xrpl-dev-portal/content/tutorials/get-started/get-started-using-python.md

---
html: get-started-using-python.html
funnel: Build
doc_type: Tutorials
category: Get Started
blurb: Build a simple Python app that interacts with the XRP Ledger.
cta_text: Build an XRP Ledger-connected app 
filters:
    - interactive_steps
    - include_code
---

# Get Started Using Python

This tutorial walks you through the basics of building a very simple XRP Ledger-connected application using [`xrpl-py`](https://github.com/XRPLF/xrpl-py), a pure [Python](https://www.python.org) library that makes it easy to interact with the XRP Ledger using native Python models and methods.

This tutorial is intended for beginners and should take no longer than 30 minutes to complete. 

## Learning goals

In this tutorial, you'll learn: 

* The basic building blocks of XRP Ledger-based applications.
* How to connect to the XRP Ledger using `xrpl-py`.
* How to generate a wallet on the [Testnet](xrp-testnet-faucet.html) using `xrpl-py`.
* How to use the `xrpl-py` library to look up information about an account on the XRP Ledger. 
* How to put these steps together to create a simple Python app. 

## Requirements

The `xrpl-py` library supports [Python 3.7](https://www.python.org/downloads/) and later.

### Requirements for contributing to the library

If you want to contribute code to the library itself, see [CONTRIBUTING](https://github.com/XRPLF/xrpl-py/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md) in the project repo. 


## Installation

<!--{# TODO: update link to go directly to package on PyPI when it's available  #}-->

The [`xrpl-py` library](https://github.com/XRPLF/xrpl-py) is available on [PyPI](https://pypi.org/). Install with `pip`:


```py
pip3 install xrpl-py
```

## Start building
{% set n = cycler(* range(1,99)) %}

When you're working with the XRP Ledger, there are a few things you'll need to manage, whether you're adding XRP into your [wallet](wallets.html), integrating with the [decentralized exchange](decentralized-exchange.html), or [issuing tokens](issued-currencies.html). This tutorial walks you through basic patterns common to getting started with all of these use cases and provides sample code for implementing them. 

Here are the basic steps you'll need to cover for almost any XRP Ledger project:

1. [Connect to the XRP Ledger.](#connect)
1. [Generate a wallet.](#generate-wallet)
1. [Query the XRP Ledger.](#query)


### {{n.next()}}. Connect

To make queries and submit transactions, you need to establish a connection to the XRP Ledger. To do this with `xrpl-py`, use the [`xrp.clients` module](https://xrpl-py.readthedocs.io/en/latest/source/xrpl.clients.html):


{{ include_code("_code-samples/xrpl-py/get-acct-info.py", start_with="# Define the network client", end_before="# Create a wallet using the testnet faucet:", language="py") }}


### {{n.next()}}. Generate wallet

To store value and execute transactions on the XRP Ledger, you need to create a wallet: a [set of keys](cryptographic-keys.html#key-components) and an [address](accounts.html#addresses) that's been [funded with enough XRP](accounts.html#creating-accounts) to meet the [account reserve](reserves.html#reserves). The address is the identifier of your account and you use the [private key](cryptographic-keys.html#private-key) to sign transactions that you submit to the XRP Ledger. 


For testing and development purposes, you can use the [XRP Faucets](xrp-testnet-faucet.html) to generate keys and fund the account on the Testnet or Devnet. For production purposes, you should take care to store your keys and set up a [secure signing method](set-up-secure-signing.html). 


To make it easy to create a wallet on the Testnet, `xrpl-py` provides the [`generate_faucet_wallet`](https://xrpl-py.readthedocs.io/en/latest/source/xrpl.wallet.html#xrpl.wallet.generate_faucet_wallet) method:



{{ include_code("_code-samples/xrpl-py/get-acct-info.py", start_with="# Create a wallet using the testnet faucet:", end_before="# Create an account str from the wallet", language="py") }}


This method returns a [`Wallet` instance](https://xrpl-py.readthedocs.io/en/latest/source/xrpl.wallet.html#xrpl.wallet.Wallet):


```py
print(test_wallet)

# print output
seed: shrPSF6vV3v3yoND9J3NeKks6M3xd
pub_key: 022FA613294CD13FFEA759D0185007DBE763331910509EF8F1635B4F84FA08AEE3
priv_key: 00D46D49A1A260C24964E6CFD5C85308ACE958E200C14B4DCA73AA5C87288C8F6C
classic_address: raaFKKmgf6CRZttTVABeTcsqzRQ51bNR6Q
```

#### Using the wallet

In this tutorial we only query details about the generated account from the XRP Ledger, but you can use the values in the `Wallet` instance to prepare, sign, and submit transactions with `xrpl-py`.   

##### Prepare

To prepare the transaction:

```py
from xrpl.models.transactions import Payment

my_tx_payment = Payment(
    account=test_wallet.classic_address,
    amount="2200", # in drops: https://xrpl.org/basic-data-types.html#specifying-currency-amounts
    destination="rPT1Sjq2YGrBMTttX4GZHjKu9dyfzbpAYe",
    sequence=test_wallet.next_sequence_num,
)
```

##### Sign

To sign the transaction:

```py
from xrpl.transaction import send_reliable_submission

my_tx_payment_signed = safe_sign_transaction(my_tx_payment,test_wallet)
```
##### Send 

To send the transaction:

```py
from xrpl.transaction import send_reliable_submission

tx_response = send_reliable_submission(my_tx_payment, test_wallet, client)
```

##### Derive an X-address

You can use `xrpl-py`'s [`xrpl.core.addresscodec`](https://xrpl-py.readthedocs.io/en/latest/source/xrpl.core.addresscodec.html) module to derive an [X-address](https://xrpaddress.info/) from the `Wallet.classic_address` field:


{{ include_code("_code-samples/xrpl-py/get-acct-info.py", start_with="# Derive an x-address from the classic address:", end_before="# Look up info about your account", language="py") }}

The X-address format [packs the address and destination tag](https://github.com/xrp-community/standards-drafts/issues/6) into one more user-friendly value. 

### {{n.next()}}. Query

You can query the XRP Ledger to get information about [a specific account](account-methods.html), [a specific transaction](tx.html), the state of a [current or a historical ledger](ledger-methods.html), and [the XRP Ledger's decentralized exhange](path-and-order-book-methods.html). You need to make these queries, among other reasons, to look up account info to follow best practices for [reliable transaction submission](reliable-transaction-submission.html).  

Here, we'll use `xrpl-py`'s [`xrpl.account`](https://xrpl-py.readthedocs.io/en/latest/source/xrpl.account.html) module to look up information about the [wallet we generated](#generate-wallet) in the previous step. 


{{ include_code("_code-samples/xrpl-py/get-acct-info.py", start_with="# Look up info about your account", language="py")  }}



### {{n.next()}}. Putting it all together

Using these building blocks, we can create a simple Python app that:

1. Generates a wallet on the Testnet.
2. Connects to the XRP Ledger. 
3. Looks up and prints information about the account you created. 


```python
{% include '_code-samples/xrpl-py/get-acct-info.py' %}
```

To run the app, you can copy and paste the code into an editor or IDE and run it from there. Or you could download the file from the [XRP Ledger Dev Portal repo](https://github.com/ripple/ripple-dev-portal/tree/master/content/_code-samples/xrpl-py) and run it locally:


```sh
git clone git@github.com:ripple/xrpl-dev-portal.git
cd path/to/xrpl-dev-portal/content/_code-samples/xrpl-py/get-acct-info.py
python3 get-acct-info.py 
```

You should see output similar to this example:

```sh
Classic address:

 rnQLnSEA1YFMABnCMrkMWFKxnqW6sQ8EWk
X-address:

 T7dRN2ktZGYSTyEPWa9SyDevrwS5yDca4m7xfXTGM3bqff8
response.status:  ResponseStatus.SUCCESS
{
    "account_data": {
        "Account": "rnQLnSEA1YFMABnCMrkMWFKxnqW6sQ8EWk",
        "Balance": "1000000000",
        "Flags": 0,
        "LedgerEntryType": "AccountRoot",
        "OwnerCount": 0,
        "PreviousTxnID": "5A5203AFF41503539D11ADC41BE4185761C5B78B7ED382E6D001ADE83A59B8DC",
        "PreviousTxnLgrSeq": 16126889,
        "Sequence": 16126889,
        "index": "CAD0F7EF3AB91DA7A952E09D4AF62C943FC1EEE41BE926D632DDB34CAA2E0E8F"
    },
    "ledger_current_index": 16126890,
    "queue_data": {
        "txn_count": 0
    },
    "validated": false
}
```


## Keep on building

Use `xrpl-py` to:

* [Send XRP](send-xrp.html).
* [Set up secure signing](set-up-secure-signing.html) for your account.
* Set an [account flag](accountset.html#accountset-flags).
* [Create an escrow](use-escrows.html).