python requests library ssl error

Python Requests Library SSL Error

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a standard security protocol used for encrypting information transmitted between a web server and a client. The Python Requests library allows users to send HTTP/1.1 requests using Python. However, sometimes users may encounter an SSL error while using the Requests library.

Reasons for SSL Error

  • The SSL certificate of the website is not trusted.
  • The SSL certificate is expired.
  • The SSL certificate does not match the domain name.
  • The client is unable to verify the server certificate due to missing CA certificates.

How to Fix SSL Error in Python Requests Library

There are multiple ways to fix SSL errors in Python Requests library, some of them are:

  • Ignoring SSL Certificate Verification: Disabling SSL verification should be the last resort, as it can make your connection vulnerable to attacks. To ignore SSL certificate verification in Python requests library, use the following code:

import requests
from requests.packages.urllib3.exceptions import InsecureRequestWarning

requests.packages.urllib3.disable_warnings(InsecureRequestWarning)

response = requests.get('https://example.com', verify=False)
  • Using OS CA Certificates: In this method, we use the CA certificates installed on the operating system to verify SSL/TLS connections. To use OS certificates, use the following code:

import requests

response = requests.get('https://example.com', verify=True)
  • Specifying Certificate: You can specify the SSL certificate to be used for verification by providing the path to the certificate file. To specify the SSL certificate, use the following code:

import requests

response = requests.get('https://example.com', verify='/path/to/certificate.pem')

Conclusion

SSL errors can be frustrating while using Python Requests library. However, by implementing the above-mentioned methods, you can easily fix SSL errors and continue working with the Requests library.