# SDKs (/docs/sdks)



We currently support two SDKs for easy access to Global Fishing Watch API v3 — one for Python users and one for R users. Both map directly to **API version 3**, the standard since April 30, 2024.

* **[Python — `gfw-api-python-client`](/docs/sdks/python-client)** — Direct access to API v3 from Python, built for Jupyter notebooks and data scripts. Works with `pandas`, `geopandas`, and `Jupyter`.
* **[R — `gfwr`](/docs/sdks/gfwr)** — Access API v3 from R, returning results as tibbles for analysis with the tidyverse.

## Which should I use? [#which-should-i-use]

Pick the SDK that matches your workflow — Python or R. Both cover the core APIs (Vessels identity, Events, Vessel Insights, apparent Fishing Effort / 4Wings, and SAR vessel detections). Some endpoints designed primarily for frontend applications are not implemented in the SDKs; for those, call the [REST API](/docs/v3) directly with cURL or your HTTP client of choice.

For a detailed comparison of what data is available through the API Portal, `gfwr`, `gfw-api-python-client`, and the Data Downloads portal, see the <a external="true" href="/our-apis/documentation/assets/APIs_gfwr_and_Data_Downloads_Products_Differences.pdf" target="_blank">products differences PDF</a>.