icp-py-core 2.0.0

Core Python SDK for the Internet Computer: agent, candid, identity, principal, certificate.

🐍 ICP-PY-CORE

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📖 About This Project

ICP-PY-CORE is a maintained and extended fork of ic-py.
This version introduces a modular architecture, protocol upgrades, and new APIs while preserving compatibility with the IC ecosystem.

Highlights:

• ✅ Modular structure under src/ (icp_agent, icp_identity, icp_candid, etc.)
• ✅ Updated boundary node v3 endpoints (/api/v3/canister/.../call)
• ✅ Optional certificate verification via blst
• ✅ Type-safe Candid encoding/decoding
• ✅ Pythonic high-level Agent.update() and Agent.query() methods

🙏 Special thanks to the original ic-py author for their foundational work.

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🔧 Installation

pip install icp-py-core

If you use the Candid parser, we pin antlr4-python3-runtime==4.9.3.
For optional certificate verification, see the blst section below.

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🚀 Key Improvements

✳️ Modular Codebase

Each component is isolated for clarity and extensibility:

src/
├── icp_agent/         # Agent & HTTP Client
├── icp_identity/      # ed25519 / secp256k1 identities
├── icp_candid/        # Candid encoder/decoder
├── icp_principal/     # Principal utilities
├── icp_certificate/   # Certificate validation
├── icp_core/          # Unified facade (one-line import)

🔗 Unified Facade (icp_core)

Import everything from a single entrypoint:

from icp_core import (
    Agent, Client,
    Identity, DelegateIdentity,
    Principal, Certificate,
    encode, decode, Types,
)

⚡ Endpoint Upgrade

All update calls now target Boundary Node v3 endpoints:
/api/v3/canister/<canister_id>/call

🔒 Certificate Verification

Certificate verification is enabled by default for security. Verifies responses via BLS12-381 signatures with blst:

# Default: verification enabled
agent.update("canister-id", "method_name", [{'type': Types.Nat, 'value': 2}])

# To disable (for compatibility/testing):
agent.update("canister-id", "method_name", [{'type': Types.Nat, 'value': 2}], verify_certificate=False)

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🧩 Example Usage

Identity

from icp_core import Identity
iden = Identity(privkey="833fe62409237b9d62ec77587520911e9a759cec1d19755b7da901b96dca3d42")
print(iden.sender().to_str())

Client & Agent

from icp_core import Agent, Client, Identity

iden = Identity()
client = Client("https://ic0.app")
agent = Agent(iden, client)

Update (auto-encode)

from icp_core import Types
result = agent.update(
    "wcrzb-2qaaa-aaaap-qhpgq-cai",
    "set",
    [{'type': Types.Nat, 'value': 2}],
    return_type=[Types.Nat],
)

Query (auto-encode empty args)

reply = agent.query("wcrzb-2qaaa-aaaap-qhpgq-cai", "get", [])
print(reply)

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🔑 Installing blst (optional)

macOS / Linux

git clone https://github.com/supranational/blst
cd blst/bindings/python

# For Apple Silicon (if needed)
# export BLST_PORTABLE=1

python3 run.me
export PYTHONPATH="$PWD:$PYTHONPATH"

Or copy to site-packages manually:

BLST_SRC="/path/to/blst/bindings/python"
PYBIN="python3"

SITE_PURE="$($PYBIN -c 'import sysconfig; print(sysconfig.get_paths()[\\"purelib\\"])')"
SITE_PLAT="$($PYBIN -c 'import sysconfig; print(sysconfig.get_paths()[\\"platlib\\"])')"

cp "$BLST_SRC/blst.py" "$SITE_PURE"/
cp "$BLST_SRC"/_blst*.so "$SITE_PLAT"/

Windows

Use WSL2 (Ubuntu) for best compatibility.

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🧠 Features

1. 🧩 Candid encode & decode
2. 🔐 ed25519 & secp256k1 identities
3. 🧾 Principal utilities (strict DER mode)
4. ⚙️ High-level canister calls via Agent
5. 🪙 Support for Ledger / Governance / Management / Cycles Wallet
6. 🔁 Sync & async APIs

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🧰 Example — End-to-End

from icp_core import Agent, Client, Identity, Types

client = Client("https://ic0.app")
iden = Identity()
agent = Agent(iden, client)

# Update (auto-encode [42], certificate verification enabled by default)
agent.update("wcrzb-2qaaa-aaaap-qhpgq-cai", "set_value", [42])

# Query (auto-encode empty args)
res = agent.query("wcrzb-2qaaa-aaaap-qhpgq-cai", "get_value", None, return_type=[Types.Nat])
print(res)

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🔄 Migration

Migrating from ic-py? See MIGRATION.md for:

• New package layout (icp_* subpackages and the icp_core facade)
• Endpoint changes (v3 call)
• Argument auto-encoding in Agent.update() / Agent.query()
• Certificate verification flag

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📝 Changelog

We maintain release notes on GitHub Releases:
https://github.com/eliezhao/icp-py-core/releases

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🗺 Roadmap

See ROADMAP.md

✅ Milestone 1: v3 endpoint migration & polling stability
✅ Milestone 2: Certificate verification with blst
🔜 Milestone 3: ICRC utilities, Candid enhancements, type reflection

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🔖 Version

• Current release: v2.0.0

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🙌 Acknowledgments

Special thanks to the IC community and contributors to the original ic-py.
icp-py-core continues this legacy with modern Python standards and long-term maintenance.