Troubleshooting Connection Timeouts in Python Requests

When using the Python Requests library to make HTTP requests, you may occasionally see an error like:

TimeoutError: [WinError 10060] A connection attempt failed because the connected party did not properly respond after a period of time, or established connection failed because connected host has failed to respond.

This error indicates that Requests timed out attempting to connect to the server or API you requested. There are a few things that can cause connection timeouts:

Server is Down

The server you're trying to reach could be offline or unavailable. Check the service status and try again later.

Network Issues

There may be problems with your local network connection, firewall, proxy, etc blocking access to the destination server. Verify network connectivity.

API Rate Limiting

Some APIs enforce rate limits and block requests if you send too many. Slow down the requests and verify API rate limit policy.

VPN Interference

If you are using a VPN, it could interfere with connection timeouts. Try disabling the VPN and accessing the API directly.

Server Response is Too Slow

The server may be overloaded and responding too slowly. Use timeout parameter in Requests to raise the timeout duration:

requests.get('https://api.example.com', timeout=10)  

This sets the timeout to 10 seconds instead of the default.

Intermittent Issue

Network glitches happen occasionally. Retry the request in a loop to see if it succeeds. Implement backoff logic with increasing timeout values.

Getting connection timeouts can be frustrating! Follow the troubleshooting tips above to identify what is interrupting access to the API server. Checking related connectivity and inspecting error logs on the server side can also provide clues. With some tweaking to parameters and environment, the issue should be resolvable.