APIs and Bindings

KiCad IPC API The IPC API is an interface that can be used to remotely control a running instance of KiCad. This can be used to implement KiCad plug-ins as well as to interface KiCad with external software. The API is currently under development, with the plan of stabilizing the first version for KiCad 9.0. During initial development of the API, documentation and stability are not as high priorities as they will be once the API has stabilized.

HTTP Libraries HTTP libraries are a type of KiCad symbol library that sources data about parts for an external source such an ERP system. They do not contain any symbol or footprint definitions as standard KiCad libraries do. Instead, they reference to symbols and footprints found in other KiCad libraries. HTTP libraries are read only for now but will eventually support read/write in the future. At the moment only REST or REST-Like APIs are supported but support for other libraries could be added easily.

Deprecation notice The SWIG-based Python bindings in KiCad will be deprecated and removed in a future version. They will be replaced by the IPC API, which is a stable interface that is accessible from many languages including Python. The current plan is to officially deprecate the bindings in KiCad 9.0, and remove them in KiCad 10.0. This plan is subject to delay based on development timelines and community feedback. KiCad 10.