stripe-python Stripe import is very slow (Fix)

The Fix

pip install stripe==14.4.0a2

Based on closed stripe/stripe-python issue #1427 · PR/commit linked

Production note: Most teams hit this during upgrades or environment changes. Roll out with a canary and smoke critical endpoints (health, OpenAPI/docs) before 100%.

Jump to Verify Open PR/Commit

@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 from stripe import StripeClient
 from stripe.events import UnknownEventNotification
+from stripe.events import ALL_EVENT_NOTIFICATIONS
 
 from flask import Flask, request, jsonify

repro.py

from __future__ import annotations

from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Protocol, Type

from django.conf import settings

if TYPE_CHECKING:
    import stripe


class StripeTestHelpers(Protocol):
    TestClock: Type[stripe.test_helpers.TestClock]


class StripeBilling(Protocol):
    Session: Type[stripe.billing_portal.Session]


class StripeModule(Protocol):
    billing_portal: StripeBilling
    test_helpers: StripeTestHelpers
    Customer: Type[stripe.Customer]
    Invoice: Type[stripe.Invoice]
    CardError: Type[stripe.CardError]
    InvalidRequestError: Type[stripe.InvalidRequestError]
    AuthenticationError: Type[stripe.AuthenticationError]
    APIConnectionError: Type[stripe.APIConnectionError]
    StripeError: Type[stripe.StripeError]
    Subscription: Type[stripe.Subscription]
    Token: Type[stripe.Token]
    Price: Type[stripe.Price]
    BalanceTransaction: Type[stripe.BalanceTransaction]
    PaymentMethod: Type[stripe.PaymentMethod]


def get_stripe_client() -> StripeModule:
    import stripe

    stripe.api_key = settings.STRIPE_SECRET_KEY
    stripe.api_version = "2019-12-03"
    return stripe

verify

Re-run the minimal reproduction on your broken version, then apply the fix and re-run.

fix.md

Option A — Upgrade to fixed release\npip install stripe==14.4.0a2\nWhen NOT to use: This fix is not suitable for environments where import speed is not critical.\n\n

Why This Fix Works in Production

Trigger: from __future__ import annotations
Mechanism: The library's import process was inefficient, causing significant delays during startup
Why the fix works: Dramatically improves import speeds and memory usage by lazily loading most imports, addressing the performance issues raised in issue #1427. (first fixed release: 14.4.0a2).

Production impact:

If left unfixed, the same config can fail only in production (env differences), causing startup failures or partial feature outages.

Why This Breaks in Prod

Shows up under Python 3.13 in real deployments (not just unit tests).
The library's import process was inefficient, causing significant delays during startup
Surfaces as: from __future__ import annotations

Proof / Evidence

GitHub issue: #1427
Fix PR: https://github.com/stripe/stripe-python/pull/1645
First fixed release: 14.4.0a2
Reproduced locally: No (not executed)
Last verified: 2026-02-08
Confidence: 0.95
Did this fix it?: Yes (upstream fix exists)
Own content ratio: 0.32

Discussion

High-signal excerpts from the issue thread (symptoms, repros, edge-cases).

Jump to Sources Open on GitHub

“Amazing! The only reason it's not ready for review yet is that i'm actually making it even faster 😅 Glad to hear it's working as…”

@xavdid-stripe · 2025-10-16 · confirmation · source

“We released a bunch of performance improvements in v13.1.0 which came out this week”

@xavdid-stripe · 2025-10-30 · confirmation · source

“Over 50% of start time for our app is by the stripe SDK, and like others have observed, RAM usage has crept up as the…”

@rushilsrivastava · 2025-04-04 · source

“Upgraded from an old version and got a major increase of memory usage. Tried several versions from major 9 to 12. None seemed to be…”

@bjornhol · 2025-06-12 · source

Failure Signature (Search String)

from __future__ import annotations

Error Message

Stack trace

error.txt

Error Message
-------------
from __future__ import annotations

from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Protocol, Type

from django.conf import settings

if TYPE_CHECKING:
    import stripe


class StripeTestHelpers(Protocol):
    TestClock: Type[stripe.test_helpers.TestClock]


class StripeBilling(Protocol):
    Session: Type[stripe.billing_portal.Session]


class StripeModule(Protocol):
    billing_portal: StripeBilling
    test_helpers: StripeTestHelpers
    Customer: Type[stripe.Customer]
    Invoice: Type[stripe.Invoice]
    CardError: Type[stripe.CardError]
    InvalidRequestError: Type[stripe.InvalidRequestError]
    AuthenticationError: Type[stripe.AuthenticationError]
    APIConnectionError: Type[stripe.APIConnectionError]
    StripeError: Type[stripe.StripeError]
    Subscription: Type[stripe.Subscription]
    Token: Type[stripe.Token]
    Price: Type[stripe.Price]
    BalanceTransaction: Type[stripe.BalanceTransaction]
    PaymentMethod: Type[stripe.PaymentMethod]


def get_stripe_client() -> StripeModule:
    import stripe

    stripe.api_key = settings.STRIPE_SECRET_KEY
    stripe.api_version = "2019-12-03"
    return stripe

Minimal Reproduction

repro.py

from __future__ import annotations

from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Protocol, Type

from django.conf import settings

if TYPE_CHECKING:
    import stripe


class StripeTestHelpers(Protocol):
    TestClock: Type[stripe.test_helpers.TestClock]


class StripeBilling(Protocol):
    Session: Type[stripe.billing_portal.Session]


class StripeModule(Protocol):
    billing_portal: StripeBilling
    test_helpers: StripeTestHelpers
    Customer: Type[stripe.Customer]
    Invoice: Type[stripe.Invoice]
    CardError: Type[stripe.CardError]
    InvalidRequestError: Type[stripe.InvalidRequestError]
    AuthenticationError: Type[stripe.AuthenticationError]
    APIConnectionError: Type[stripe.APIConnectionError]
    StripeError: Type[stripe.StripeError]
    Subscription: Type[stripe.Subscription]
    Token: Type[stripe.Token]
    Price: Type[stripe.Price]
    BalanceTransaction: Type[stripe.BalanceTransaction]
    PaymentMethod: Type[stripe.PaymentMethod]


def get_stripe_client() -> StripeModule:
    import stripe

    stripe.api_key = settings.STRIPE_SECRET_KEY
    stripe.api_version = "2019-12-03"
    return stripe

Environment

Python: 3.13

What Broke

Importing the library resulted in a 500ms delay, impacting serverless cold start performance.

Why It Broke

The library's import process was inefficient, causing significant delays during startup

Fix Options (Details)

Option A — Upgrade to fixed release Safe default (recommended)

pip install stripe==14.4.0a2

When NOT to use: This fix is not suitable for environments where import speed is not critical.

Use when you can deploy the upstream fix. It is usually lower-risk than long-lived workarounds.

Fix reference: https://github.com/stripe/stripe-python/pull/1645

First fixed release: 14.4.0a2

Last verified: 2026-02-08. Validate in your environment.

When NOT to Use This Fix

This fix is not suitable for environments where import speed is not critical.

Verify Fix

verify

Re-run the minimal reproduction on your broken version, then apply the fix and re-run.

Did This Fix Work in Your Case?

Quick signal helps us prioritize which fixes to verify and improve.

Prevention

Capture the exact failing error string in logs and tests so you can reproduce via a minimal script.
Pin production dependencies and upgrade only with a reproducible test that hits the failing path.

Version Compatibility Table

Version	Status
14.4.0a2	Fixed

Related Issues

No related fixes found.

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Related clusters: Data consistency Other Payments

Sources

We don’t republish the full GitHub discussion text. Use the links above for context.