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Datadog API Client
Write and run Python scripts using the datadog-api-client library to interact with Datadog APIs. Covers logs, metrics, monitors, dashboards, incidents, APM, and all other Datadog v1/v2 endpoints.
Site: us5.datadoghq.com (set via DD_SITE env var)
Library docs: https://github.com/DataDog/datadog-api-client-python
Prerequisites
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Python 3.8+
-
datadog-api-clientlibrary installed:bashpip install datadog-api-client -
Environment variables set (
DD_API_KEY,DD_APP_KEY,DD_SITE). Add to a.envfile or shell profile — avoid pasting keys directly in your shell (they end up in shell history):bash# ~/.env.datadog or add to ~/.zshrc / ~/.bashrc export DD_API_KEY="<your-api-key>" export DD_APP_KEY="<your-app-key>" export DD_SITE="us5.datadoghq.com"Keys: go to https://ls-k.datadoghq.com/organization-settings/api-keys (or https://us5.datadoghq.com/organization-settings/api-keys). Not everyone has access to create keys — ask your Team Lead for a key or permission to create one.
IMPORTANT: Never commit API keys to version control. If using a
.envfile, ensure it's in.gitignore.
Verify setup:
bashpython3 -c " from datadog_api_client import Configuration, ApiClient from datadog_api_client.v1.api.metrics_api import MetricsApi import time c = Configuration() now = int(time.time()) with ApiClient(c) as client: resp = MetricsApi(client).query_metrics(_from=now - 60, to=now, query='avg:system.cpu.user{*}') print(f'OK: connected to {c.server_variables.get(\"site\", \"datadoghq.com\")}, got {len(resp.series)} series') "
If this fails with 403, check that DD_API_KEY and DD_APP_KEY are exported. If it hits the wrong site, check DD_SITE.
Usage Pattern
The library reads DD_API_KEY, DD_APP_KEY, and DD_SITE from environment variables automatically. No manual configuration needed:
pythonfrom datadog_api_client import Configuration, ApiClient configuration = Configuration() with ApiClient(configuration) as api_client: # use API instances here pass
Import the specific API and model classes you need from datadog_api_client.v1.api or datadog_api_client.v2.api.
Common Operations
Search Logs
pythonfrom datadog_api_client import Configuration, ApiClient from datadog_api_client.v2.api.logs_api import LogsApi from datadog_api_client.v2.model.logs_list_request import LogsListRequest from datadog_api_client.v2.model.logs_query_filter import LogsQueryFilter from datadog_api_client.v2.model.logs_sort import LogsSort configuration = Configuration() with ApiClient(configuration) as api_client: body = LogsListRequest( filter=LogsQueryFilter( query="service:my-service status:error", _from="now-1h", to="now", ), sort=LogsSort.TIMESTAMP_DESCENDING, ) response = LogsApi(api_client).list_logs(body=body) for log in response.data: print(log.attributes.message)
Query Metrics
pythonfrom datadog_api_client import Configuration, ApiClient from datadog_api_client.v1.api.metrics_api import MetricsApi import time configuration = Configuration() with ApiClient(configuration) as api_client: now = int(time.time()) response = MetricsApi(api_client).query_metrics( _from=now - 3600, to=now, query="avg:system.cpu.user{*}", ) for series in response.series: print(f"{series.scope}: {len(series.pointlist)} points")
List Monitors
pythonfrom datadog_api_client import Configuration, ApiClient from datadog_api_client.v1.api.monitors_api import MonitorsApi configuration = Configuration() with ApiClient(configuration) as api_client: monitors = MonitorsApi(api_client).list_monitors() for m in monitors: print(f"[{m.overall_state}] {m.name}")
For more examples (incidents, dashboards, pagination), see references/api-reference.md.
Notes
- The library reads
DD_API_KEY,DD_APP_KEY, andDD_SITEfrom the environment -- ensure they're set before running scripts - Use v2 APIs when available (v1 is legacy for some endpoints)
- For paginated results, prefer
list_*_with_pagination()methods to avoid silently missing data - Scripts are written and executed via the terminal -- no MCP server needed


