---
title: Python Flight SQL DBAPI client
description: The Python flightsql-dbapi library uses SQL and the Flight SQL protocol to query data stored in an InfluxDB Core database.
url: https://docs.influxdata.com/influxdb3/core/reference/client-libraries/flight/python-flightsql-dbapi/
estimated_tokens: 3665
product: InfluxDB 3 Core
version: core
---

# Python Flight SQL DBAPI client

The [Python `flightsql-dbapi` Flight SQL DBAPI library](https://github.com/influxdata/flightsql-dbapi) integrates with Python applications using SQL to query data stored in an InfluxDB 3 Core database. The `flightsql-dbapi` library uses the [Flight SQL protocol](https://arrow.apache.org/docs/format/FlightSql.html) to query and retrieve data.

#### Use InfluxDB 3 client libraries

We recommend using the [`influxdb3-python` Python client library](/influxdb3/core/reference/client-libraries/v3/python/) for integrating InfluxDB 3 with your Python application code.

[InfluxDB 3 client libraries](/influxdb3/core/reference/client-libraries/v3/) wrap Apache Arrow Flight clients and provide convenient methods for [writing](/influxdb3/core/write-data/api-client-libraries/), [querying](/influxdb3/core/query-data/execute-queries/), and processing data stored in InfluxDB 3 Core. Client libraries can query using SQL or InfluxQL.

## Installation

The [`flightsql-dbapi`](https://github.com/influxdata/flightsql-dbapi) Flight SQL library for Python provides a [DB API 2](https://peps.python.org/pep-0249/) interface and [SQLAlchemy](https://www.sqlalchemy.org/) dialect for [Flight SQL](https://arrow.apache.org/docs/format/FlightSql.html). Installing `flightsql-dbapi` also installs the [`pyarrow`](https://arrow.apache.org/docs/python/index.html) library that you’ll use for working with Arrow data.

In your terminal, use `pip` to install `flightsql-dbapi`:

```sh
pip install flightsql-dbapi
```

## Importing the module

The `flightsql-dbapi` package provides the `flightsql` module. From the module, import the `FlightSQLClient` class method:

```py
from flightsql import FlightSQLClient
```

-   `flightsql.FlightSQLClient` class: an interface for [initializing a client](#initialize-a-client) and interacting with a Flight SQL server.

## API reference

-   [Class FlightSQLClient](#class-flightsqlclient)
    -   [Syntax](#syntax)
-   [Initialize a client](#initialize-a-client)
    -   [Instance methods](#instance-methods)
    -   [FlightSQLClient.execute](#flightsqlclientexecute)
        -   [Syntax](#execute-query-syntax)
        -   [Example](#execute-query-example)
    -   [FlightSQLClient.do\_get](#flightsqlclientdo_get)
        -   [Syntax](#retrieve-data-syntax)
        -   [Example](#retrieve-data-example)

## Class FlightSQLClient

Provides an interface for [initializing a client](#initialize-a-client) and interacting with a Flight SQL server.

### Syntax

```py
__init__(self, host=None, token=None, metadata=None, features=None)
```

Initializes and returns a `FlightSQLClient` instance for interacting with the server.

## Initialize a client

The following example shows how to use Python with `flightsql-dbapi` and the *DB API 2* interface to instantiate a Flight SQL client configured for an InfluxDB database.

```py
from flightsql import FlightSQLClient

# Instantiate a FlightSQLClient configured for a database
client = FlightSQLClient(host='localhost:8181',
                        token='DATABASE_TOKEN',
                        metadata={'database': 'DATABASE_NAME'},
                        features={'metadata-reflection': 'true'})
```

Replace the following:

-   `DATABASE_TOKEN`: an InfluxDB 3 Core [database token](/influxdb3/core/admin/tokens/#database-tokens) with read permissions on the databases you want to query
-   `DATABASE_NAME`: the name of your InfluxDB 3 Core [database](/influxdb3/core/admin/databases/)

### Instance methods

### FlightSQLClient.execute

Sends a Flight SQL RPC request to execute the specified SQL Query.

#### Syntax

```py
execute(query: str, call_options: Optional[FlightSQLCallOptions] = None)
```

#### Example

```py
# Execute the query
info = client.execute("SELECT * FROM home")
```

The response contains a `flight.FlightInfo` object that contains metadata and an `endpoints: [...]` list. Each endpoint contains the following:

-   A list of addresses where you can retrieve query result data.
-   A `ticket` value that identifies the data to [retrieve](#retrieve-data-example).

### FlightSQLClient.do\_get

Passes a Flight ticket (obtained from a `FlightSQLClient.execute` response) and retrieves Arrow data identified by the ticket. Returns a `pyarrow.flight.FlightStreamReader` for streaming the data.

#### Syntax

```py
 do_get(ticket, call_options: Optional[FlightSQLCallOptions] = None)
```

#### Example

The following sample shows how to use Python with `flightsql-dbapi` and `pyarrow` to query InfluxDB and retrieve data.

```py
from flightsql import FlightSQLClient

# Instantiate a FlightSQLClient configured for a database
client = FlightSQLClient(host='localhost:8181',
    token='DATABASE_TOKEN',
    metadata={'database': 'DATABASE_NAME'},
    features={'metadata-reflection': 'true'})

# Execute the query to retrieve FlightInfo
info = client.execute("SELECT * FROM home")

# Extract the token for retrieving data
ticket = info.endpoints[0].ticket

# Use the ticket to request the Arrow data stream.
# Return a FlightStreamReader for streaming the results.
reader = client.do_get(ticket)

# Read all data to a pyarrow.Table
table = reader.read_all()

print(table)
```

`do_get(ticket)` returns a [`pyarrow.flight.FlightStreamReader`](https://arrow.apache.org/docs/python/generated/pyarrow.flight.FlightStreamReader.html) for streaming Arrow [record batches](https://arrow.apache.org/docs/python/data.html#record-batches).

To read data from the stream, call one of the following `FlightStreamReader` methods:

-   `read_all()`: Read all record batches as a [`pyarrow.Table`](https://arrow.apache.org/docs/python/generated/pyarrow.Table.html).
-   `read_chunk()`: Read the next RecordBatch and metadata.
-   `read_pandas()`: Read all record batches and convert them to a [`pandas.DataFrame`](https://pandas.pydata.org/docs/reference/frame.html).

[Flight client](/influxdb3/core/tags/flight-client/) [Python](/influxdb3/core/tags/python/) [SQL](/influxdb3/core/tags/sql/) [Flight SQL](/influxdb3/core/tags/flight-sql/)