does python requests use curl

Does Python Requests use Curl?

Yes, Python Requests use Curl as one of its underlying libraries to send HTTP requests. However, it is important to note that Python Requests and Curl have some fundamental differences in how they operate.

Curl vs. Python Requests

Curl is a command-line tool used to send HTTP requests and receive responses. It is commonly used in Linux environments and is typically run from the terminal. On the other hand, Python Requests is a Python library that allows developers to send HTTP requests programmatically.

While Curl is more powerful and flexible, Python Requests provides a simpler and more user-friendly interface for making HTTP requests.

Using Python Requests with Curl

Python Requests uses the urllib3 library as its HTTP transport layer by default. However, it can be configured to use Curl as well.

import requests

# Using the default urllib3 transport layer
response = requests.get('https://www.example.com')

# Using Curl as the transport layer
response = requests.get('https://www.example.com', 
                        headers={'User-Agent': 'Mozilla/5.0'}, 
                        proxies={'http': 'http://myproxy:1234', 'https': 'https://myproxy:1234'},
                        verify=False, 
                        cert=('path/to/cert.pem', 'path/to/key.pem'))
    

The above example demonstrates how to use Curl as the transport layer for making an HTTP request with Python Requests. The headers parameter can be used to set custom HTTP headers, while the proxies parameter can be used to specify an HTTP proxy. The verify parameter can be set to False to ignore SSL errors, while the cert parameter can be used to specify a client-side SSL certificate.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Python Requests can use Curl as one of its underlying transport layers to send HTTP requests. While Curl is more powerful and flexible, Python Requests provides a simpler and more user-friendly interface for making HTTP requests.