Freerouting Python Client

This library provides a convenient Python interface for interacting with the Freerouting API (api.freerouting.app). It allows you to manage routing sessions, enqueue jobs, upload designs, download results, stream progress, and monitor jobs programmatically.

Note: This client is currently in Alpha. The API and client library interface may change in future versions.

Links

• Main Freerouting Project: github.com/freerouting/freerouting
• Freerouting Website & API Access: www.freerouting.app
• Freerouting API Documentation: Freerouting API v1 Docs
• PyPI Package: pypi.org/project/freerouting-client/
• Issue Tracker: github.com/freerouting/freerouting-python-client/issues

Installation

You can install the library directly from PyPI (always installs the latest release):

pip install freerouting-client

Pin a version only when you need a reproducible environment (for example pip install "freerouting-client==<version>").

For development:

pip install -e ".[dev]"

Getting Started

You'll need an API key from the Freerouting website to use the hosted cloud API.

from freerouting import FreeroutingClient
import os

api_key = os.environ.get("FREEROUTING_API_KEY")
if not api_key:
    raise ValueError("Please set the FREEROUTING_API_KEY environment variable.")

client = FreeroutingClient(api_key=api_key)

status = client.get_system_status()
print(f"API Status: {status.get('status', 'Unknown')}")

Local / self-hosted Freerouting

When running Freerouting locally with authentication disabled, omit the API key and point the client at your local server:

client = FreeroutingClient(
    base_url="http://127.0.0.1:37864",
    version="v1",
)

Example: Running a Full Routing Job

from freerouting import FreeroutingClient, FreeroutingError

client = FreeroutingClient(api_key=os.environ["FREEROUTING_API_KEY"])

output_data = client.run_routing_job(
    name="My Python Client Test Job",
    dsn_file_path="path/to/my_board.dsn",
    settings={"max_passes": 5},
    poll_interval=10,
    output_path="routed_output.ses",
)

print(f"Output filename: {output_data.get('filename')}")

API Coverage

Area	Methods
Single-Turn Autorouting	autoroute()
System	get_system_status(), get_environment()
Sessions	create_session(), list_sessions(), get_session(), get_session_logs(), monitor_session()
Jobs	enqueue_job(), list_jobs(), list_all_jobs(), get_job(), get_effective_settings(), update_job_settings(), start_job(), cancel_job()
Input / output	upload_input(), upload_input_json(), upload_rules(), download_output(), download_output_json()
DRC & diagnostics	get_job_drc(), get_job_drc_summary()
Logs & streaming	get_job_logs(), stream_job_logs(), stream_job_output(), stream_job_output_json()
Analytics	track_user_action(), identify_user()
Workflow	run_routing_job()

Single-Turn Composite Autorouting (autoroute)

For AI agents, scripts, and headless pipelines, autoroute() runs the entire routing lifecycle in a single HTTP request:

result = client.autoroute(
    dsn_file_path="board.dsn",
    rules_file_path="board.rules",  # optional
    router_settings={"autorouter": {"max_passes": 10}},
    output_formats=["SES", "DRC_SUMMARY"],
    timeout_seconds=120,
)

print(f"Status: {result['status']}")
print(f"Unrouted connections: {result.get('unrouted_connections')}")
print(f"Clearance violations: {result.get('clearance_violations')}")
ses_content = result["outputs"]["SES"]

KiCad JSON workflow

For the KiCad IPC bridge workflow, upload raw JSON and download JSON output:

import json

with open("board.json", encoding="utf-8") as f:
    board = json.load(f)

job = client.enqueue_job("KiCad JSON test")
client.upload_input_json(job["id"], board)
client.start_job(job["id"])

# Poll with get_job(job["id"]) or stream progress:
for update in client.stream_job_output_json(job["id"]):
    print(update.get("statistics", {}))

result = client.download_output_json(job["id"], output_path="board_routed.json")

DRC Report & Diagnostic Summary

# Full or compact KiCad-compatible DRC report
drc = client.get_job_drc(job_id, compact=True)
print(f"Violations: {len(drc.get('violations', []))}")

# AI-ready root-cause diagnostic summary with congestion zones and hints
summary = client.get_job_drc_summary(job_id)
print(f"Violations count: {summary.get('clearance_violations_count')}")
for hint in summary.get("hints", []):
    print(f"Hint: {hint}")

Error Handling

The client raises typed exceptions:

• FreeroutingAuthError — invalid or missing credentials (HTTP 401/403)
• FreeroutingAPIError — other non-success API responses
• FreeroutingError — network failures and workflow errors

Contributing

Contributions to the Freerouting Python Client are welcome. Please refer to the main Freerouting Contribution Guide for general guidelines and open an issue or pull request in this repository (freerouting-python-client).

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License — see the LICENSE file for details.

Support the Main Freerouting Project

Developing and maintaining Freerouting requires significant effort. If you find the tool useful, please consider supporting its development.

Sponsor @andrasfuchs on GitHub Sponsors