# Cottontail DB gRPC Python Client
[](https://pypi.org/project/cottontaildb-client/)
[](https://github.com/Spiess/cottontaildb-python-client/actions/workflows/python-package.yml)
A Cottontail DB gRPC client for Python. Built with [Cottontail DB Proto](https://github.com/vitrivr/cottontaildb-proto)
version `0.14.3`. Comes with an interactive CLI for remote DB access.
Versions are numbered such that the first two numbers correspond with those of the compatible Cottontail DB Proto.
## Installation
Clone and install locally, or with `pip install cottontaildb-client`.
## Usage
Running the interactive CLI is as easy as `cottontaildb-client [--port PORT] host`.
Example usage in scripts:
```python
from cottontaildb_client import CottontailDBClient, Type, Literal, column_def
with CottontailDBClient('localhost', 1865) as client:
# Create schema
client.create_schema('example_schema')
# Define entity columns
columns = [
column_def('id', Type.STRING, nullable=False),
column_def('value', Type.INTEGER, nullable=True)
]
# Create entity
client.create_entity('example_schema', 'example_entity', columns)
# Insert entry
entry = {'id': Literal(stringData='test_1'), 'value': Literal(intData=1)}
client.insert('example_schema', 'example_entity', entry)
# Insert batch
columns = ['id', 'value']
values = [
[Literal(stringData='test_10'), Literal(intData=10)],
[Literal(stringData='test_20'), Literal(intData=20)],
[Literal(stringData='test_null'), Literal()]
]
client.insert_batch('example_schema', 'example_entity', columns, values)
```
## Developing
To update the gRPC client, regenerate `cottontaildb_pb2.py` and `cottontaildb_pb2_grpc.py` from the proto definitions
file in the [Cottontail DB Proto](https://github.com/vitrivr/cottontaildb-proto) repository.
The following is an approximate guide on how to do so from a terminal:
```bash
# Get the latest version of the Cottontail DB proto (and download to cottontaildb_client directory)
wget https://github.com/vitrivr/cottontaildb-proto/raw/master/src/main/protobuf/cottontail.proto -P ./cottontaildb_client/
# Install necessary python packages
pip install grpcio grpcio-tools
# Generate the gRPC client
python -m grpc_tools.protoc -I. --python_out=. --grpc_python_out=. ./cottontaildb_client/cottontail.proto
```
It is important that the path to the `cottontail.proto` file reflects the location of the gRPC Python files, such that
the imports can be generated correctly.