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Identify the exception before changing the request
Read the complete traceback and note the exception class. “Connection error” is often used casually, but Requests distinguishes network failures, timeouts, unsuccessful HTTP responses, and redirect loops. The class tells you which branch to investigate; it does not by itself identify every environment-specific cause.
| Exception | What it indicates | First check |
|---|---|---|
ConnectionError |
A network problem, such as DNS failure or a refused connection. | Check the URL, name resolution, and whether the destination host and port are reachable from the machine or container running Python. |
ConnectTimeout |
Requests could not establish a connection within the configured connect wait. | Check reachability and connection setup; set or adjust the connect portion of the timeout. |
ReadTimeout |
The server did not send response data within the configured read wait. | Check whether the server is slow or stalled, and adjust the read wait if the application can tolerate it. |
Timeout |
A timeout superclass raised when configured waiting is exceeded. | Determine whether connection setup or response reading is the failing phase; inspect the more specific exception when available. |
HTTPError |
raise_for_status() encountered an unsuccessful HTTP response. |
Inspect the status code and response details; this is an HTTP response, not necessarily a network outage. |
TooManyRedirects |
The request exceeded the redirect limit. | Inspect the URL and redirect behavior for a loop or unexpected chain. |
Requests documents these exception meanings in its Quickstart. A TLS certificate verification exception is a separate clue: follow the certificate checks below rather than treating it as a generic timeout.
Set a finite timeout on external requests
Pass timeout to calls such as get() or post(). A single number applies to both connection and read waiting:
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response = requests.get(url, timeout=10)That value is not a guaranteed 10-second deadline for the entire download. Requests times out when a connection or response makes no progress for the configured interval. In particular, the read timeout measures the time between bytes, not the total response duration. Multiple IP addresses can also be tried sequentially, so elapsed wall-clock time can exceed the connect timeout.
Use separate connect and read waits when needed
A tuple lets you set the two thresholds independently:
response = requests.get(url, timeout=(3.05, 27))The first value is the connect wait; the second is the read wait. Treat these as starting points to adapt to your service and application needs, not universal recommendations or a strict total-duration cap. Requests documents this behavior and example values in its Advanced Usage guide.
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Fix a ConnectionError or ConnectTimeout
Check the connection from the same runtime where the failing code runs. A URL that works on a developer’s laptop may fail inside a container, server, or restricted network.
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- Check whether the hostname resolves in that runtime environment.
- Confirm the destination host and port are reachable from that environment; a firewall, unavailable service, or network policy may block access.
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ConnectTimeout, configure a finite connect wait appropriate to the application, but do not use a larger timeout as a substitute for checking reachability.
These checks target the DNS-failure and refused-connection examples in the Requests exception documentation. The exception alone cannot reveal which network path or policy is responsible.
Fix a ReadTimeout
A ReadTimeout means response data did not arrive within the configured read interval. First confirm that the request reaches the intended server and that the server is expected to respond within that interval. If longer waits are acceptable, increase the read portion of a tuple; if the application needs a firm overall deadline, enforce that separately because Requests’ connect and read timeouts are not total-download deadlines.
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response = requests.get(url, timeout=(3.05, 60))The value shown is an example configuration, not a general prescription. Choose thresholds based on the service’s expected latency and the time your application can afford to wait.
Fix HTTPS certificate verification errors
Requests verifies HTTPS certificates by default. Keep verification enabled and investigate the server’s certificate chain and the trust configuration of the environment. If the connection uses a private certificate authority, provide its CA bundle rather than disabling verification:
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response = requests.get(url, verify="/path/to/ca-bundle.pem", timeout=(3.05, 27))You can also configure the bundle with REQUESTS_CA_BUNDLE. The Requests Advanced Usage guide describes certificate verification and CA bundle configuration. Turning verification off removes an important security check and should not be the routine fix.
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Check proxy and environment settings
Requests supports HTTP and HTTPS proxies, and proxy configuration or environment variables can change where a request is sent. Verify that the configured proxy is reachable and appropriate for the URL.
There is an additional issue when sending a PreparedRequest: calling prepare_request() alone does not account for environment settings. If the request depends on environment-provided proxy or CA settings, merge those settings before sending, as shown in the prepared requests guidance.
Use retries only with an explicit policy
Requests does not retry failed connections by default. Its integer HTTPAdapter(max_retries=...) setting is limited to failed DNS lookups, socket connections, and connection timeouts; it does not cover a request whose data has already reached the server. For more control, configure urllib3’s Retry through a Requests HTTPAdapter.
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Retries can send a request again, so choose methods and failure conditions deliberately. If the first attempt reached the server, repeating a write may duplicate its side effects. The example below restricts retries to read-oriented methods and selected server responses; it is illustrative, not a policy suitable for every service.
import requests
from requests.adapters import HTTPAdapter
from urllib3.util import Retry
session = requests.Session()
retry_policy = Retry(
total=3,
backoff_factor=0.1,
status_forcelist=[502, 503, 504],
allowed_methods={"GET", "HEAD", "OPTIONS"},
)
session.mount("https://", HTTPAdapter(max_retries=retry_policy))
response = session.get(url, timeout=(3.05, 27))
response.raise_for_status()The policy follows the structure of the Requests retry example while limiting methods to common read-oriented requests. A Session also provides connection pooling and request configuration. Check that the installed urllib3 version supports the Retry arguments you use; retry configuration depends on urllib3’s API. See the Requests Advanced Usage guide and the Requests API reference.
Handle unsuccessful HTTP responses correctly
A server can return an error status and a valid JSON body. Successfully decoding JSON does not mean the HTTP request succeeded. Check the expected status or call raise_for_status() before treating the response as successful:
response = requests.get(url, timeout=(3.05, 27))
response.raise_for_status()
data = response.json()If HTTPError is raised, inspect response.status_code and the response body where available. The status and body can help distinguish an application-level rejection from a transport failure. The Requests Quickstart documents status handling and JSON decoding.
Check installed library versions when retry code fails
The current Requests documentation identifies version 2.34.2 and states that Requests officially supports Python 3.10 and later. Retry parameters come from urllib3’s Retry class, so check the installed Requests and urllib3 versions when an argument is unsupported or behaves differently from an example. The official references are the Requests documentation and its API reference.
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