Python Client Library

The python-bztcp package provides a pure-Python implementation of the Benzinga TCP protocol for streaming financial data.

GitHub Repository

View source code and contribute

Features

• Compatible with Python 2.6+ and Python 3
• No external dependencies
• Supports large messages
• Configurable retry logic with exponential backoff

Installation

Install the library using setup.py:

git clone https://github.com/Benzinga/python-bztcp.git
cd python-bztcp
python setup.py install

Quick Start

Test the client using the built-in demo:

Python 3 / 2.7+

python -m bztcp USERNAME API_KEY

With Retry Config

python -m bztcp USERNAME API_KEY RETRIES DELAY BACKOFF

Python 2.6

python -m bztcp.__main__ USERNAME API_KEY

Basic Usage

The bztcp.client.Client class handles the connection and streaming:

from __future__ import print_function
from bztcp.client import Client

client = Client(username='USERNAME', key='API_KEY')

for content in client.content_items():
    title = content.get('title', None)
    print(title)

Configuration Options

Retry Configuration

Configure retry behavior with exponential backoff:

from bztcp.client import Client

client = Client(
    username='USERNAME',
    key='API_KEY',
    retries=5,      # Maximum retry attempts
    delay=90,       # Initial delay in seconds
    backoff=2       # Backoff multiplier
)

for content in client.content_items():
    title = content.get('title', None)
    print(title)

Parameter	Description	Default
username	Your Benzinga TCP username	Required
key	Your API access key	Required
retries	Maximum number of retry attempts	-
delay	Initial delay between retries (seconds)	-
backoff	Multiplier for exponential backoff	-

Advanced Usage

Low-Level Message Handling

For granular control over connection status and individual messages:

from bztcp.client import Client, STATUS_STREAM
from bztcp.exceptions import BzException

client = Client(username='USERNAME', key='API_KEY')

while True:
    try:
        msg = client.next_msg()
        
        if msg.status == STATUS_STREAM:
            print(f"Content item: {msg.data}")
        else:
            print(f"Status: {msg.status}")
            
    except KeyboardInterrupt:
        print("Cancelled, disconnecting.")
        client.disconnect()
        break
        
    except BzException as bze:
        print(f"BZ Error: {bze}")
        break

Message Status Constants

Status	Description
STATUS_STREAM	Normal streaming content message

Key Methods

Method	Description
content_items()	Generator that yields content dictionaries
next_msg()	Returns the next raw message object
disconnect()	Gracefully disconnects from the server

Error Handling

The library raises BzException for Benzinga-specific errors:

from bztcp.exceptions import BzException

try:
    for content in client.content_items():
        process(content)
except BzException as e:
    print(f"Benzinga error: {e}")
except Exception as e:
    print(f"Unexpected error: {e}")

Complete Example

#!/usr/bin/env python
from __future__ import print_function
import json
from bztcp.client import Client

def main():
    client = Client(
        username='YOUR_USERNAME',
        key='YOUR_API_KEY',
        retries=5,
        delay=30,
        backoff=2
    )
    
    print("Starting Benzinga TCP stream...")
    
    for content in client.content_items():
        # Extract key fields
        content_id = content.get('id')
        title = content.get('title', 'No title')
        channels = content.get('channels', [])
        tickers = [t['name'] for t in content.get('tickers', [])]
        
        # Print summary
        print(f"[{content_id}] {title}")
        if channels:
            print(f"  Channels: {', '.join(channels)}")
        if tickers:
            print(f"  Tickers: {', '.join(tickers)}")
        print()

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

See Also

• Connection Guide - Server details and authentication
• Message Format - JSON structure reference
• Go Client - Alternative Go implementation