Set up App and API Protection for Python in Kubernetes

Docs > Datadog Security > App and API Protection > Enabling App and API Protection > Enabling App and API Protection for Python > Set up App and API Protection for Python in Kubernetes

You can enable App and API Protection for Python services with the following setup options:

If your Python service already has APM tracing set up and running, then skip to service configuration
If your Python service doesn't have APM tracing set up, you can easily enable App and API Protection with Datadog's Automatic Installation
Otherwise, keep reading the following manual setup instructions

Overview

App and API Protection leverages the Datadog Python library to monitor and secure your Python service. The library integrates seamlessly with your existing application without requiring code changes.

For detailed compatibility information, including supported Python versions, frameworks, and deployment environments, see Python Compatibility Requirements.

This guide explains how to set up App and API Protection (AAP) for Python applications. The setup involves:

Installing the Datadog Agent
Enabling App and API Protection monitoring
Running your Python application with the Datadog Agent
Verifying the setup

Prerequisites

Kubernetes cluster
Python application containerized with Docker
kubectl configured to access your cluster
Helm (recommended for Agent installation)
Your Datadog API key
Datadog Python tracing library (see version requirements)

1. Installing the Datadog Agent

Install the Datadog Agent by following the setup instructions for Kubernetes.

2. Enabling App and API Protection monitoring

Automatically enabling App and API Protection through Remote Configuration

You can enable remote configuration on your services dashboard. Simply check the box for the service you want to enable App and API Protection for under "Activate on your APM services".

Manually enabling App and API Protection monitoring

Install the Datadog Python tracing library using an init container or in your application’s Dockerfile:

RUN pip install ddtrace

Configure and run your service with Datadog:

APM Tracing Enabled

Start your Python application with App and API Protection enabled using environment variables:

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: your-python-app
spec:
  template:
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: your-python-app
        image: your-python-app-image
        env:
        - name: DD_APPSEC_ENABLED
          value: "true"
        - name: DD_SERVICE
          value: "<MY_SERVICE>"
        - name: DD_ENV
          value: "<MY_ENV>"
        command: ["ddtrace-run", "python", "app.py"]

APM Tracing Disabled

To disable APM tracing while keeping App and API Protection enabled, you must set the APM tracing variable to false.

Start your Python application with App and API Protection enabled using environment variables:

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: your-python-app
spec:
  template:
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: your-python-app
        image: your-python-app-image
        env:
        - name: DD_APPSEC_ENABLED
          value: "true"
        - name: DD_APM_TRACING_ENABLED
          value: "false"
        - name: DD_SERVICE
          value: "<MY_SERVICE>"
        - name: DD_ENV
          value: "<MY_ENV>"
        command: ["ddtrace-run", "python", "app.py"]

3. Run your application

Apply your updated deployment:

kubectl apply -f your-deployment.yaml

4. Verify setup

To verify that App and API Protection is working correctly:

Send some traffic to your application.
Check for security signals and vulnerabilities in the Application Signals Explorer in Datadog.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues while setting up App and API Protection for your Python application, see the Python App and API Protection troubleshooting guide.