The requests library is the go-to tool in Python for making HTTP requests, used heavily in web scr*ping, APIs, and automation tasks involving the web.

Why Use Requests?
Simplifies sending HTTP/HTTPS requests
Works great with REST APIs
Handles GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.
Supports headers, parameters, timeouts, and sessions
Easy to handle JSON responses

Common Use Cases
1. GET Request
python
import requests

response = requests.get('https://api.example.com/data')
print(response.status_code)
print(response.json())


2. POST Request with Data
python
data = 'name': 'John', 'age': 30
response = requests.post('https://api.example.com/submit', data=data)


3. Passing Headers
python
headers = 'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_TOKEN'
response = requests.get('https://api.example.com/protected', headers=headers)


4. Handling JSON Data
python
response = requests.get('https://api.example.com/data')
data = response.json()
print(data['key'])


5. Error Handling & Timeout
python
try:
response = requests.get('https://api.example.com', timeout=5)
response.raise_for_status()
except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e:
print(e)


Common Methods
- requests.get()
- requests.post()
- requests.put()
- requests.delete()
- .json() to parse JSON responses
- .status_code, .headers, .text to inspect responses

Real-World Use Cases
Fetching API data
Web automation/scr*ping
Bots and alerts
Building dashboards or data pipelines

Summary
Ideal For: Accessing & working with APIs
Strength: Simplicity + flexibility
Bonus: Helps automate anything that talks over the web