Unlike many Python modules, ArcPy is not freeware and requires a licensed version of ArcGIS Desktop or ArcGIS Pro to function properly.
ArcPy is composed of a number of modules:
arcpy
— the basic functions and geoprocessing toolsarcpy.mapping
— access to mapping and map document toolsarcpy.da
— a data access module for working with feature classes and tablesarcpy.sa
— the Spatial Analyst extension modulearcpy.na
— the Network Analyst extension moduleNote: Some of these modules require additional licensing from Esri.
These can be imported all at once (import arcpy
) or individually (import arcpy.sa as sa
)