `lakefs-client` is less flexible than newer SDKs, typically requiring explicit `username` and `password` or `api_key` configuration. It lacks automatic inference from environment variables or `~/.lakectl.yaml` files without manual setup.
Fix: Ensure `lakefs_client.Configuration` is explicitly populated with `host`, `username`, and `password` (or `access_token` for JWT). The new `lakefs` SDK handles credential discovery automatically.

Install

pip install lakefs-client Install lakefs-client

Imports

Configuration
wrong:
```
from lakefs_client import Configuration
```
correct:
```
import lakefs_client
configuration = lakefs_client.Configuration()
```
Configuration is part of the top-level `lakefs_client` module, not directly exportable.
RepositoriesApi
wrong:
```
from lakefs_client import RepositoriesApi
```
correct:
```
from lakefs_client.api import repositories_api
```
API classes are located within the `lakefs_client.api` submodule.

Repository

wrong:

from lakefs_client.models import Repository

correct:

from lakefs_client.model.repository import Repository

Models are in `lakefs_client.model`, not pluralized `models`.

Quickstart

This quickstart demonstrates how to configure the legacy `lakefs-client` and list existing repositories. It uses environment variables for host and credentials, falling back to placeholders if not set. Due to the client's deprecated status, this example serves mostly for understanding the legacy API structure.

import os
import lakefs_client
from lakefs_client.api import repositories_api

# Configure HTTP basic authorization (replace with your lakeFS endpoint and credentials)
configuration = lakefs_client.Configuration(
    host=os.environ.get('LAKEFS_ENDPOINT', 'http://localhost/api/v1'),
    username=os.environ.get('LAKEFS_ACCESS_KEY_ID', 'YOUR_ACCESS_KEY_ID'),
    password=os.environ.get('LAKEFS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY', 'YOUR_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY')
)

# Create an instance of the API class
api_client = lakefs_client.ApiClient(configuration)
api_instance = repositories_api.RepositoriesApi(api_client)

try:
    # List repositories
    repos = api_instance.list_repositories()
    print("Existing Repositories:")
    for repo in repos.results:
        print(f"- {repo.id}")
except lakefs_client.ApiException as e:
    print(f"Exception when calling RepositoriesApi->list_repositories: {e}")
    print("Make sure your lakeFS server is running and credentials are correct.")

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