Quick Start

Go from zero to your first API call in under 60 seconds.

Prerequisites

Before continuing, make sure you have:

• Python 3.8+ installed
• StakeAPI installed (pip install stakeapi)
• A Stake.com account with an access token

Your First Script

Create a file called my_first_script.py:

import asyncio
from stakeapi import StakeAPI

async def main():
    # Replace with your actual access token
    async with StakeAPI(access_token="your_access_token_here") as client:
        
        # 1. Get your balance
        balance = await client.get_user_balance()
        print("Your Balance:")
        for currency, amount in balance["available"].items():
            if amount > 0:
                print(f"  {currency.upper()}: {amount}")
        
        # 2. Browse casino games
        games = await client.get_casino_games(category="slots")
        print(f"\nFound {len(games)} slot games!")
        for game in games[:5]:
            print(f"  - {game.name} by {game.provider}")
        
        # 3. Check sports events
        events = await client.get_sports_events(sport="football")
        print(f"\nFound {len(events)} football events!")
        for event in events[:3]:
            print(f"  - {event.home_team} vs {event.away_team}")

asyncio.run(main())

Run it:

python my_first_script.py

Using Environment Variables

For a production-ready setup, use environment variables instead of hardcoding tokens:

import asyncio
import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from stakeapi import StakeAPI

load_dotenv()  # Load from .env file

async def main():
    token = os.getenv("STAKE_ACCESS_TOKEN")
    if not token:
        print("Set STAKE_ACCESS_TOKEN environment variable!")
        return
    
    async with StakeAPI(access_token=token) as client:
        balance = await client.get_user_balance()
        print(balance)

asyncio.run(main())

Understanding the Async Pattern

StakeAPI is built with async/await for maximum performance. Here’s why:

# CORRECT — Using async context manager
async with StakeAPI(access_token=token) as client:
    result = await client.get_user_balance()

# CORRECT — Manual session management
client = StakeAPI(access_token=token)
await client._create_session()
try:
    result = await client.get_user_balance()
finally:
    await client.close()

# WRONG — Forgetting to await
async with StakeAPI(access_token=token) as client:
    result = client.get_user_balance()  # This returns a coroutine, not the result!

Multiple Concurrent Requests

One of the biggest advantages of async is making multiple requests simultaneously:

import asyncio
from stakeapi import StakeAPI

async def main():
    async with StakeAPI(access_token="your_token") as client:
        # Run 3 requests at the same time!
        balance, games, events = await asyncio.gather(
            client.get_user_balance(),
            client.get_casino_games(),
            client.get_sports_events(),
        )
        
        print(f"Balance: {balance}")
        print(f"Games: {len(games)}")
        print(f"Events: {len(events)}")

asyncio.run(main())

Error Handling

Always handle errors in production code:

import asyncio
from stakeapi import StakeAPI
from stakeapi.exceptions import (
    StakeAPIError,
    AuthenticationError,
    RateLimitError,
)

async def main():
    async with StakeAPI(access_token="your_token") as client:
        try:
            balance = await client.get_user_balance()
            print(balance)
        except AuthenticationError:
            print("Invalid or expired token. Get a new one from stake.com")
        except RateLimitError:
            print("Too many requests. Wait a moment and try again.")
        except StakeAPIError as e:
            print(f"API error: {e}")

asyncio.run(main())

What’s Next?

Now that you’ve made your first API call, explore the full power of StakeAPI:

Pro tip: Combine StakeAPI with data visualization libraries like matplotlib or plotly to create stunning dashboards of your Stake.com activity.