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Troubleshooting Python Requests Exception ConnectTimeout: Comprehensive Guide

The ConnectTimeout error often appears when using the Python requests module for web scraping with an explicit timeout parameter. This error signals that the request could not establish a connection to the server within the specified timeout period. Such issues are common in network programming, where server responsiveness can be unpredictable due to various factors like server load, network congestion, or incorrect proxy settings. To address this, it’s crucial to have a reliable tool that can manage these challenges efficiently. Leveraging a robust web scraping API can significantly reduce the occurrence of ConnectTimeout errors by ensuring faster and more reliable connections to target websites. This guide will delve into the root causes of ConnectTimeout exceptions and offer practical solutions to mitigate them, including the use of advanced web scraping technologies to streamline your data extraction efforts.

import requests
connect_timeout = 0.1
read_timeout = 10
response = requests.get("http://scrapenetwork.com/", timeout=(connect_timeout, read_timeout))
# will raise
# ConnectTimeout: HTTPConnectionPool(host='scrapenetwork.com', port=80):

The ConnectTimeout exception indicates that the server has not established a connection with our client within the specified time frame. This could be due to technical issues or deliberate bot blocking. Consider increasing the connect timeout.

If you’re frequently facing ConnectTimeout exceptions, it’s likely that your scraper is being blocked by the website. For more information on this, refer to our guide on how to scrape without getting blocked.

For related errors, see: ReadTimeout