In this article we want to talk about Python httpx: A High-Performance HTTP Client for Python 3.
Introduction
Python is popular programming language known for its simplicity, readability and versatility. and HTTP is foundational protocol for data transfer on the web. it’s essential for many applications and services to be able to send and receive HTTP requests. Python provides several libraries for working with HTTP, including urllib, requests and httpx. In this article we are going to explore httpx, a modern and high-performance HTTP client for Python 3.
Getting Started with httpx
httpx is fully featured HTTP client for Python 3 that provides synchronous and asynchronous APIs. It’s built on top of the well-established urllib3 library and it provides modern and intuitive API that makes it easy to send HTTP requests and handle responses. to get started with httpx, first you need to install it using pip:
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pip install httpx |
Once httpx is installed, you can use it to send HTTP requests with a single line of code:
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import httpx response = httpx.get("https://www.example.com") print(response.text) |
In this example, we use the httpx.get() function to send a GET request to https://www.example.com and access the response text using the response.text attribute.
Sending POST Requests
Sending POST requests is just easy with httpx, and you can include data in the request body using the data argument:
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import httpx data = {"key": "value"} response = httpx.post("https://www.example.com", data=data) print(response.text) |
In this example, we send a POST request to https://www.example.com and include a dictionary of data in the request body.
Handling Authentication
httpx makes it easy to handle authentication, and you can include authentication information in your requests using the auth argument:
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import httpx auth = ("username", "password") response = httpx.get("https://www.example.com", auth=auth) print(response.text) |
In this example, we use the auth argument to pass a username and password for basic authentication to the server.
Asynchronous Requests
httpx provides asynchronous APIs that allow you to send HTTP requests without blocking main thread of your application. to use asynchronous API, you need to use the async with statement:
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import httpx async def main(): async with httpx.AsyncClient() as client: response = await client.get("https://www.example.com") print(response.text) asyncio.run(main()) |
In this example, we have used async with statement to create an asynchronous client, and await keyword to send GET request and wait for the response.
What are Other Libraries Instead of httpx
There are several alternatives to httpx for sending HTTP requests in Python, including:
requests: It is popular third-party library for sending HTTP requests,requestsprovides higher-level API thanurlliband makes it easier to send complex requests, handle redirects and handle cookies.httplib2: It is Another third-party library,httplib2provides support for HTTP/1.1 and offers features like caching, compression and authentication.aiohttp: It is asynchronous library for sending HTTP requests,aiohttpis well-suited for use in concurrent or network-heavy applications.treq: This is twisted-based library for sending HTTP requests,treqis designed to be used with the Twisted framework and provides a simple, concise API.urllib: This is standard library for sending HTTP requests in Python,urllibprovides low-level API for sending HTTP requests and parsing responses.
Each of these libraries has its own strengths and weaknesses and the best choice for your project will depend on your specific requirements and the design of your application. some developers prefer modern and feature-rich API of libraries like httpx, while others prefer low-level control and simplicity of urllib.
Final Thoughts
httpx is modern and high-performance HTTP client for Python 3 that provides synchronous and asynchronous APIs. with its intuitive and feature-rich API, httpx makes it easy to send HTTP requests and handle responses, and it’s a great choice for many applications and services. whether you’re building a simple web scraper or complex web application. (Python httpx: A High-Performance HTTP Client for Python 3)
Learn More on Python
- Python Requests Library: A Guide to Simplifying HTTP Requests
- Asynchronous Web Development with Python and aiohttp
- Python Treq: An Introduction to a Powerful HTTP Client Library
- Introduction to Python httplib2 Library
- An Introduction to Python’s urllib Library