HTTP Delete with python requests module

Question

I would like to do a HTTP DELETE with python requests module that follows the API below;

https://thingspeak.com/docs/channels#create

DELETE https://api.thingspeak.com/channels/4/feeds
       api_key=XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I am using python v2.7 and requests module. My python code looks like this;

def clear(channel_id):    
    data = {}
    data['api_key'] = 'DUCYS8xufsV613VX' 
    URL_delete = "http://api.thingspeak.com/channels/" + str(channel_id) + "/feeds"
    r = requests.delete(URL_delete, data)

The code does not work because requests.delete() can only accept one parameter. How should the correct code look like?

Eugene K · Accepted Answer · 2015-08-28 06:26:18Z

6

You want

import json
mydata = {}
mydata['api_key'] = "Jsa9i23jka"
r = requests.delete(URL_delete, data=json.dumps(mydata))

You have to use the named input, 'data', and I'm guessing that you actually want JSON dumped, so you have to convert your dictionary, 'mydata' to a json string. You can use json.dumps() for that.

I don't know the API you are using, but by the sound of it you actually want to pass URL parameter, not data, for that you need:

r = requests.delete(URL_delete, params=mydata)

No need to convert mydata dict to a json string.

answered Aug 28, 2015 at 6:26

Eugene K

3,4672 gold badges25 silver badges36 bronze badges

Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

2 Comments

guagay_wk Over a year ago

Thanks! Tested to be the correct answer. The 2nd method works. One thing I do not understand. Why does r = requests.delete(URL_delete, mydata) fail but r = requests.delete(URL_delete, params=mydata) works? For HTTP Post, I do not need to use params. Why the difference?

Eugene K Over a year ago

If you take a look at github.com/kennethreitz/requests/blob/master/requests/api.py. You can see that post is defined as post(url, data=None ...) whereas delete is defined as delete(url, **kwargs). The kwargs means it has to be a 'keyed argument'. The post works cause it explicitly lists some arguments.

hspandher · Accepted Answer · 2015-08-28 06:36:47Z

4

You can send the data params as @Eugene suggested, but conventionally delete requests only contains url and nothing else. The reason is that a RESTful url should uniquely identify the resource, thereby eliminating the need to provide additional parameters for deletion. On the other hand, if your 'APIKEY' has something to do with authentication, then it should be part of headers instead of request data, something like this.

headers = {'APIKEY': 'xxx'}
response = requests.delete(url, data=json.dumps(payload), headers=headers)

answered Aug 28, 2015 at 6:36

hspandher

16.8k2 gold badges35 silver badges49 bronze badges

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

HTTP Delete with python requests module

2 Answers 2

2 Comments

Comments

Your Answer

Hot Network Questions

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

2 Answers 2

2 Comments

Comments

Your Answer

Sign up or log in

Post as a guest

Related