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SDKs Overview

The Trading Card API provides official Software Development Kits (SDKs) for popular programming languages. These SDKs simplify integration with the API by handling authentication, request formatting, error handling, and response parsing automatically.

Available SDKs​

PHP SDK​

Status: ✅ Available on Packagist
Minimum Version: PHP 8.1+ | Laravel 10.0+
Package: cardtechie/tradingcardapi-sdk-php

composer require cardtechie/tradingcardapi-sdk-php

Features:

  • OAuth2 authentication handling
  • Automatic token refresh
  • Built-in rate limiting
  • Comprehensive error handling
  • PSR-4 autoloading
  • Type hints and documentation

📖 View PHP SDK Documentation →

JavaScript/Node.js SDK​

Status: 🚧 Coming Soon
Planned Release: Q4 2025
Package: @tradingcardapi/sdk

Planned Features:

  • Promise-based API
  • TypeScript support
  • Browser and Node.js compatibility
  • Automatic retries
  • WebSocket support for real-time updates

Python SDK​

Status: 🚧 Coming Soon
Planned Release: Q1 2026
Package: tradingcardapi

Planned Features:

  • Async/await support
  • Type hints with mypy
  • Pandas integration for data analysis
  • CLI tools for data export
  • Jupyter notebook examples

.NET SDK​

Status: 📋 Planned
Planned Release: Q2 2026
Package: TradingCardAPI.SDK

Planned Features:

  • .NET Standard 2.0 compatibility
  • Strongly typed models
  • LINQ integration
  • Configuration binding
  • Dependency injection support

Quick Start Guide​

1. Choose Your SDK​

Select the SDK that matches your development environment:

LanguageStatusPackage ManagerInstallation Command
PHP✅ AvailableComposercomposer require cardtechie/tradingcardapi-sdk-php
JavaScript🚧 Coming Soonnpm/yarnnpm install @tradingcardapi/sdk
Python🚧 Coming Soonpippip install tradingcardapi
.NET📋 PlannedNuGetdotnet add package TradingCardAPI.SDK

2. Get API Credentials​

  1. Sign up for a Trading Card API account at tradingcardapi.com
  2. Create a new application in your dashboard
  3. Copy your client_id and client_secret

3. Install and Initialize​

Choose your language for quick start instructions:

PHP
<?php
use CardTechie\TradingCardApiSdk\Facades\TradingCardApiSdk;

// Get some cards (using Laravel facade)
$cards = TradingCardApiSdk::card()->getList(['name' => 'Pikachu']);

// Or using helper function
$cards = tradingcardapi()->card()->getList();
echo "Found " . count($cards) . " cards\n";

📖 Complete PHP Documentation →

JavaScript (Coming Soon)
const TradingCardAPI = require('@tradingcardapi/sdk');

const client = new TradingCardAPI({
  clientId: 'your_client_id',
  clientSecret: 'your_client_secret'
});

// Get some cards
const cards = await client.cards.list({ 'page[limit]': 10 });
console.log(`Found ${cards.data.length} cards`);

This SDK is planned for Q4 2025. Get notified →

Python (Coming Soon)
from tradingcardapi import Client

client = Client(
    client_id='your_client_id',
    client_secret='your_client_secret'
)

# Get some cards
cards = await client.cards.list(page_limit=10)
print(f"Found {len(cards.data)} cards")

This SDK is planned for Q1 2026. Get notified →

4. Start Building​

With your SDK installed and authenticated, you can start building:

  • Card Price Tracker: Monitor price changes for specific cards
  • Collection Manager: Track and value card collections
  • Marketplace Integration: Build buying/selling platforms
  • Data Analysis: Analyze market trends and pricing
  • Mobile Apps: Create card scanning and cataloging apps

SDK Features Comparison​

FeaturePHPJavaScriptPython.NET
OAuth2 Authentication✅🚧🚧📋
Automatic Token Refresh✅🚧🚧📋
Rate Limiting✅🚧🚧📋
Error Handling✅🚧🚧📋
Pagination Support✅🚧🚧📋
Type Safety⚠️ Partial🚧 Full🚧 Full📋 Full
Async/Await❌🚧🚧📋
WebSocket Support❌🚧❌❌
CLI Tools❌❌🚧❌

Legend: ✅ Available | 🚧 Coming Soon | 📋 Planned | ❌ Not Planned | ⚠️ Limited

Common Use Cases​

1. Price Tracking Application​

Build applications that monitor card prices over time:

// PHP Example
$tracker = new PriceTracker($client);
$priceHistory = $tracker->getCardPriceHistory('1989-upper-deck-griffey-jr');

2. Collection Management​

Create tools for collectors to manage their card collections:

// PHP Example  
$collection = new CollectionManager($client);
$value = $collection->calculateTotalValue();
echo "Collection worth: $" . number_format($value, 2);

3. Marketplace Integration​

Integrate card data into buying/selling platforms:

// PHP Example
$marketplace = new MarketplaceConnector($client);
$listings = $marketplace->syncCardListings(['category' => 'Baseball']);

4. Data Analysis​

Analyze market trends and pricing patterns:

// PHP Example
$analyzer = new MarketAnalyzer($client);
$trends = $analyzer->getYearOverYearPricing(2020, 2024);

Best Practices​

Authentication​

  • Store credentials securely: Never hardcode API credentials in source code
  • Use environment variables: Store sensitive data in environment variables
  • Rotate credentials regularly: Update your API credentials periodically

Error Handling​

  • Handle rate limits: Implement retry logic with exponential backoff
  • Log errors appropriately: Log API errors for debugging but don't expose sensitive data
  • Graceful degradation: Handle API unavailability gracefully

Performance​

  • Use pagination: Don't fetch all data at once for large datasets
  • Cache responses: Cache API responses when appropriate to reduce calls
  • Batch requests: Group related requests when possible

Data Management​

  • Validate data: Always validate API responses before using the data
  • Handle missing data: Not all cards have complete data - handle null values
  • Keep data fresh: Card prices and availability change frequently

Support and Resources​

Documentation​

Community and Support​

Updates and Announcements​

  • Blog: Follow our blog for SDK updates and releases
  • Changelog: Check individual SDK changelogs for version updates
  • Newsletter: Subscribe to our developer newsletter for important updates

Contributing​

We welcome contributions to our SDKs! Each SDK has its own repository with contribution guidelines:

SDK Development Roadmap​

Current Quarter (Q3 2025)​

  • ✅ PHP SDK v1.0 release on Packagist
  • 🚧 PHP SDK comprehensive documentation
  • 🚧 PHP SDK example applications

Q4 2025​

  • 🚧 JavaScript/Node.js SDK development
  • 🚧 TypeScript definitions and examples
  • 🚧 Browser compatibility testing

Q1 2026​

  • 📋 Python SDK development
  • 📋 Async/await implementation
  • 📋 Pandas integration for data analysis

Q2 2026​

  • 📋 .NET SDK development
  • 📋 .NET Standard 2.0 compatibility
  • 📋 Dependency injection support

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