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Requests v0.5.1 Released

by Kenneth Reitz.

Requests v0.5.1 was just released.

If you're unfamiliar with Requests, the HTTP Module for Humans, it strives to keep things as simple and elegant as possible. Learn more.

Community Update

I'm really happy with the direction that Requests is going. The repo is approaching 400 watchers on GitHub (trailing just behind the Pyramid framework), and has been downloaded over 1100 times from PyPi in the last month alone.

Another big milestone: we now have 20 contributors! Many thanks to everyone involved :)

If you head over to python-requests.org, you'll be greeted by the new Requests mascot, Rez the sea turtle.

This October, I'll be presenting at PyCodeConf in Miami, FL. Topics will include Requests' API design and how libraries like it help to make Python more accessible.

API Design and Pragmatic Python

Unfortunately, solving simple problems with Python isn't always import antigravity. This talk will analyze the high barriers of entry that clutter the Python landscape. We'll discuss ways to make Python more accessible for newcomers and less of a headache for seasoned veterans.

New Features

The v0.5.x series has brought along some awesome features so far:

  • PATCH Support!
  • International Domain Name Support!
  • Forced Basic Authentication (for 404'd responses; default)
  • Querystrings available for all methods
  • python-requests.org default User-Agent header
  • Sexy HTTPBin Test Suite
  • settings.verbose configurable stream for debugging and logging.
  • Access response headers without fetching entire body (read())
  • Use lists as dicts for parameters w/ multiple values
  • Dict-configurable Proxies
  • Accept-Encoding: gzip default on.

Moving Forward

In the short-term, I plan to remove Request's dependency on Poster, and replace the multi-part file upload functionality with internal code.

Once Poster is removed, Python 3.1+ support will be added.

Once the port to Python3 is complete, elegant HTTPS certificate verification will be added.

While those development tasks are being carried out, I'm planning on adding some more exhaustive documentation to the website: tutorials, FAQ, use cases recipes, scenarios, &c.

Source Code

Requests is open source (ISC Licensed), and will make your world a better place.

Follow me on GitHub as kennethreitz.