# HTTP: Login to MediaWiki API with post fails (works with python)
**URL:** https://discourse.julialang.org/t/http-login-to-mediawiki-api-with-post-fails-works-with-python/41657
**Category:** Web Stack
**Created:** [June 18, 2020, 9:39am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/http-login-to-mediawiki-api-with-post-fails-works-with-python/41657 "2020-06-18T09:39:57Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@zweiglimmergneis](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/zweiglimmergneis)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2020, 9:39am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/http-login-to-mediawiki-api-with-post-fails-works-with-python/41657/1 "2020-06-18T09:39:57Z")
Why can I login with python (module requests), but not with HTTP.jl?
The MediaWiki API requires a login token, a bot user name and password. See [python-code example](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:Login#POST_request). Bot user name looks like “user@juliahttp”. The password consists of numbers an ordinary characters.The same is true for the token, but it ends in “+\”. token: "“c6c2ae9a34ec56a212a1143ff440fb985eeb2049+\”
So the REPL prints out:
The Python code reads:
```python
PARAMS_1 = {
'action':"login",
'lgname':bot,
'lgpassword':botpwd,
'lgtoken':LOGIN_TOKEN,
'format':"json"
}
R = S.post(URL, data=PARAMS_1)
DATA = R.json()
```
And you get:
`{'login': {'result': 'Success', 'lguserid': 3, 'lgusername': 'User'}}`
I did this in julia:
```julia
params = ["action=login",
"lgname=$(bot)",
"lgpassword=$(pwd)",
"lgtoken=$(logintoken)",
"format=json"]
data = join(params, "&")
response = HTTP.request("POST", URL,
["Content-Type" => "application/x-www-form-urlencoded"],
data)
```
I get a JSON response with a warning, that I should not try to get a token with `action=login`. So `data` is interpreted in some way. I get the same result, if I send a wrong password.
I applied `HTTP.URIs.escapeuri` to the bot user name and to the token. I get the same response. Thanks for a hint!
---
### Author:  [@gsoleilhac](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/gsoleilhac)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2020, 10:23am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/http-login-to-mediawiki-api-with-post-fails-works-with-python/41657/2 "2020-06-18T10:23:34Z")
You probably want to send the data in the request body as JSON instead of a query string
```julia
using JSON
data = Dict("action" => "login",
...
"format" => "json"
)
response = HTTP.post(URL,
["Content-Type" => "application/json"],
JSON.json(data))
println(JSON.parse(String(response.body)))
```
---
### Author:  [@zweiglimmergneis](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/zweiglimmergneis)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2020, 10:34am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/http-login-to-mediawiki-api-with-post-fails-works-with-python/41657/3 "2020-06-18T10:34:38Z")
Unfortunately the API does not accept such a request and responds with a default HTML error message.
---
### Author:  [@fredrikekre](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/fredrikekre)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2020, 11:20am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/http-login-to-mediawiki-api-with-post-fails-works-with-python/41657/4 "2020-06-18T11:20:29Z")
You can try to use the `query` keyword together with a `Dict` (much like your python code):
```julia
params = Dict(
"action" => "login",
"lgname" => bot,
...
)
HTTP.request("POST", URL; query=params)
```
---
### Author:  [@zweiglimmergneis](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/zweiglimmergneis)
#### Post date: [June 18, 2020, 1:30pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/http-login-to-mediawiki-api-with-post-fails-works-with-python/41657/5 "2020-06-18T13:30:32Z")
This is cool! However, it appends the parameters to the URL, but they are expected in the POST body in this case.
I set up a little server as described in the [documentation](https://juliaweb.github.io/HTTP.jl/stable/public_interface/#Server-/-Handlers-1) of HTTP.jl and saw that the python body and the julia body are the same. Then I set `cookies=true` in the request to get the login token, et voilà, that was it.
Some [background info](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/http-jl-managing-cookies-similar-to-python-requests/23665/5).
Thanks a lot for your comments!
---
### Author:  [@HANHAOHAN](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/HANHAOHAN)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2022, 10:48am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/http-login-to-mediawiki-api-with-post-fails-works-with-python/41657/6 "2022-05-18T10:48:49Z")
You can post with `HTTP.Form(Dict())`