Configuration API for PubNub Python SDK

Python complete API reference for building real-time applications on PubNub, including basic usage and sample code.

Configuration

PNConfiguration instance is storage for user-provided information which describe further PubNub client behavior. Configuration instance contain additional set of properties which allow to perform precise PubNub client configuration.

Method(s)

To create configuration instance you can use the following function in the Python SDK:

pnconfig = PNConfiguration()

Properties	Type	Required	Default	Description
`subscribe_key`	String	Yes		`subscribe_key` from Admin Portal.
`publish_key`	String	Optional	`None`	`publish_key` from Admin Portal (only required if publishing).
`secret_key`	String	Optional	`None`	`secret_key` (only required for modifying/revealing access permissions)
`cipher_key`	String	Optional	`None`	If `cipher_key` is passed, all communications to/from PubNub will be encrypted.
`user_id`	String	Yes		`user_id` to use. You should set a unique `user_id` to identify the user or the device that connects to PubNub. It's a UTF-8 encoded string of up to 64 alphanumeric characters. If you don't set the `user_id`, you won't be able to connect to PubNub.
`auth_key`	String	Optional	`None`	If Access Manager is utilized, client will use this `authKey` in all restricted requests.
`ssl`	Boolean	Optional	`True`	Use `SSL`.
`connect_timeout`	Int	Optional	`5`	How long to wait before giving up connection to client.The value is in seconds.
`subscribe_request_timeout`	Int	Optional	`310`	How long to keep the `subscribe` loop running before disconnect. The value is in seconds.
`non_subscribe_request_timeout`	Int	Optional	`10`	On `non subscribe` operations, how long to wait for server response.The value is in seconds.
`filter_expression`	String	Optional	`None`	Feature to subscribe with a custom filter expression.
`heartbeat_notification_options`	PNHeartbeatNotificationOptions	Optional	`PNHeartbeatNotificationOptions.FAILURES`	`Heartbeat` notifications, by default, the SDK will alert on failed heartbeats (equivalent to: `PNHeartbeatNotificationOptions.FAILURES`). Other options such as all heartbeats (`PNHeartbeatNotificationOptions.ALL`) or no heartbeats (`PNHeartbeatNotificationOptions.NONE`) are supported.
`reconnect_policy`	PNReconnectionPolicy	Optional	`PNReconnectionPolicy.NONE`	Set to `PNReconnectionPolicy.LINEAR` for automatic reconnects. Use option `PNReconnectionPolicy.NONE` to disable automatic reconnects. Use option `PNReconnectionPolicy.EXPONENTIAL` to set exponential retry interval.
`origin`	String	Optional	`ps.pndsn.com`	Custom `origin` if needed.
`suppress_leave_events`	Boolean	Optional	`False`	If `True`, the client doesn't send presence leave events during the unsubscribe process.
`enable_subscribe`	Boolean	Optional	`True`	You can disable the `subscribe loop` if you don't need to perform subscribe operations. By default, `subscribe loop` is enabled and extra threads/loops are started. They should be explicitly stopped by `pubnub.stop()` method invocation.
`daemon`	Boolean	Optional	`False`	When set to `True`, spawned thread won't keep the application running after SIGTERM. (ctrl-c from command line, for example)
`disable_token_manager`	Boolean	Optional	`False`	When set to `True`, the Token Manager System (TMS) will be disabled. Even if there are applicable tokens, no requests will be authorized.
`use_random_initialization_vector`	Boolean	Optional	`True`	When `True` the initialization vector (IV) is random for all requests (not just for file upload). When `False` the IV is hard-coded for all requests except for file upload.
`cipher_mode`	`AES.MODE_CBC` or `AES.MODE_GCM`	Optional	`AES.MODE_CBC`	The cipher method to be used for message encryption. By default, all PubNub SDKs use CBC. ⚠️Warning! If you set the Python SDK's `cipher_mode` to GCM, ensure that all other clients can decode the message.
`fallback_cipher_mode`	`AES.MODE_CBC` or `AES.MODE_GCM`	Optional	`None`	The secondary cipher method used for message decryption. It is used if the method set in the `cipher_mode` parameter fails to decrypt the messages.
~~`uuid`~~	~~String~~	~~Yes~~		This parameter is deprecated, use `user_id` instead. `UUID` to use. You should set a unique `UUID` to identify the user or the device that connects to PubNub. If you don't set the `UUID`, you won't be able to connect to PubNub.

Disabling random initialization vector

Disable random initialization vector (IV) only for backward compatibility (<5.1.0) with existing applications. Never disable random IV on new applications.

Working with cipher mode

example

Basic Usage

Required `user_id`

Always set the user_id to uniquely identify the user or device that connects to PubNub. This user_id should be persisted, and should remain unchanged for the lifetime of the user or the device. If you don't set the user_id, you won't be able to connect to PubNub.

from pubnub.pnconfiguration import PNConfiguration
from pubnub.enums import PNHeartbeatNotificationOptions

pn_configuration = PNConfiguration()
# subscribe_key from Admin Portal
pn_configuration.subscribe_key = "my_subscribe_key" // required
# publish_key from Admin Portal (only required if publishing)
pn_configuration.publish_key = "my_publish_key"
# secret_key (only required for modifying/revealing access permissions)
pn_configuration.secret_key = "my_secret_key"
# if cipher_key is passed, all communicatons to/from pubnub will be encrypted
pn_configuration.cipher_key = "my_cipher_key"
# user ID to be used as a device identifier, won't connect if not set
pn_configuration.user_id = "my_custom_user_id"
# if Access Manager is utilized, client will use this authKey in all restricted
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Initialization

Add PubNub to your project using one of the procedures defined under How to Get It.

Description

This function is used for initializing the PubNub Client API context. This function must be called before attempting to utilize any API functionality in order to establish account level credentials such as publish_key and subscribe_key.

Method(s)

To Initialize PubNub you can use the following method(s) in the Python SDK:

pubnub = PubNub(my_pnconfig)

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`pn_configuration`	PNConfiguration	Yes	Goto Configuration for more details.

Basic Usage

Initialize the PubNub client API

Required `user_id`

from pubnub.pnconfiguration import PNConfiguration
from pubnub.pubnub import PubNub

pnconfig = PNConfiguration()
pnconfig.subscribe_key = "my_subkey"
pnconfig.publish_key = "my_pubkey"
pnconfig.ssl = True
pnconfig.user_id = "my_custom_user_id"
pubnub = PubNub(pnconfig)

Returns

It returns the PubNub instance for invoking PubNub APIs like publish(), subscribe(), history(), here_now(), etc.

Other Examples

Initialize a non-secure client

Required `user_id`

from pubnub.pnconfiguration import PNConfiguration
from pubnub.pubnub import PubNub

pnconfig = PNConfiguration()
pnconfig.subscribe_key = "my_subkey"
pnconfig.publish_key = "my_pubkey"
pnconfig.ssl = False
pnconfig.user_id = "my_custom_user_id"
pubnub = PubNub(pnconfig)

Initialization for a Read-Only client

In the case where a client will only read messages and never publish to a channel, you can simply omit the publish_key when initializing the client:

Required `user_id`

from pubnub.pnconfiguration import PNConfiguration
from pubnub.pubnub import PubNub

pnconfig = PNConfiguration()
pnconfig.subscribe_key = "my_subkey"

pubnub = PubNub(pnconfig)

Use a custom User ID

Set a custom user_id to identify your users.

Required `user_id`

from pubnub.pnconfiguration import PNConfiguration
from pubnub.pubnub import PubNub

pnconfig = PNConfiguration()

pnconfig.subscribe_key = 'mySubscribeKey'
pnconfig.publish_key = 'myPublishKey'
pnconfig.user_id = "my_custom_user_id"

pubnub = PubNub(pnconfig)

Initializing with SSL Enabled

This examples demonstrates how to enable PubNub Transport Layer Encryption with SSL. Just initialize the client with ssl set to True. The hard work is done, now the PubNub API takes care of the rest. Just subscribe and publish as usual and you are good to go.

Required `user_id`

from pubnub.pnconfiguration import PNConfiguration
from pubnub.pubnub import PubNub

pnconfig = PNConfiguration()
pnconfig.subscribe_key = "my_subkey"
pnconfig.publish_key = "my_pubkey"
pnconfig.ssl = True
pnconfig.user_id = "my_custom_user_id"
pubnub = PubNub(pnconfig)

Initializing with Access Manager

Requires Access Manager add-on

This method requires that the Access Manager add-on is enabled for your key in the Admin Portal. Read the support page on enabling add-on features on your keys.

Secure your `secret_key`

Anyone with the secret_key can grant and revoke permissions to your app. Never let your secret_key be discovered, and to only exchange it / deliver it securely. Only use the secret_key on secure server-side platforms.

When you init with secret_key, you get root permissions for the Access Manager. With this feature you don't have to grant access to your servers to access channel data. The servers get all access on all channels.

For applications that will administer Access Manager permissions, the API is initialized with the secret_key as in the following example:

Required `user_id`

from pubnub.pnconfiguration import PNConfiguration
from pubnub.pubnub import PubNub

pnconfig = PNConfiguration()
pnconfig.subscribe_key = "my_subkey"
pnconfig.publish_key = "my_pubkey"
pnconfig.secret_key = "my_secretkey"
pnconfig.user_id = "my_custom_user_id"
pnconfig.ssl = True

pubnub = PubNub(pnconfig)

Now that the pubnub object is instantiated the client will be able to access the Access Manager functions. The pubnub object will use the secret_key to sign all Access Manager messages to the PubNub Network.

Event Listeners

You can be notified of connectivity status, message and presence notifications via the listeners.

Listeners should be added before calling the method.

Add Listeners

from pubnub.callbacks import SubscribeCallback
from pubnub.enums import PNOperationType, PNStatusCategory

class MySubscribeCallback(SubscribeCallback):
    def message(self, pubnub, message):
        print("Message channel: %s" % message.channel)
        print("Message subscription: %s" % message.subscription)
        print("Message timetoken: %s" % message.timetoken)
        print("Message payload: %s" % message.message)
        print("Message publisher: %s" % message.publisher)

    def presence(self, pubnub, presence):
        # Can be join, leave, state-change, timeout, or interval
        print("Presence event: %s" % presence.event)

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Remove Listeners

my_listener = MySubscribeCallback()

pubnub.add_listener(my_listener)

# some time later
pubnub.remove_listener(my_listener)

Handling Disconnects

from pubnub.callbacks import SubscribeCallback
from pubnub.enums import PNStatusCategory

class HandleDisconnectsCallback(SubscribeCallback):
    def status(self, pubnub, status):
        if status.category == PNStatusCategory.PNUnexpectedDisconnectCategory:
            # internet got lost, do some magic and call reconnect when ready
            pubnub.reconnect()
        elif status.category == PNStatusCategory.PNTimeoutCategory:
            # do some magic and call reconnect when ready
            pubnub.reconnect()
        else:
            logger.debug(status)

    def presence(self, pubnub, presence):
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Listener status events

Category	Description
`PNTimeoutCategory`	Failure to establish a connection to PubNub due to a timeout.
`PNBadRequestCategory`	The server responded with a bad response error because the request is malformed.
`PNNetworkIssuesCategory`	A subscribe event experienced an exception when running. The SDK isn't able to reach the PubNub Data Stream Network. This may be due to many reasons, such as: the machine or device isn't connected to the internet; the internet connection has been lost; your internet service provider is having trouble; or, perhaps the SDK is behind a proxy.
`PNReconnectedCategory`	The SDK was able to reconnect to PubNub.
`PNConnectedCategory`	SDK subscribed with a new mix of channels. This is fired every time the `channel` or `channel group` mix changes.
`PNUnexpectedDisconnectCategory`	Previously started subscribe loop did fail and at this moment client disconnected from real-time data channels.
`PNUnknownCategory`	Returned when the subscriber gets a non-200 HTTP response code from the server.

SubscribeListener should not be used with high-performance sections of your app.

Filter Expression

Requires Stream Controller add-on

This method requires that the Stream Controller add-on is enabled for your key in the Admin Portal. Read the support page on enabling add-on features on your keys.

Stream filtering allows a subscriber to apply a filter to only receive messages that satisfy the conditions of the filter. The message filter is set by the subscribing client(s) but it is applied on the server side thus preventing unwanted messages (those that do not meet the conditions of the filter) from reaching the subscriber.

To set or get message filters, you can use the following methods. To learn more about filtering, refer to the Publish Messages documentation.

Method(s)

Set Filter Expression

The property accepts a string.

Get Filter Expression

The property returns a string.

Basic Usage

Set Filter Expression

Required `user_id`

from pubnub.pnconfiguration import PNConfiguration

pnconfig = PNConfiguration()
pnconfig.filter_expression = "such=wow"

Get Filter Expression

filter = pnconfig.filter_expression

Configuration​

Method(s)​

Disabling random initialization vector

Working with cipher mode

Basic Usage​

Required user_id

Initialization​

Description​

Method(s)​

Basic Usage​

Initialize the PubNub client API​

Required user_id

Returns​

Other Examples​

Initialize a non-secure client​

Required user_id

Initialization for a Read-Only client​

Required user_id

Use a custom User ID​

Required user_id

Initializing with SSL Enabled​

Required user_id

Initializing with Access Manager​

Requires Access Manager add-on

Secure your secret_key

Required user_id

Event Listeners​

Add Listeners​

Remove Listeners​

Handling Disconnects​

Listener status events​

Filter Expression​

Requires Stream Controller add-on

Method(s)​

Basic Usage​

Set Filter Expression​

Required user_id

Get Filter Expression​

Configuration

Method(s)

Basic Usage

Required `user_id`

Initialization

Description

Method(s)

Basic Usage

Initialize the PubNub client API

Required `user_id`

Returns

Other Examples

Initialize a non-secure client

Required `user_id`

Initialization for a Read-Only client

Required `user_id`

Use a custom User ID

Required `user_id`

Initializing with SSL Enabled

Required `user_id`

Initializing with Access Manager

Secure your `secret_key`

Required `user_id`

Event Listeners

Add Listeners

Remove Listeners

Handling Disconnects

Listener status events

Filter Expression

Method(s)

Basic Usage

Set Filter Expression

Required `user_id`

Get Filter Expression