How to Use HTTP Proxy in Python: A Comprehensive Guide

Lewis Kerr - Sep 5 - - Dev Community

HTTP proxy is a network proxy service that processes HTTP protocol requests and responses. It acts as an intermediary between the client (such as a browser) and the target server, forwarding HTTP requests and responses so that the client can communicate with the target server through the proxy server.

Application scenarios of using http proxy in python

The application scenarios of using HTTP proxy in Python are wide, mainly including:

‌1.Crawler technology‌

Through HTTP proxy, crawler programs can simulate requests from different IP addresses, effectively bypass the target website's access restrictions on a single IP, and improve the success rate and efficiency of data collection.

‌2.Enterprise network security‌

HTTP proxy acts as a protective barrier in the internal network of the enterprise, filters and monitors network traffic, prevents malware intrusion and data leakage, and enhances overall network security.

‌3.Load balancing and acceleration‌

In high-traffic websites, HTTP proxy can achieve load balancing, disperse request pressure, and improve access speed and user experience.

‌4.Network testing and monitoring‌

Through HTTP proxy, simulate different network environments to test the performance and response time of the application; at the same time, integrate into network traffic to monitor network traffic and performance indicators in real time.
‌These application scenarios show the importance and practicality of HTTP proxy in Python network programming. ‌

Several ways to set up HTTP proxy in Python

1. Set HTTP proxy with requests module

In Python, the steps to set HTTP proxy using requests module are as follows:

Step 1: Install requests library:

Make sure the Python environment has installed requests library, which can be installed through pip install requests command.

Step 2: Create proxy dictionary:

Create a dictionary to specify the proxy address and port of HTTP and HTTPS protocols, for example:
Proxies = {"http": "http://proxy_address:port", "https": "https://proxy_address:port"}.

Step 3: Set proxy and send request:

When using requests to send a request, pass the proxy dictionary as the proxies parameter to the request method, for example:
response = requests.get('http://example.com', proxies=proxies).
Through the above steps, you can use the requests module to set HTTP proxy in Python.

2. Set HTTP proxy with urllib library

Step 1: Import required libraries

Import the urllib.request library so that you can use the proxy setting function it provides. ‌

Step 2: Create a proxy handler ‌

Use urllib.request.ProxyHandler() to create a proxy handler object and pass in the proxy setting dictionary, such as {"http": "http://proxy_address:port", "https": "https://proxy_address:port"}. ‌

Step 3: Build opener ‌

Use the urllib.request.build_opener() function to pass in the proxy handler object and build a custom opener. ‌

Step 4: Install opener ‌

Use the urllib.request.install_opener() function to install the custom opener and make it the global default HTTP request handler. ‌

Step 5: Send a request ‌

Use the urllib.request.urlopen() function to send an HTTP request. At this time, the request will be forwarded through the set proxy server. ‌

‌3.Steps to set up HTTP proxy through environment variables‌

Step 1: Identify environment variables‌

Confirm the names of environment variables used to set up HTTP proxy in the operating system, such as http_proxy and https_proxy. ‌

Step 2: Configure environment variables‌

Set environment variables in the operating system to point to the address and port of the HTTP proxy server. ‌

Step 3: Use proxy in Python‌

Python's standard libraries such as urllib and requests will automatically recognize and use the proxy configured by these environment variables. ‌

Step 4: Test proxy settings‌

Use Python to send HTTP requests to verify that communication is correctly carried out through the configured proxy server. ‌

Finally: Notes‌

Make sure the proxy server is available, and be aware of the performance impact that the proxy server may bring. ‌

‌4. Set up HTTP proxy using Selenium‌

Step 1: Prepare proxy server information‌

Get the IP address and port number of the proxy server. ‌
Determine if the proxy server requires authentication. ‌

Step 2: Configure browser proxy settings‌

Use Selenium's browser configuration options. ‌
Set the IP address and port number of the proxy server. ‌
If authentication is required, enter the username and password of the proxy server. ‌

Step 3: Create a WebDriver instance‌

Create a WebDriver using the configured browser settings. ‌
Ensure that WebDriver can load and use the proxy settings correctly. ‌

Step 4: Send a request and verify‌

Send an HTTP request through WebDriver. ‌
Verify that the request is sent through the configured proxy server. ‌

Conclusion:

HTTP proxy can understand the client's request, convert it into a form that the server can understand, and then translate the server's response into a form that the client can understand and return it to the client. Using HTTP proxy can achieve the purpose of hiding the client's real IP address, accelerating access speed, bypassing network restrictions, etc.
In Python, in addition to using the above methods to set up HTTP proxy, other libraries and tools: such as httpx, aiohttp and other Python libraries also support proxy settings. For specific setting methods, please refer to the documentation of the relevant library. These methods provide flexible and diverse ways to meet different proxy setting requirements.

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