How to Retrieve a Bearer Token with Postman and Python Requests

Learn how to obtain a `bearer token` using Postman and replicate the process in Python requests library for seamless API authentication. --- This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/66226855/ asked by the user 'Theodor Straube' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/1496880/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/66328943/ provided by the user 'Theodor Straube' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/1496880/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions. Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: How does Postman get the bearer Token Also, Content (except music) licensed under CC BY-SA https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/licensing The original Question post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ ) license, and the original Answer post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ ) license. If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com. --- Obtaining a Bearer Token with Postman and Python Requests If you've ever worked with APIs, you know that authentication can be a bit tricky, particularly when dealing with bearer tokens. Recently, a user faced the challenge of logging into a website via Postman to obtain a bearer token, only to encounter difficulties when trying to replicate the process using the Python requests library. They were being met with a 403 Forbidden error, suggesting authentication issues. Let's dive into how to obtain that elusive bearer token both in Postman and with Python. Understanding the Problem When working with APIs, a bearer token is necessary for secure and authorized access. Here’s the workflow that the user was following: Login through Postman: The user successfully logs in to the website using Postman, which automatically captures the bearer token and sets it as a cookie. Export to Python: When exporting the Postman request to Python code, it includes the bearer token, making the request successful. Direct Request with Python: However, when attempting to log in directly using the requests library in Python without providing the token, the user received a 403 Forbidden response. This outcome raised a fundamental question: How does Postman negotiate the token, and how can this be implemented in Python? The Solution The solution to obtaining the bearer token lies in understanding how redirection works during the login process. Here’s a step-by-step guide to replicating the Postman behavior in Python: Step 1: Enable Redirection Many websites redirect users after a successful login to a dedicated landing page. To correctly handle this redirection in Python, you need to set the allow_redirects argument to True in your requests.post() function. Step 2: Capture the Cookie After the login request, inspect the response headers for a Set-Cookie entry. This entry contains the bearer token, which you can then use for subsequent requests. Example Code Snippet Here’s how you can implement this in Python using the requests library: [[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]] Key Takeaway Redirection Handling: By allowing redirection, Python can follow the flow just like Postman does during login. If there's a redirection after logging in, it won’t miss capturing the necessary cookies. Cookie Usage: The bearer token is captured from the cookies. Make sure to replace 'bearer-token' in the get method with the correct cookie name from the response headers. Conclusion Navigating the world of API authentication can be challenging, especially when dealing with bearer tokens. By understanding how Postman handles the login process and implementing similar logic in Python, you can smoothly transition between tools and ensure your requests authenticate properly. With the knowledge gained from this, you’ll be better equipped to handle API requests and deal with bearer tokens effectively. Happy coding!