Alibaba Cloud SDKs
Alibaba Cloud SDKs are pre-built packages for calling Alibaba Cloud API operations. They handle authentication, request signing, and language-specific integration so you can focus on building your application instead of implementing API mechanics from scratch.
What are Alibaba Cloud SDKs?
Alibaba Cloud SDKs are packages for calling API operations of Alibaba Cloud services. SDKs are available for multiple programming languages and development frameworks, including Java, Python, Node.js, and Go.
Using an SDK instead of calling the REST API directly gives you several practical benefits:
No signing logic to implement: The SDK handles identity verification, authentication, and request signing automatically.
Faster development: Pre-built components let you call API operations in a few lines of code rather than constructing raw HTTP requests.
Consistent behavior across languages: SDK behavior is standardized across all supported languages, reducing integration surprises.
For background on API operations, see the "What is Alibaba Cloud API?" section of the Overview topic.
What types of SDKs does Alibaba Cloud provide?
Alibaba Cloud SDKs fall into two types:
SDKs automatically generated by OpenAPI Portal — standardized SDKs generated from the service's registered API operations. Available for multiple programming languages. Examples: SDKs for Elastic Compute Service (ECS), ApsaraDB RDS, and networking services.
Self-developed SDKs — SDKs maintained by individual cloud services that use self-managed API gateways. These differ by service. Examples: SDKs for Object Storage Service (OSS), Simple Log Service, and Tablestore.
Due to the nature of specific cloud services, this topic does not cover self-developed SDKs used for feature integration, such as the Queen SDK for ApsaraVideo Live, the SDK for one-click logon from Phone Number Verification Service, or the terminal client for ApsaraDB for Redis.
Which type do I need?
|
My situation |
SDK type to use |
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The service I want appears in OpenAPI Portal with a Debugging button in its API reference |
Automatically generated SDK |
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The service documentation includes a section titled "Use OpenAPI" or "Integration overview" |
Automatically generated SDK |
SDKs automatically generated by OpenAPI Portal
These SDKs are generated directly from API operations registered in OpenAPI Portal. They standardize identity verification, authentication, and signing rules across all supported languages. You do not need to implement SDK logic based on the underlying cloud service — the portal generates it for you.
How to identify SDKs of this type
Open the API reference for the Alibaba Cloud service you want to use. If a Debugging button appears that links to OpenAPI Portal, the service's API operations are registered there and you can generate an SDK automatically.
Check the service documentation for sections titled Use OpenAPI or Integration overview.
A note on self-developed SDKs
A small number of Alibaba Cloud services use self-managed gateways and maintain their own self-developed SDKs. These SDKs are considerably different from automatically generated ones. Use them based on your business requirements and refer to the documentation of the corresponding service for details.
The rest of this documentation covers the technologies and integration patterns for SDKs automatically generated in OpenAPI Portal.