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boto/botocore

Low-level Python core library that provides the AWS API client foundation under boto3 and the AWS CLI.

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What is it?

botocore is a low-level Python interface to a growing number of Amazon Web Services. It supplies the core machinery that turns AWS service definitions into callable clients, including credential and region resolution, request signing, and response parsing.

Most developers use it indirectly, through boto3 or the AWS CLI, which both build on botocore. It can also be used directly from a Python session: create a session, then create a client for a service such as EC2 and call its operations. Credentials and the default region are read from standard AWS configuration files such as ~/.aws/credentials and ~/.aws/config.

The package is published by Amazon Web Services under the Apache-2.0 license. Its Python 3.9 support ended in April 2026, so recent releases target newer Python versions.

Key features

  • 01Creates clients for AWS services from the service definitions.
  • 02Reads credentials and default region from standard AWS configuration files.
  • 03Serves as the shared core for boto3 and the AWS CLI.
  • 04Can be used directly from a Python session without boto3.

Use cases

  • Building Python tools that call AWS APIs at a low level.
  • Debugging or extending the behavior of boto3 and the AWS CLI.
  • Scripting AWS operations from a Python session.

Quick start

  1. 1

    Install botocore from PyPI with pip

    pip install botocore
  2. 2

    Configure AWS credentials in ~/.aws/credentials

  3. 3

    Set a default region in ~/.aws/config

  4. 4

    From a Python interpreter, create a session and client

Things to know

  • Low-level library; you must call AWS APIs directly, so most users will prefer boto3 for higher-level use.
  • Requires AWS credentials and an AWS account to make real API calls.
  • Maintainers have limited bandwidth to address GitHub issues.

Topics

#aws#cloud#sdk#python#api-client

FAQ

What is botocore?
Low-level Python core library that provides the AWS API client foundation under boto3 and the AWS CLI. botocore is a low-level Python interface to a growing number of Amazon Web Services. It supplies the core machinery that turns AWS service definitions into callable clients, including credential and region resolution, request signing, and response parsing.
Is botocore free to use? What license does it have?
botocore is open source under the Apache-2.0 license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is botocore still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to botocore was on Nov 5, 2026.
What can I use botocore for?
Building Python tools that call AWS APIs at a low level. Debugging or extending the behavior of boto3 and the AWS CLI. Scripting AWS operations from a Python session.
How do I install botocore?
Install botocore from PyPI with pip: pip install botocore Configure AWS credentials in ~/.aws/credentials Set a default region in ~/.aws/config From a Python interpreter, create a session and client
Where can I get botocore?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/boto/botocore

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