Understanding the Aiohttp Request Object in Python

Mar 3, 2024 ยท 2 min read

The request object is a key component when working with the popular aiohttp library in Python. It contains valuable information about the incoming HTTP request to your aiohttp web application.

Let's walk through a quick example to understand the basics:

import aiohttp
from aiohttp import web

async def handle(request):
    print(request.method)
    print(request.path)
    print(request.headers)
    return web.Response(text="Hello")
    
app = web.Application()
app.add_routes([web.get('/', handle)])

web.run_app(app)

When a request comes in to the / path, our handle() function will be executed. Inside the function, we can access details like:

  • request.method - the HTTP method used (GET, POST, etc)
  • request.path - the requested path
  • request.headers - a dictionary of request headers
  • We can also access the query string, request body, and other useful attributes.

    Some key tips when working with the request object:

  • It's always an aiohttp.web.Request instance, providing useful methods like json() to parse JSON bodies.
  • Make sure to await the json(), text(), etc methods as they are async.
  • The request is only readable once, you'll get errors if trying to re-read the body.
  • You can access GET and POST variables through the request.query and request.post() attributes.
  • In summary, the aiohttp request object gives you a powerful way to access all incoming HTTP request details. It's passed as the first argument to middleware, handlers, and other parts of your web app. Mastering the request object helps you write better web applications and middlewares in aiohttp.

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