---
title: "What tools are available to write Luminesce queries?"
slug: "what-tools-are-available-to-write-luminesce-queries"
tags: ["LumiCode", "luminesce ", "command line interface"]
updated: 2026-10-27T09:11:11Z
published: 2026-10-27T09:11:11Z
canonical: "support.lusid.com/what-tools-are-available-to-write-luminesce-queries"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.lusid.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What tools are available to write Luminesce queries?

There are multiple tools and interfaces you can use to write a [Luminesce query](/v1/docs/understanding-the-luminesce-sql-query-syntax) and analyse the results, to suit different environments and use cases.

To use any tool, you must have a Luminesce licence. [Contact technical support for a trial licence](/v1/docs/how-do-i-use-the-support-centre).

You must additionally:

1. Authenticate, which means you must have a LUSID account username and password and be able to verify your identity using an OAuth 2.0 flow (the precise nature of which depends upon the tool).
2. Have sufficient access control permissions. For evaluation purposes, it’s sufficient to assign your LUSID user the built-in lusid-administrator role, which is automatically the case if you are the domain owner. [Find out more about access control](/v1/docs/creating-policies-to-control-access-to-providers-for-different-luminesce-end-users).

For a general guide to the Luminesce platform architecture, see [this article](/v1/docs/understanding-the-luminesce-platform-architecture).

| **Tool/interface** | **Notes** | **Authentication** | **Protocol (port)** |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [LUSID web app](https://www.lusid.com/app/home) | Simple interface built into the LUSID web app itself; recommended for beginners. Returns results as exportable tables, provides a [simple charting facility](/v1/docs/getting-started-with-luminesce-retrieving-a-portfolio-valuation), and enables you to schedule queries to run at particular or regular times. | OAuth 2.0 | HTTPS (443) |
| [LumiCode](/v1/docs/introduction-to-lumicode) | A modern, highly interactive terminal tool for everything in Luminesce, and more. Use it to develop, test, visualise and export queries and their results. Almost everything the LUSID web app can do with Luminesce, and a lot more, from a command-driven terminal interface. | OAuth 2.0 | HTTPS (443) |
| [Luminesce CLI](/v1/docs/how-do-i-use-the-luminesce-cli) | Deprecated in favour of LumiCode. Runs queries given on the command line, from files or in a limited interactive mode, and exports their results in various formats. Still available for existing processes, and for connecting directly over RabbitMQ if needed. | OAuth 2.0 (+ PKI certificate in some scenarios) | HTTPS (443) (+ AMQPS (5671) in some scenarios) |
| [Luminesce REST API](https://www.lusid.com/docs/api/luminesce/intro) | You can write a custom app or script to call the REST API and return results in Excel, CSV, SQLite, JSON or pipe-delimited format. | OAuth 2.0 | HTTPS (443) |
| [Python SDK](https://github.com/finbourne/luminesce-sdk-python) and [C# SDK](https://github.com/finbourne/luminesce-sdk-csharp) | You can write a custom app or script to call an SDK, which provides convenient access to the REST API in relevant environments. | OAuth 2.0 | HTTPS (443) |
| [Lumipy](/v1/docs/how-do-i-use-lumipy-to-interact-with-luminesce) | Python SDK but *not* a wrapper around the REST API. Particular focus on data science. | OAuth 2.0 | HTTPS (443) |
| .NET API | You can write a custom app or script that calls the .NET API, either through the WebAPI or through the lower-level message broker interface; each has its pros and cons. [Contact technical support for delivery options](https://www.finbourne.com/contact). | OAuth 2.0 (+ PKI certificate for the message broker) | HTTPS (443) (+ AMQPS (5671) for the message broker) |
| [3rd party BI app](/v1/docs/how-do-i-use-bi-apps-such-as-powerbi-tableau-or-excel-to-interact-with-luminesce) | ODBC/JDBC drivers are available to support native integration with apps such as Excel, Tableau, DBeaver and Power BI. | OAuth 2.0 (+ PKI certificate in some scenarios) | HTTPS (443) (+ AMQPS (5671) in some scenarios) |