Have You Heard of This Powerful Alternative to Requests in Python?

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Mar 22, 2025

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If you’ve been working with Python for a while, you’ve probably used the Requests library to fetch data from an API or send an HTTP request. It’s been the go-to library for HTTP requests in Python for years. But recently, a newer, more powerful alternative has emerged: HTTPX.

So, what’s the difference? When should you use requests, and when should you switch to httpx? If you're confused, don’t worry—I’ve got you covered. In this blog, we’ll break it all down with clear explanations, practical examples, and real-world use cases.

By the end, you’ll not only understand the key differences between requests and httpx, but you’ll also be able to choose the right tool for the job and even explain it to others! Let’s dive in. 🚀

1️⃣ Requests: The Classic HTTP Library

Before we talk about httpx, let's first understand why requests became so popular in the first place.

Why is Requests So Popular?

Python’s requests library is well-loved because:
✅ It’s simple and easy to use.
✅ It handles cookies, sessions, authentication, and headers automatically.
✅ It has built-in support for JSON handling.
✅ It’s widely used, meaning tons of documentation and community support.

Basic Usage of Requests

Here’s how you can use requests to make a GET request:

import requests

response = requests.get("https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts/1")
print(response.json())  # Print the JSON response

And here’s how you send a POST request:

import requests

data = {"title": "New Post", "body": "This is the body.", "userId": 1}
response = requests.post("https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts", json=data)
print(response.status_code)  # 201 (Created)
print(response.json())  # Response body

💡 Simple, right? That’s why requests is so widely used—it just works!

However, there’s a catch…

2️⃣ The Problem with Requests: Blocking Execution