python request cookie

Python Request Cookie

Introduction to Cookies

Cookies are small pieces of data that are sent from a website to a user's web browser. The browser stores this data and sends it back to the website with every subsequent request. This allows the website to remember information about the user, such as login credentials, preferences, and shopping cart items.

Cookies are commonly used in web development, and Python provides a convenient way to work with cookies through the Requests library. The Requests library allows you to send HTTP requests and receive responses from web servers.

The Requests Library in Python

The Requests library in Python is a powerful tool for working with HTTP requests and responses. It allows you to send GET and POST requests, as well as handle cookies and sessions.

To use the Requests library, you must first install it. You can do this using pip, the Python package manager:

```

pip install requests

Once the Requests library is installed, you can import it into your Python code:

import requests

Sending GET Requests with Cookies

To send a GET request with cookies in Python, you can use the following code:

url = ''

cookies = {'session_id': '123456'}

response = requests.get(url, cookies=cookies)

print(response.content)

In this example, we are sending a GET request to the URL '' with a cookie named 'session_id' and a value of '123456'. The response is stored in the 'response' variable, and we print the content of the response.

Sending POST Requests with Cookies

To send a POST request with cookies in Python, you can use the following code:

url = ''

data = {'username': 'user1', 'password': 'pass1'}

response = requests.post(url, cookies=cookies, data=data)

In this example, we are sending a POST request to the URL '' with a cookie named 'session_id' and a value of '123456', as well as a payload containing the username and password for the login form. The response is stored in the 'response' variable, and we print the content of the response.

Handling Sessions

Sessions allow you to maintain state between multiple requests to the same website. This is useful for logging in to a website or maintaining a shopping cart.

To use sessions in Python with the Requests library, you can use the following code:

payload = {'username': 'user1', 'password': 'pass1'}

session = requests.Session()

response = session.post(url, data=payload)

print(response.cookies.get_dict())

# Next request uses the same session

url2 = ''

response2 = session.get(url2)

print(response2.content)

In this example, we first send a POST request to the login page with a payload containing the username and password. The 'session' variable is assigned a new instance of the Requests Session object, which will store the cookies from the login response.

We then print out the cookies from the login response using 'response.cookies.get_dict()'. This will show us the cookies that were set by the server, including any session cookies.

Finally, we send a GET request to another page on the same website, and the 'session' variable automatically sends the cookies from the previous request. This allows us to maintain state between requests and access pages that require authentication.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Requests library in Python is a powerful tool for sending HTTP requests and handling cookies and sessions. With just a few lines of code, you can send GET and POST requests with cookies, maintain state between requests, and access authenticated pages on a website.

Using Cookies in Python with the Requests library is a valuable skill for any web developer or data scientist working with web APIs or scraping web data.