My Django application uses an API which is a SOAP service. I'm currently using a python SOAP/WSDL client called SUDS. In order to use the API, I have to initialize the client and provide it with a link to the endpoint, login, API key, and password.

Simplified code that does it:

from suds.client import Client

client = Client('link.to.WSDL.endpoint')
session_id = client.service.a_log_in_service('api_key', 'login', 'password')

# the session_id is required by all other 'client.service.xxx' services

Everything works just fine, although it takes some time to initialize the client.

Now, every time I want to send a request to the API in a view, I have to initialize the client. I can't see any way to "share" the already initialized client among many views. It would be great to have the client up and running somewhere, so that any user can send an API request using it.

Once I've done the log in in a view, I can store the session_id (in a session, db, file) and use it in other views, but the client still needs to be initialized over again, which means downloading the 200-KB XML file.

Having to download 200 KB every time a user hits a button seems not right at all. Thanks in advance!