python requests csrf token

Python Requests CSRF Token

When working with web applications, it is important to protect against cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attacks. One way to safeguard against this type of attack is through the use of CSRF tokens. A CSRF token is a unique identifier that is sent with each request to the server, and the server verifies that the token matches before processing the request.

Using Python Requests to Obtain a CSRF Token

The Python Requests library makes it easy to perform HTTP requests, including sending and receiving CSRF tokens. To obtain a CSRF token, you can send a GET request to the server and extract the token from the response:


import requests

# Send GET request to obtain CSRF token
response = requests.get('https://example.com')
csrf_token = response.cookies.get_dict()['csrf_token']

print(csrf_token)
    

In the above code, we first import the Requests library. We then send a GET request to the server and capture the response. We extract the CSRF token from the response cookies and print it to the console.

Passing a CSRF Token in a POST Request

Once you have obtained a CSRF token, you can include it in subsequent POST requests to the server. To do this, you simply need to include the token in the request data:


import requests

# Send GET request to obtain CSRF token
response = requests.get('https://example.com')
csrf_token = response.cookies.get_dict()['csrf_token']

# Send POST request with CSRF token
data = {'username': 'example', 'password': 'password', 'csrf_token': csrf_token}
response = requests.post('https://example.com/login', data=data)

print(response.status_code)
    

In the above code, we first obtain a CSRF token using a GET request. We then include the token in the data for the subsequent POST request to the server. The server will verify that the token matches before processing the request.

Conclusion

Protecting against CSRF attacks is an important aspect of web application security. By using Python Requests to obtain and include CSRF tokens in requests, you can help prevent these types of attacks.