---
name: azure-eventgrid-py
description: |
Azure Event Grid SDK for Python. Use for publishing events, handling CloudEvents, and event-driven architectures.
Triggers: "event grid", "EventGridPublisherClient", "CloudEvent", "EventGridEvent", "publish events".
license: MIT
metadata:
author: Microsoft
version: "1.0.0"
package: azure-eventgrid
---
# Azure Event Grid SDK for Python
Event routing service for building event-driven applications with pub/sub semantics.
## Installation
```bash
pip install azure-eventgrid azure-identity
```
## Environment Variables
```bash
EVENTGRID_TOPIC_ENDPOINT=https://<topic-name>.<region>.eventgrid.azure.net/api/events # Required for Event Grid topic publishing
EVENTGRID_NAMESPACE_ENDPOINT=https://<namespace>.<region>.eventgrid.azure.net # Required for namespace operations
AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS=prod # Required only if DefaultAzureCredential is used in production
```
## Authentication & Lifecycle
> **🔑 Two rules apply to every code sample below:**
>
> 1. **Prefer `DefaultAzureCredential`.** It works locally (Azure CLI / VS Code / Developer CLI) and in Azure (managed identity, workload identity) with no code change. Avoid connection strings, account/API keys — they bypass Entra audit and rotation.
> - Local dev: `DefaultAzureCredential` works as-is.
> - Production: set `AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS=prod` (or `AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS=<specific_credential>`) to constrain the credential chain to production-safe credentials.
> 2. **Wrap every client in a context manager** so HTTP transports, sockets, and token caches are released deterministically:
> - Sync: `with <Client>(...) as client:`
> - Async: `async with <Client>(...) as client:` **and** `async with DefaultAzureCredential() as credential:` (from `azure.identity.aio`)
>
> Snippets may abbreviate this setup, but production code should always follow both rules.
```python
import os
from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential, ManagedIdentityCredential
from azure.eventgrid import EventGridPublisherClient
# Local dev: DefaultAzureCredential. Production: set AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS=prod or AZURE_TOKEN_CREDENTIALS=<specific_credential>
credential = DefaultAzureCredential(require_envvar=True)
# Or use a specific credential directly in production:
# See https://learn.microsoft.com/python/api/overview/azure/identity-readme?view=azure-python#credential-classes
# credential = ManagedIdentityCredential()
endpoint = "https://<topic-name>.<region>.eventgrid.azure.net/api/events"
with EventGridPublisherClient(endpoint, credential) as client:
# Use client here (see following sections for operations)
...
```
## Event Types
| Format | Class | Use Case |
|--------|-------|----------|
| Cloud Events 1.0 | `CloudEvent` | Standard, interoperable (recommended) |
| Event Grid Schema | `EventGridEvent` | Azure-native format |
## Publish CloudEvents
```python
from azure.eventgrid import EventGridPublisherClient, CloudEvent
from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential
with EventGridPublisherClient(endpoint, DefaultAzureCredential()) as client:
# Single event
event = CloudEvent(
type="MyApp.Events.OrderCreated",
source="/myapp/orders",
data={"order_id": "12345", "amount": 99.99}
)
client.send(event)
# Multiple events
events = [
CloudEvent(
type="MyApp.Events.OrderCreated",
source="/myapp/orders",
data={"order_id": f"order-{i}"}
)
for i in range(10)
]
client.send(events)
```
## Publish EventGridEvents
```python
from azure.eventgrid import EventGridEvent
from datetime import datetime, timezone
event = EventGridEvent(
subject="/myapp/orders/12345",
event_type="MyApp.Events.OrderCreated",
data={"order_id": "12345", "amount": 99.99},
data_version="1.0"
)
client.send(event)
```
## Event Properties
### CloudEvent Properties
```python
event = CloudEvent(
type="MyApp.Events.ItemCreated", # Required: event type
source="/myapp/items", # Required: event source
data={"key": "value"}, # Event payload
subject="items/123", # Optional: subject/path
datacontenttype="application/json", # Optional: content type
dataschema="https://schema.example", # Optional: schema URL
time=datetime.now(timezone.utc), # Optional: timestamp
extensions={"custom": "value"} # Optional: custom attributes
)
```
### EventGridEvent Properties
```python
event = EventGridEvent(
subject="/myapp/items/123", # Required: subject
event_type="MyApp.ItemCreated", # Required: event type
data={"key": "value"}, # Required: event payload
data_version="1.0", # Required: schema version
topic="/subscriptions/.../topics/...", # Optional: auto-set
event_time=datetime.now(timezone.utc) # Optional: timestamp
)
```
## Async Client
```python
from azure.eventgrid.aio import EventGridPublisherClient
from azure.identity.aio import DefaultAzureCredential
async def publish_events():
credential = DefaultAzureCredential()
async with EventGridPublisherClient(endpoint, credential) as client:
event = CloudEvent(
type="MyApp.Events.Test",
source="/myapp",
data={"message": "hello"}
)
await client.send(event)
import asyncio
asyncio.run(publish_events())
```
## Namespace Topics (Event Grid Namespaces)
For Event Grid Namespaces (pull delivery):
```python
from azure.eventgrid import EventGridPublisherClient
from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential
# Namespace endpoint (different from custom topic)
namespace_endpoint = "https://<namespace>.<region>.eventgrid.azure.net"
topic_name = "my-topic"
with EventGridPublisherClient(
endpoint=namespace_endpoint,
credential=DefaultAzureCredential()
) as client:
client.send(
event,
namespace_topic=topic_name
)
```
## Best Practices
1. **Pick sync OR async and stay consistent.** Do not mix `azure.xxx` sync clients with `azure.xxx.aio` async clients in the same call path. Choose one mode per module.
2. **Always use context managers for clients and async credentials.** Wrap every client in `with Client(...) as client:` (sync) or `async with Client(...) as client:` (async). For async `DefaultAzureCredential` from `azure.identity.aio`, also use `async with credential:` so tokens and transports are cleaned up.
3. **Use `DefaultAzureCredential`** for portable auth across local dev and Azure (avoid connection strings / API keys when possible).
4. **Use CloudEvents** for new applications (industry standard)
5. **Batch events** when publishing multiple events
6. **Include meaningful subjects** for filtering
7. **Use async client** for high-throughput scenarios
8. **Handle retries** — Event Grid has built-in retry
9. **Set appropriate event types** for routing and filtering
## Reference Files
| File | Contents |
|------|----------|
| [references/capabilities.md](references/capabilities.md) | Additional non-hero capabilities, operation-group coverage, and production checklists. |
| [references/non-hero-scenarios.md](references/non-hero-scenarios.md) | Dedicated non-hero examples for secondary/advanced scenarios. |