? Python Requests Module

⚡ Quick Overview

The requests module in Python is a powerful library used to make HTTP requests. It simplifies working with web APIs, downloading content, and sending data over the internet using methods like GET and POST.

? Key Concepts

HTTP Methods: Commonly used methods are GET (fetch data) and POST (send data).
Response Object: Contains data sent back by the server (status code, headers, body, etc.).
Status Codes: Indicate the result of the request (e.g., 200 OK, 404 Not Found).
Query Parameters: Extra data sent in the URL using params.
Headers: Extra metadata (like User-Agent, Authorization) sent with the request.
Error Handling: Use exceptions and raise_for_status() to handle failures safely.

? Syntax & Theory

A typical HTTP request using requests follows this pattern:

? Basic Request Pattern

import requests

url = "https://example.com"
params = {"q": "python"}
headers = {"User-Agent": "MyApp/1.0"}

response = requests.get(url, params=params, headers=headers)

print(response.status_code)   # HTTP status code
print(response.text)          # Response body as text

? Code Examples

? Installing Requests

Install the requests module using pip:

? Install Using pip

pip install requests # Install the requests package

? Sending a GET Request

GET requests are used to fetch data from a URL.

? Simple GET Request

import requests

# Send a GET request to the GitHub API root
response = requests.get("https://api.github.com")

# Print the HTTP status code
print(response.status_code)

# Print the response body as text
print(response.text)

? Sending a POST Request

POST requests are used to send data to a server.

✉️ POST With Form Data

import requests

# Data that will be sent in the POST request body
payload = {"username": "test", "password": "12345"}

# Send a POST request with form data
response = requests.post("https://httpbin.org/post", data=payload)

# Print the HTTP status code
print(response.status_code)

# Parse and print the JSON response
print(response.json())

? Handling the Response Object

The response object provides status, headers, and the response body.

? Inspect Response Details

import requests

response = requests.get("https://api.github.com")
print("Status Code:", response.status_code)
print("Headers:", response.headers)
print("Content:", response.text[:100])  # First 100 characters

? Passing Parameters in URL

Use the params argument to send query parameters in a GET request.

? GET With Query Parameters

import requests

# Query parameters to send in the URL
params = {"q": "python", "page": 1}

# Send GET request with query parameters
response = requests.get("https://httpbin.org/get", params=params)

# Final URL with encoded query string
print(response.url)

# JSON body of the response
print(response.json())

? Using Custom Headers

Some APIs require custom headers like User-Agent or Authorization.

? GET With Custom Headers

import requests

# Custom headers sent with the request
headers = {"User-Agent": "MyApp/1.0"}

# Send GET request including custom headers
response = requests.get("https://httpbin.org/headers", headers=headers)

# JSON response showing the headers the server received
print(response.json())

?️ Handling Errors Safely

Always check for errors to avoid crashes due to failed requests.

? Error Handling With Exceptions

import requests

try:
    response = requests.get("https://api.github.com/unknown")
    response.raise_for_status()  # Raise exception for HTTP errors
except requests.exceptions.HTTPError as err:
    print("HTTP Error:", err)
except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e:
    print("Error:", e)

? Live Output & Explanation

? What You Can Expect

response.status_code might print 200 for success, 404 for not found, etc.
response.text contains the raw HTML or JSON string returned by the server.
response.json() parses JSON into a Python dictionary, which is easier to work with.
If raise_for_status() is called on a non-2xx status, an exception will be raised.

Use these properties to validate that a request succeeded before processing the data further.

? Common Use Cases

Consuming public APIs (GitHub, OpenWeather, etc.).
Submitting form data to a web server.
Downloading files like images, PDFs, or datasets.
Automating tasks such as periodic data collection or monitoring.

? Tips & Best Practices

Use response.json() to parse JSON responses from APIs.
Always check response.status_code or use raise_for_status() before processing data.
Use params for GET queries and data or json for POST requests.
Set custom headers when required by APIs (e.g., authentication tokens).
For multiple requests to the same host, use requests.Session() to reuse connections efficiently.

? Try It Yourself

Make a GET request to https://httpbin.org/get and print the JSON response.
Send a POST request with sample form data to https://httpbin.org/post and inspect the result.
Add custom headers (e.g., User-Agent) and verify them in the response.
Call an invalid URL and handle the exception using try/except.
Experiment with params in GET requests and observe how the URL changes.