Spotify API authentication with Python

Question

I'm trying to authenticate a user in the Spotify API, but it keeps returning me the error code "invalid_client". I'm implementing that on a Python Django solution, that's my code:

headers = {'Authorization': 'Basic '+standard_b64encode(client_id)+standard_b64encode(client_secret)}
r = requests.post('https://accounts.spotify.com/api/token', {'code': code, 'redirect_uri': redirect_uri, 'grant_type': grant_type, 'headers': headers}).json()

Any idea why it's not working?

• mariodev: Are you sure you're providing client_id & client_secret in a proper format. Looking at the docs, it suppose to be separated with :. Also try tu run the same flow with curl first and then replicate with python.
• Johan Simonsson: If you are doing this for educational/recreational purposes then you can ignore this, but there is a Python wrapper for the Spotify Web API here: github.com/plamere/spotipy
• Johan Simonsson: Otherwise what Mariodev said. The base64 part should be standard_b64encode(client_id + ':' + secret) (no python expert, might not be a correct expression).
• Michael Thelin: @mariodev, please put your answer in the Answer section instead of in a comment so that you can get those sweet, sweet, points.

Answer 1

In spotify api docs it is: Authorization Required. Base 64 encoded string that contains the client ID and client secret key. The field must have the format: Authorization: Basic base64 encoded( client_id:client_secret)

So i guess you should do:

import base64
'Authorization' : 'Basic ' + base64.standard_b64encode(client_id + ':' + client_secret)

It's working for me so try it. If it doesn't work my code is:

@staticmethod
def loginCallback(request_handler, code):
 url = 'https://accounts.spotify.com/api/token'
 authorization = base64.standard_b64encode(Spotify.client_id + ':' + Spotify.client_secret)
 headers = {
 'Authorization' : 'Basic ' + authorization
 } 
 data = {
 'grant_type' : 'authorization_code',
 'code' : code,
 'redirect_uri' : Spotify.redirect_uri
 } 
 data_encoded = urllib.urlencode(data)
 req = urllib2.Request(url, data_encoded, headers)
 try:
 response = urllib2.urlopen(req, timeout=30).read()
 response_dict = json.loads(response)
 Spotify.saveLoginCallback(request_handler, response_dict)
 return
 except urllib2.HTTPError as e:
 return e

Hope it helps!

• CashCow: What do you use as a redirect_uri that works? All I want to be able to do is make requests. How do I then make an https get request? All their examples give is curl calls which are useless.

Answer 2

Are you sure you're providing client_id & client_secret in the proper format? Looking at the docs, it suppose to be separated with :.

Also try to run the same flow with curl first and then replicate with python.