How to Print Raw HTTP Requests Using Python Requests?

Printing Raw HTTP Requests with Python Requests

The Python Requests library simplifies HTTP requests, but understanding the raw HTTP request can be valuable for debugging and analysis. This article explores how to access and print the complete HTTP request, including the request line, headers, and content.

Previously, extracting the raw request required accessing the request attribute, which only provided the headers. However, in version 1.2.3, Requests introduced the PreparedRequest object, which encapsulates the exact bytes that will be sent to the server.

To utilize PreparedRequest, create a request object and use the prepare() method. The output can then be prettified for clarity:

<code class="python">import requests

# Create a request
req = requests.Request('POST', 'http://stackoverflow.com', headers={'X-Custom': 'Test'}, data='a=1&b=2')

# Prepare the request (encodes it to bytes)
prepared = req.prepare()

# Define a function to prettify the POST request
def pretty_print_POST(req):
    """Prints the request in a human-readable format."""
    print('{}\n{}\r\n{}\r\n\r\n{}'.format(
        '-----------START-----------',
        req.method + ' ' + req.url,
        '\r\n'.join('{}: {}'.format(k, v) for k, v in req.headers.items()),
        req.body,
    ))

# Prettify the prepared request
pretty_print_POST(prepared)

# Send the actual request using a Session object
s = requests.Session()
s.send(prepared)</code>

This code prints the complete HTTP request as:

-----------START-----------
POST http://stackoverflow.com/
Content-Length: 7
X-Custom: Test

a=1&b=2

This approach allows for examination of the request sent to the server, facilitating debugging and understanding the request-response lifecycle.

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