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python requests module certificate

Narkw Brahma

Narkw Brahma

• 1 min read

Python Requests Module Certificate

The Python Requests Module is a widely used library for making HTTP requests in Python. It provides easy-to-use methods for sending HTTP requests and handling the responses. However, sometimes we need to make requests to sites that require authentication via SSL/TLS certificates. In such cases, we need to use the cert parameter of the requests.get() method.

Using the Cert Parameter in Requests Module

The cert parameter is used to specify the path to the public key certificate and the private key file. We can pass either a tuple of (certificate, key) or a single string containing both the certificate and private key. The following example demonstrates how to use the cert parameter in the requests.get() method.


import requests

response = requests.get('https://example.com', cert=('path/to/cert.pem', 'path/to/key.pem'))
print(response.content)

In the above example, we are making a request to the site https://example.com, and we need to authenticate using the certificate cert.pem and private key key.pem.

Using Self-Signed Certificates

Sometimes, we may need to use self-signed certificates for development or testing purposes. In such cases, we need to pass verify=False parameter to ignore SSL verification errors. The following example demonstrates how to use self-signed certificates with the requests.get() method.


import requests

response = requests.get('https://self-signed.example.com', verify=False)
print(response.content)

In the above example, we are making a request to the site https://self-signed.example.com, which uses a self-signed certificate. We are passing verify=False to ignore SSL verification errors.

Conclusion

The Python Requests Module provides an easy-to-use interface for making HTTP requests in Python. By using the cert parameter, we can authenticate with SSL/TLS certificates. By passing verify=False, we can use self-signed certificates. It is always recommended to use SSL/TLS certificates for secure communication.

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