weather-api SDKs & Libraries: Python, JavaScript, PHP (2026)

SDKs overview

weather-api provides both official Software Development Kits (SDKs) and supports various community-contributed libraries to facilitate integration with its weather data services. These SDKs are designed to abstract the underlying HTTP requests and JSON parsing, allowing developers to interact with the API using native language constructs. The primary goal of these tools is to simplify the process of fetching current weather conditions, multi-day forecasts, historical data, and air quality information, as detailed in the weather-api documentation. By utilizing an SDK, developers can reduce the boilerplate code required for API interaction, manage authentication seamlessly, and handle potential errors more robustly.

Official SDKs from weather-api are developed and maintained by the API provider, ensuring compatibility with the latest API versions and features. They typically offer structured access to all available endpoints, including those for retrieving global weather data by location coordinates, city name, or IP address. For instance, accessing current weather data often involves a single method call, with parameters for location and units (e.g., Celsius vs. Fahrenheit). This approach minimizes the learning curve associated with direct API consumption, which is often crucial for rapid application development or integrating weather data into existing systems. The availability of SDKs across popular programming languages addresses the diverse technical stacks used by developers, from web applications using JavaScript to backend services implemented in Python or PHP.

Official SDKs by language

weather-api offers official SDKs for several programming languages, targeting developers who prefer to work with idiomatic libraries. These SDKs encapsulate the API's RESTful structure, providing functions and classes that map directly to API endpoints and data models. Each SDK is designed to handle common tasks such as API key authentication, request construction, and response parsing, which helps maintain consistency and reduce the likelihood of integration errors. The following table summarizes the key official SDKs available:

These SDKs are regularly updated to reflect any changes or additions to the weather-api service. Developers can find detailed API reference documentation and usage examples for each language-specific SDK on the official weather-api documentation portal. Using an official SDK ensures that developers are working with a library that is fully supported and optimized for the weather-api ecosystem, potentially providing better performance and stability compared to generic HTTP clients or unmaintained community libraries. The emphasis on stability means these SDKs are suitable for production environments across various application types, from simple website widgets to mobile app integrations and academic projects requiring reliable weather data.

Installation

Installing weather-api's official SDKs typically follows the standard package management practices for each respective language. These methods ensure that the SDK and its dependencies are correctly configured within your development environment.

Python

For Python, the SDK is distributed via PyPI (Python Package Index). Installation generally involves using pip, Python's package installer. Open your terminal or command prompt and execute:

pip install weatherapi-python

It is recommended to install SDKs within a virtual environment to manage project-specific dependencies efficiently. For guidance on setting up virtual environments, refer to the Python venv documentation.

JavaScript (Node.js & Browser)

The JavaScript SDK is available through npm, the package manager for Node.js. It can be used in both Node.js environments and client-side web applications through module bundlers like Webpack or Rollup. To install:

npm install @weatherapi/js-sdk

Alternatively, if you are using Yarn:

yarn add @weatherapi/js-sdk

After installation, you can import the SDK into your JavaScript files using ES modules or CommonJS syntax depending on your project setup. For browser-based applications, consider how module bundling impacts the final deployment.

PHP

The PHP SDK is managed with Composer, the dependency manager for PHP. Ensure Composer is installed and configured in your project. Then, run the following command in your project's root directory:

composer require weatherapi/php-sdk

This command adds the SDK to your composer.json file and installs it into your vendor/ directory. After installation, remember to include Composer's autoloader in your PHP scripts:

require __DIR__ . '/vendor/autoload.php';

This ensures that the SDK classes are available for use in your application.

Quickstart example

This section provides basic quickstart examples for fetching current weather data using the official SDKs. These snippets demonstrate how to initialize the SDK and make a simple API call.

Python Example: Get Current Weather

This Python example uses the weatherapi-python SDK to retrieve current weather conditions for a specified location. Replace "YOUR_API_KEY" with your actual weather-api key, which you can obtain from your weather-api account dashboard.

from weatherapi_python import WeatherAPI

api_key = "YOUR_API_KEY"
weather_client = WeatherAPI(api_key)

def get_current_weather(location):
    try:
        current_weather = weather_client.current_weather(q=location)
        print(f"Current weather in {current_weather['location']['name']}, {current_weather['location']['country']}:")
        print(f"Temperature: {current_weather['current']['temp_c']}°C ({current_weather['current']['temp_f']}°F)")
        print(f"Condition: {current_weather['current']['condition']['text']}")
        print(f"Humidity: {current_weather['current']['humidity']}%")
        print(f"Wind: {current_weather['current']['wind_kph']} kph ({current_weather['current']['wind_mph']} mph) from {current_weather['current']['wind_dir']}")
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Error fetching weather: {e}")

get_current_weather("London")
get_current_weather("New York")

JavaScript Example: Get Current Weather (Node.js)

This JavaScript example demonstrates fetching current weather data using the @weatherapi/js-sdk in a Node.js environment. Ensure your API key is correctly set.

const WeatherAPI = require('@weatherapi/js-sdk').default;

const apiKey = "YOUR_API_KEY";
const weatherClient = new WeatherAPI(apiKey);

async function getCurrentWeather(location) {
  try {
    const response = await weatherClient.currentWeather({ q: location });
    console.log(`Current weather in ${response.location.name}, ${response.location.country}:`);
    console.log(`Temperature: ${response.current.temp_c}°C (${response.current.temp_f}°F)`);
    console.log(`Condition: ${response.current.condition.text}`);
    console.log(`Humidity: ${response.current.humidity}%`);
    console.log(`Wind: ${response.current.wind_kph} kph (${response.current.wind_mph} mph) from ${response.current.wind_dir}`);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error(`Error fetching weather: ${error.message}`);
  }
}

getCurrentWeather("Paris");
getCurrentWeather("Tokyo");

PHP Example: Get Current Weather

This PHP example illustrates how to use the weatherapi/php-sdk to retrieve current weather information for a specific city. Ensure Composer's autoloader is included.

<?php

require_once __DIR__ . '/vendor/autoload.php';

use WeatherAPI\WeatherAPI;

$apiKey = "YOUR_API_KEY";
$weatherClient = new WeatherAPI($apiKey);

function getCurrentWeather(WeatherAPI $client, string $location): void
{
    try {
        $response = $client->currentWeather(['q' => $location]);
        echo "Current weather in " . $response['location']['name'] . ", " . $response['location']['country'] . ":\n";
        echo "Temperature: " . $response['current']['temp_c'] . "°C (" . $response['current']['temp_f'] . "°F)\n";
        echo "Condition: " . $response['current']['condition']['text'] . "\n";
        echo "Humidity: " . $response['current']['humidity'] . "%\n";
        echo "Wind: " . $response['current']['wind_kph'] . " kph (" . $response['current']['wind_mph'] . " mph) from " . $response['current']['wind_dir'] . "\n\n";
    } catch (\Exception $e) {
        echo "Error fetching weather: " . $e->getMessage() . "\n\n";
    }
}

getCurrentWeather($weatherClient, "Berlin");
getCurrentWeather($weatherClient, "Sydney");

?>

These examples provide a foundation for integrating weather-api into your applications. Further capabilities, such as forecast data, historical data, and air quality information, are accessible through similar methods within each SDK. For advanced usage, including error handling strategies and specific endpoint parameters, consult the comprehensive weather-api API documentation.

Community libraries

Beyond the officially supported SDKs, the developer community often contributes libraries and wrappers for various programming languages and frameworks. These community-maintained resources can sometimes offer specialized features, integrations with particular frameworks, or support for languages not covered by official SDKs. While weather-api's documentation primarily focuses on its official offerings, developers can search public code repositories like GitHub or language-specific package managers (e.g., PyPI, npm, Packagist) for community-developed tools. When considering a community library, it is advisable to check its maintenance status, documentation quality, and community support. Factors such as recent updates, open issues, and the number of contributors can indicate the reliability and longevity of a third-party library. Always ensure that any community library aligns with the security best practices for API key management and data handling, as outlined by organizations like the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) on web security.

Community libraries can sometimes provide examples or abstractions tailored to specific use cases not explicitly covered by official SDKs, such as integration with specific data visualization tools or serverless function environments. However, developers should be aware that these libraries may not always keep pace with the latest API changes or offer the same level of support as official SDKs. Before committing to a community library for a critical application, review its source code and evaluate its adherence to the weather-api's API usage guidelines. Engaging with the broader developer community through forums or issue trackers associated with these libraries can also provide insights into their practical application and potential limitations.