> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.zbdpay.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Python SDK

> Learn how to send and receive instant Bitcoin payments with Python and ZBD.

## Prerequisites

To complete this guide, you will need the following:

* [ZBD Project with a Live API key](/get-started/api-keys)
* Python 3.8 or higher

## 1. Install the ZBD Python package

Install the official ZBD Python SDK from PyPI:

```bash theme={null}
pip install zbdpay
```

## 2. Send and receive Bitcoin

Get started with just a few lines of code. Here's how to send a payment to any Lightning Address:

```python theme={null}
import os
from zbdpay import ZbdPayments

# Initialize the client
client = ZbdPayments(
    apikey=os.environ.get("ZBD_PAYMENTS_API_KEY")
)

# Send instant Bitcoin payment
response = client.lightning_address.send_payment(
    amount="500000",  # Amount in millisatoshis
    comment="Instant global payments",
    ln_address="andre@zbd.gg"
)

print(f"Payment sent! Transaction ID: {response.data.id}")
```

## 3. Create a payment request

Accept Bitcoin payments by creating a charge:

```python theme={null}
# Create a charge (payment request)
charge = client.lightning_charges.create(
    amount="100000",  # 100 satoshis
    description="Payment for your product",
    expires_in=300  # Expires in 5 minutes
)

print(f"Payment Request: {charge.data.invoice.request}")
print(f"QR Code: {charge.data.invoice.uri}")
```

You're looking for the `data.invoice.request` property in the response. It starts with `lnbc1` and is the payment request anyone in the Bitcoin Lightning Network can use to pay you.

<Info>
  Payment requests are usually shown to users as QR codes that can be scanned by mobile apps (e.g. [ZBD](https://zbd.one/download)). Read [Callbacks](/payments/api/callbacks) to understand how to receive updates about your payments asynchronously.
</Info>

## Async Support

The SDK also supports async operations for better performance:

```python theme={null}
import asyncio
from zbdpay import AsyncZbdPayments

async def main():
    client = AsyncZbdPayments(
        apikey=os.environ.get("ZBD_PAYMENTS_API_KEY")
    )
    
    # Send payment asynchronously
    await client.lightning_address.send_payment(
        amount="500000",
        comment="Async payment",
        ln_address="andre@zbd.gg"
    )

asyncio.run(main())
```

## Next Steps

Ready to dive deeper? Check out these resources:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="View SDK" icon="github" href="https://github.com/zbdpay/zbd-payments-python-sdk">
    Explore the source code and contribute to the SDK
  </Card>

  <Card title="PyPI Package" icon="python" href="https://pypi.org/project/zbdpay">
    View the official Python package on PyPI with full documentation
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Advanced Usage

For more advanced features like custom timeouts, retries, and raw response access, check out the [full documentation on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/zbdpay).