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In Python Requests, add an authentication header by passing a string-valued dictionary to the request’s headers parameter. For a Bearer token, use {"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}"}. The API provider—not Python—determines the required header name, scheme, token format, and endpoint, so check that API’s documentation before choosing a format.
Send an authentication header with Requests
Pass the header mapping to the request that needs it. This example shows how to construct and send the header; api.example.com is a placeholder, and the example does not establish that any particular API accepts Bearer authentication.
import requests
url = "https://api.example.com/resource"
token = obtain_token_somehow()
response = requests.get(
url,
headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}"},
timeout=10,
)
response.raise_for_status()
data = response.json()Requests accepts a dictionary through headers; its header values should be strings, bytes, or Unicode strings. Replace the placeholder URL and token-loading function, and follow the API provider’s exact instructions for authentication.
Choose the scheme the API requires
Bearer authentication is one possible format, not a universal default. An API may require Basic authentication, a provider-specific API-key header such as X-API-Key, or another scheme. Do not change the header name or add a prefix unless the provider specifies it.
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Basic authentication
For APIs that use HTTP Basic authentication, Requests provides an auth argument. This avoids manually constructing the Authorization header:
response = requests.get(
url,
auth=(username, password),
timeout=10,
)Use this only when the API requires Basic authentication. Basic encodes credentials; it does not encrypt them, so send the request over HTTPS.
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Provider-specific headers
If an API requires an API key in a custom header, use the precise name and value format it documents:
response = requests.get(
url,
headers={"X-API-Key": api_key},
timeout=10,
)X-API-Key is an illustrative example, not a standard requirement. Some providers use different header names or require a prefix in the value.
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Reuse authentication across Requests calls
For repeated calls that share the same identity and destination scope, configure a requests.Session. A session can hold common headers or authentication settings:
session = requests.Session()
session.headers.update({"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}"})
response = session.get(url, timeout=10)
response.raise_for_status()Use a session-level credential only when it is appropriate for every request made with that session. Keep sessions and credentials separated across unrelated hosts or APIs. For a one-off request or calls that use different credentials, set authentication on the individual request instead.
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Use HTTPX when the project uses it
HTTPX supports authentication on an individual request or a Client. It includes helpers for schemes such as Basic and Digest, and allows custom authentication classes for provider-specific headers or multi-step exchanges. Choose request-level authentication for one-off or varying credentials; client-level configuration fits calls that share an identity and scope.
For a provider that specifically requires a custom header, an HTTPX auth class can set it:
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import httpx
class HeaderTokenAuth(httpx.Auth):
def __init__(self, token: str):
self.token = token
def auth_flow(self, request):
request.headers["X-Authentication"] = self.token
yield requestX-Authentication is only an example: use the actual header required by the API. HTTPX custom auth flows can also respond to a 401 and retry after refreshing credentials, but the correct refresh sequence depends on the provider’s protocol.
Keep credentials scoped and out of logs
- Send credentials only to the intended HTTPS endpoint. Basic authentication is encoding, not encryption.
- Do not put secrets in query strings or commit literal credentials to source control. Load them from runtime configuration or an appropriate secret store.
- Avoid logging complete request headers, since they can contain tokens or passwords.
- Limit session or client-level credentials to the hosts and requests that are meant to receive them.
Troubleshoot a missing or rejected credential
- 401 response: Check whether the credential is valid, unexpired, correctly scoped, and formatted as the API requires.
- 403 response: Check permissions or token scopes. These are useful troubleshooting heuristics, but providers can define response behavior differently.
- Unexpected Basic credentials or a changed Authorization value in Requests: Inspect your
.netrcconfiguration and environment behavior. Requests documents that, when noauthargument is supplied, credentials found for the hostname can be sent as Basic authentication and may override a raw authentication header. - Header appears absent or malformed: Verify the provider’s exact header name, scheme spelling, and value syntax, then inspect the client or session configuration used for the call. Header names are generally case-insensitive, but scheme syntax and provider-specific requirements still matter.
Include a timeout and check the response status in production code so a request does not wait indefinitely and unsuccessful responses are handled explicitly. The examples use a 10-second timeout as a code choice, not a universal value; choose one appropriate to the application and API.
Pick the library and authentication interface already suited to the project
The authentication protocol comes first: follow the API provider’s required scheme, then use the interface supported by the library already in the project. Requests offers a direct headers argument and authentication helpers; HTTPX offers request- and client-level options plus extensible auth flows. Python’s standard-library urllib.request is another option when avoiding an additional HTTP library. These choices do not establish a performance or security ranking; select based on project needs and the provider’s protocol.
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