Skip to content

Installation

Requirements

  • Python 3.8 or higher
  • pip (Python package installer)

Install from PyPI

The simplest way to install the Elexon BMRS client:

pip install elexon-bmrs

Install from Source

For development or to get the latest changes:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/benjaminwatts/balancing.git
cd balancing

# Install in development mode
pip install -e .

Install with Development Dependencies

If you want to contribute or run tests:

# Clone and navigate to repository
git clone https://github.com/benjaminwatts/balancing.git
cd balancing

# Install with dev dependencies
pip install -e ".[dev]"

# Or install dev dependencies separately
pip install -r requirements-dev.txt

Verify Installation

Check that the installation was successful:

python -c "from elexon_bmrs import BMRSClient; print('✓ Installation successful!')"

You should see: 

✓ Installation successful!

It's recommended to use a virtual environment:

Using venv

# Create virtual environment
python -m venv venv

# Activate on macOS/Linux
source venv/bin/activate

# Activate on Windows
venv\Scripts\activate

# Install the package
pip install elexon-bmrs

Using conda

# Create conda environment
conda create -n bmrs python=3.11

# Activate environment
conda activate bmrs

# Install the package
pip install elexon-bmrs

Dependencies

The package automatically installs these core dependencies:

  • requests - HTTP client for API calls
  • python-dateutil - Date/time handling
  • pydantic - Data validation and type hints

Development dependencies include:

  • pytest - Testing framework
  • black - Code formatting
  • flake8 - Linting
  • mypy - Type checking
  • mkdocs-material - Documentation

Troubleshooting

SSL Certificate Errors

If you encounter SSL certificate errors:

from elexon_bmrs import BMRSClient

# Disable SSL verification (not recommended for production)
client = BMRSClient(api_key="your-key", verify_ssl=False)

Import Errors

If you get import errors, ensure you're in the correct Python environment:

# Check Python version
python --version

# Check pip version
pip --version

# List installed packages
pip list | grep elexon-bmrs

Upgrading

To upgrade to the latest version:

pip install --upgrade elexon-bmrs

Next Steps