Zyte Scrapy SSL Issue: A Comprehensive Guide to Resolving the Nightmare

Are you tired of dealing with the notorious Zyte Scrapy SSL issue? Do you find yourself stuck in an endless loop of error messages and failed crawls? Fear not, dear scraper, for we’ve got you covered! In this article, we’ll delve into the depths of the Zyte Scrapy SSL issue, exploring its causes, symptoms, and most importantly, solutions.

What is the Zyte Scrapy SSL Issue?

The Zyte Scrapy SSL issue refers to the difficulties encountered when trying to crawl websites using Scrapy, a popular Python web scraping framework, in conjunction with Zyte (formerly Scrapinghub), a cloud-based web scraping platform. The issue arises when Scrapy fails to establish a secure connection with the target website, resulting in a barrage of SSL-related errors.

Symptoms of the Zyte Scrapy SSL Issue

• Error messages galore: Expect to see a flurry of errors, including but not limited to:

<urlopen error [SSL: CERTIFICATE_VERIFY_FAILED] certificate verify failed: unable to get local issuer certificate (_ssl.c:1131)>
<twisted.python.failure.Failure twisted.internet.error.ConnectionLost: Connection to the other side was lost in a non-clean fashion: Connection lost>
<twisted.python.failure.Failure scrapy.spidermiddlewares.offsite.OffsiteMiddleware: Error downloading <GET https://example.com>: <urlopen error [SSL: CERTIFICATE_VERIFY_FAILED] certificate verify failed: unable to get local issuer certificate (_ssl.c:1131)>

• Crawls failing to complete: Your Scrapy spider will repeatedly fail to crawl the target website, resulting in wasted time and resources.
• SSL verification failures: Scrapy will struggle to verify the target website’s SSL certificate, leading to a cascade of errors.

Causes of the Zyte Scrapy SSL Issue

Before we dive into the solutions, it’s essential to understand the root causes of the Zyte Scrapy SSL issue:

• Inadequate SSL Verification: Scrapy’s default SSL verification settings may not be sufficient to handle modern SSL certificates, leading to verification failures.
• Zyte’s CA certificates might not be up-to-date, causing Scrapy to fail when attempting to verify the target website’s SSL certificate.
• Middleware Misconfiguration: Incorrectly configured middleware can disrupt the SSL handshake, resulting in errors and failed crawls.
• TLS Version Incompatibility: Scrapy’s default TLS version might not be compatible with the target website’s TLS version, leading to handshake failures.

Resolving the Zyte Scrapy SSL Issue

Now that we’ve covered the causes, let’s get to the good stuff – solutions! Follow these steps to resolve the Zyte Scrapy SSL issue:

Step 1: Update CA Certificates

First, ensure you’re using the latest CA certificates. You can do this by running the following command:

pip install --upgrade certifi

Step 2: Configure SSL Verification

In your Scrapy project, create a new file called `settings.py` (if it doesn’t already exist) and add the following code:

 DOWNLOADER_CLIENT_TLS_CIPHERS = 'ECDHE+AESGCM:ECDHE+CHACHA20:DH+AESGCM:DH+CHACHA20'
 DOWNLOADER_CLIENT_TLS_VERSION_MAX = 'TLSv1.3'

This code sets the TLS cipher suites and version to the most recent and secure options.

Step 3: Implement Custom Middleware

Create a new file called `middleware.py` and add the following code:

import socket
from urllib3 import util

class CustomSSLHandler:
    def __init__(self):
        self.ssl_ctx = util.create_context()

    def handle_request(self, request):
        # Create a new SSL context with custom options
        ctx = ssl.create_default_context(cafile=certifi.where())
        ctx.check_hostname = False
        ctx.verify_mode = ssl.CERT_NONE

        # Patch the request's SSL context
        request.meta['ssl_ctx'] = ctx

        return request

This custom middleware sets up a new SSL context with custom verification options.

Step 4: Enable Custom Middleware

In your `settings.py` file, add the following code:

DOWNLOADER_MIDDLEWARES = {
    'path.to.middleware.CustomSSLHandler': 543,
}

This code enables the custom middleware and sets its priority to 543.

Step 5: Update Zyte Configuration

In your Zyte dashboard, navigate to the “Crawlers” section and update the Scrapy configuration to include the following:

scrapy:
  version: 2.4.1
  settings:
    DOWNLOADER_CLIENT_TLS_CIPHERS: ECDHE+AESGCM:ECDHE+CHACHA20:DH+AESGCM:DH+CHACHA20
    DOWNLOADER_CLIENT_TLS_VERSION_MAX: TLSv1.3

This code updates the Scrapy configuration to match the custom settings in your `settings.py` file.

Conclusion

The Zyte Scrapy SSL issue can be a daunting challenge, but by following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to resolving the issue and enjoying smooth, error-free crawls. Remember to stay up-to-date with the latest SSL verification best practices and Scrapy configurations to ensure continued success in your web scraping endeavors.

SSL Issue	Solution
Inadequate SSL Verification	Update CA certificates and configure custom SSL verification settings
Outdated CA Certificates	Update CA certificates using `pip install –upgrade certifi`
Middleware Misconfiguration	Implement custom middleware with custom SSL verification options
TLS Version Incompatibility	Configure Scrapy to use the latest TLS version (TLSv1.3)

By addressing these common causes and implementing the solutions outlined above, you’ll be able to overcome the Zyte Scrapy SSL issue and focus on building robust, scalable web scrapers that deliver high-quality data.

Frequently Asked Question

Zyte Scrapy SSL issues got you stuck? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Here are some frequently asked questions and answers to help you navigate those pesky SSL errors.