How do I get exchange rates in Python?

[cahthuranag]

What's the easiest way to fetch currency exchange rates in Python? I don't want to deal with raw HTTP requests.

Answer

Install the official Python SDK:

pip install exchangerateapi

Usage:

from exchangerateapi import ExchangeRateAPI

client = ExchangeRateAPI(api_key="era_live_YOUR_KEY")

# Get latest rates
data = client.latest(base="USD", symbols=["EUR", "GBP", "JPY"])
print(data["rates"])  # {"EUR": 0.92, "GBP": 0.78, "JPY": 149.5}

# Convert amount
result = client.convert("USD", "EUR", 1000)
print(f"$1,000 = EUR {result['result']}")

# Historical rates
data = client.for_date("2026-01-15", base="USD", symbols=["EUR"])
print(data["rates"])  # {"EUR": 0.9187}

# Time series
data = client.time_series("2026-01-01", "2026-03-31", base="USD", symbols=["EUR"])

Zero dependencies — uses only Python standard library (urllib and json). Works on Python 3.8+.

Get your free API key: exchange-rateapi.com/register

[cahthuranag]

Install the official Python SDK:

pip install exchangerateapi

Usage:

from exchangerateapi import ExchangeRateAPI

client = ExchangeRateAPI(api_key="era_live_YOUR_KEY")

# Get latest rates
data = client.latest(base="USD", symbols=["EUR", "GBP", "JPY"])
print(data["rates"])  # {"EUR": 0.92, "GBP": 0.78, "JPY": 149.5}

# Convert amount
result = client.convert("USD", "EUR", 1000)
print(f"$1,000 = EUR {result['result']}")

# Historical rates
data = client.for_date("2026-01-15", base="USD", symbols=["EUR"])
print(data["rates"])  # {"EUR": 0.9187}

# Time series
data = client.time_series("2026-01-01", "2026-03-31", base="USD", symbols=["EUR"])

Zero dependencies — uses only Python standard library (urllib and json). Works on Python 3.8+.

Get your free API key: exchange-rateapi.com/register