Requests socket.error exception not caught/wrapped in a

The Fix

pip install requests==2.27.0

Based on closed psf/requests issue #2144 · PR/commit linked

Production note: Most teams hit this during upgrades or environment changes. Roll out with a canary and smoke critical endpoints (health, OpenAPI/docs) before 100%.

Jump to Verify Open PR/Commit

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 import collections
 import datetime
+import socket
 
 from io import BytesIO, UnsupportedOperation

repro.py

File "/home/rtdean/***/***/***/***/***/***.py", line 67, in dir_parse
    root = ElementTree.fromstring(response.text)
  File "/home/rtdean/.pyenv/versions/2.7.6/lib/python2.7/site-packages/requests-2.3.0-py2.7.egg/requests/models.py", line 721, in text
    if not self.content:
  File "/home/rtdean/.pyenv/versions/2.7.6/lib/python2.7/site-packages/requests-2.3.0-py2.7.egg/requests/models.py", line 694, in content
    self._content = bytes().join(self.iter_content(CONTENT_CHUNK_SIZE)) or bytes()
  File "/home/rtdean/.pyenv/versions/2.7.6/lib/python2.7/site-packages/requests-2.3.0-py2.7.egg/requests/models.py", line 627, in generate
    for chunk in self.raw.stream(chunk_size, decode_content=True):
  File "/home/rtdean/.pyenv/versions/2.7.6/lib/python2.7/site-packages/requests-2.3.0-py2.7.egg/requests/packages/urllib3/response.py", line 240, in stream
    data = self.read(amt=amt, decode_content=decode_content)
  File "/home/rtdean/.pyenv/versions/2.7.6/lib/python2.7/site-packages/requests-2.3.0-py2.7.egg/requests/packages/urllib3/response.py", line 187, in read
    data = self._fp.read(amt)
  File "/home/rtdean/.pyenv/versions/2.7.6/lib/python2.7/httplib.py", line 543, in read
    return self._read_chunked(amt)
  File "/home/rtdean/.pyenv/versions/2.7.6/lib/python2.7/httplib.py", line 612, in _read_chunked
    value.append(self._safe_read(chunk_left))
  File "/home/rtdean/.pyenv/versions/2.7.6/lib/python2.7/httplib.py", line 658, in _safe_read
    chunk = self.fp.read(min(amt, MAXAMOUNT))
  File "/home/rtdean/.pyenv/versions/2.7.6/lib/python2.7/socket.py", line 380, in read
    data = self._sock.recv(left)
  File "/home/rtdean/.pyenv/versions/2.7.6/lib/python2.7/site-packages/gevent-1.0.1-py2.7-linux-x86_64.egg/gevent/socket.py", line 385, in recv
    return sock.recv(*args)
socket.error: [Errno 104] Connection reset by peer

verify

Re-run the minimal reproduction on your broken version, then apply the fix and re-run.

fix.md

Option A — Upgrade to fixed release\npip install requests==2.27.0\nWhen NOT to use: This fix is not applicable if socket errors should be handled differently in specific use cases.\n\n

Why This Fix Works in Production

Trigger: ... (truncated) ...
Mechanism: The iter_content method did not handle socket errors, leading to raw socket exceptions
Why the fix works: Handles socket errors in the iter_content method by raising a ConnectionError instead of a raw socket error. (first fixed release: 2.27.0).

Production impact:

If left unfixed, the same config can fail only in production (env differences), causing startup failures or partial feature outages.

Why This Breaks in Prod

Shows up under Python 2.7 in real deployments (not just unit tests).
The iter_content method did not handle socket errors, leading to raw socket exceptions
Surfaces as: File "/home/rtdean/***/***/***/***/***/***.py", line 67, in dir_parse\n root = ElementTree.fromstring(response.text)\n File…

Proof / Evidence

GitHub issue: #2144
Fix PR: https://github.com/psf/requests/pull/2148
First fixed release: 2.27.0
Reproduced locally: No (not executed)
Last verified: 2026-02-07
Confidence: 0.85
Did this fix it?: Yes (upstream fix exists)
Own content ratio: 0.29

Discussion

High-signal excerpts from the issue thread (symptoms, repros, edge-cases).

Jump to Sources Open on GitHub

“No, this looks like an error. iter_content doesn't seem to expect any socket errors, but it should. We need to fix this.”

@Lukasa · 2014-07-22 · source

Failure Signature (Search String)

... (truncated) ...

Error Message

Stack trace

error.txt

Error Message
-------------
File "/home/rtdean/***/***/***/***/***/***.py", line 67, in dir_parse\n    root = ElementTree.fromstring(response.text)\n  File "/home/rtdean/.pyenv/versions/2.7.6/lib/python2.7/site-packages/requests-2.3.0-py2.7.egg/requests/models.py", line 721, in text\n    if not self.content:\n  File "/home/rtdean/.pyenv/versions/2.7.6/lib/python2.7/site-packages/requests-2.3.0-py2.7.egg/requests/models.py", line 694, in content\n    self._content = bytes().join(self.iter_content(CONTENT_CHUNK_SIZE)) or bytes()\n  File "/home/rtdean/.pyenv/versions/2.7.6/lib/python2.7/site-packages/requests-2.3.0-py2.7.egg/requests/models.py", line 627, in generate\n    for chunk in self.raw.stream(chunk_size, decode_content=True):\n  File "/home/rtdean/.pyenv/versions/2.7.6/lib/python2.7/site-packages/requests-2.3.0-py2.7.egg/requests/packages/urllib3/response.py", line 240, in stream\n    data = self.read(amt=amt, decode_content=decode_content)\n  File "/home/rtdean/.pyenv/versions/2.7.6/lib/python2.7/site-packages/requests-2.3.0-py2.7.egg/requests/packages/urllib3/response.py", line 187, in read\n    data = self._fp.read(amt)\n  File "/home/rtdean/.pyenv/versions/2.7.6/lib/python2.7/httplib.py", line 543, in read\n    return self._read_chunked(amt)\n  File "/home/rtdean/.pyenv/versions/2.7.6/lib/python2.7/httplib.py", line 612, in _read_chunked\n    value.append(self._safe_read(chunk_left))\n  File "/ho
... (truncated) ...

Minimal Reproduction

repro.py

File "/home/rtdean/***/***/***/***/***/***.py", line 67, in dir_parse
    root = ElementTree.fromstring(response.text)
  File "/home/rtdean/.pyenv/versions/2.7.6/lib/python2.7/site-packages/requests-2.3.0-py2.7.egg/requests/models.py", line 721, in text
    if not self.content:
  File "/home/rtdean/.pyenv/versions/2.7.6/lib/python2.7/site-packages/requests-2.3.0-py2.7.egg/requests/models.py", line 694, in content
    self._content = bytes().join(self.iter_content(CONTENT_CHUNK_SIZE)) or bytes()
  File "/home/rtdean/.pyenv/versions/2.7.6/lib/python2.7/site-packages/requests-2.3.0-py2.7.egg/requests/models.py", line 627, in generate
    for chunk in self.raw.stream(chunk_size, decode_content=True):
  File "/home/rtdean/.pyenv/versions/2.7.6/lib/python2.7/site-packages/requests-2.3.0-py2.7.egg/requests/packages/urllib3/response.py", line 240, in stream
    data = self.read(amt=amt, decode_content=decode_content)
  File "/home/rtdean/.pyenv/versions/2.7.6/lib/python2.7/site-packages/requests-2.3.0-py2.7.egg/requests/packages/urllib3/response.py", line 187, in read
    data = self._fp.read(amt)
  File "/home/rtdean/.pyenv/versions/2.7.6/lib/python2.7/httplib.py", line 543, in read
    return self._read_chunked(amt)
  File "/home/rtdean/.pyenv/versions/2.7.6/lib/python2.7/httplib.py", line 612, in _read_chunked
    value.append(self._safe_read(chunk_left))
  File "/home/rtdean/.pyenv/versions/2.7.6/lib/python2.7/httplib.py", line 658, in _safe_read
    chunk = self.fp.read(min(amt, MAXAMOUNT))
  File "/home/rtdean/.pyenv/versions/2.7.6/lib/python2.7/socket.py", line 380, in read
    data = self._sock.recv(left)
  File "/home/rtdean/.pyenv/versions/2.7.6/lib/python2.7/site-packages/gevent-1.0.1-py2.7-linux-x86_64.egg/gevent/socket.py", line 385, in recv
    return sock.recv(*args)
socket.error: [Errno 104] Connection reset by peer

Environment

Python: 2.7

What Broke

Users experienced unhandled socket errors instead of ConnectionError exceptions during HTTP requests.

Why It Broke

The iter_content method did not handle socket errors, leading to raw socket exceptions

Fix Options (Details)

Option A — Upgrade to fixed release Safe default (recommended)

pip install requests==2.27.0

When NOT to use: This fix is not applicable if socket errors should be handled differently in specific use cases.

Use when you can deploy the upstream fix. It is usually lower-risk than long-lived workarounds.

Fix reference: https://github.com/psf/requests/pull/2148

First fixed release: 2.27.0

Last verified: 2026-02-07. Validate in your environment.

When NOT to Use This Fix

This fix is not applicable if socket errors should be handled differently in specific use cases.

Verify Fix

verify

Re-run the minimal reproduction on your broken version, then apply the fix and re-run.

Did This Fix Work in Your Case?

Quick signal helps us prioritize which fixes to verify and improve.

Prevention

Capture the exact failing error string in logs and tests so you can reproduce via a minimal script.
Pin production dependencies and upgrade only with a reproducible test that hits the failing path.

Version Compatibility Table

Version	Status
2.27.0	Fixed

Related Issues

No related fixes found.

Cluster: requests:configuration-error Requests hub Requests best practices All hubs All clusters

Related clusters: Data consistency SSL handshake Other

Sources

We don’t republish the full GitHub discussion text. Use the links above for context.

Requests socket.error exception not caught/wrapped in a requests exception (ConnectionError (Fix)