SDK Features

The Kount RIS Python SDK provides means for:

  • building and sending requests to the RIS service
  • client-side data verification
  • sensitive information protection.

Building requests

The SDK contains several object model classes representing different request types as well as many enumeration-like objects which can be used as request parameter values.

The Client class accomplishes client-server-client communication, secured TLS v1.2 for Python 2.7.13 and 3.6.x.

Older Python versions that do not implement TLSv1.2 will be prohibited from accessing PyPI.

See below for instructions to check your interpreter’s TLS version. To check your Python interpreter’s TLS version:

python -c "import requests; print(requests.get('https://www.howsmyssl.com/a/check', verify=False).json()['tls_version'])"

If you see TLS 1.2, your interpreter’s TLS is up to date. If you see “TLS 1.0” or an error like “tlsv1 alert protocol version”, then you must upgrade. Mac users should pay special attention. So far, the system Python shipped with MacOS does not yet support TLSv1.2 in any MacOS version. Fortunately, it’s easy to install a modern Python alongside the MacOS system Python. Either download Python 3.6 from python.org, or for Python 2.7 with the latest TLS, use Homebrew. Both methods of installing Python will continue working after June 2018.

The reason Python’s TLS implementation is falling behind on macOS is that Python continues to use OpenSSL, which Apple has stopped updating on macOS. In the coming year, the Python Packaging Authority team will investigate porting pip to Apple’s own “SecureTransport” library as an alternative to OpenSSL, which would allow old Python interpreters to use modern TLS with pip only.

Client-side data verification

The Kount RIS Python SDK provides means for validation of most of the request parameters, as well as ensuring presence of required parameters for each request type.

Sensitive information protection

The SDK utilizes specific hashing methods to encrypt and transmit sensitive client data like credit card and gift card numbers.