Bright Data Install & Auth
Overview
Configure Bright Data proxy credentials, API tokens, and SSL certificates for web scraping. Bright Data uses HTTP proxy protocols and REST APIs — you authenticate via zone credentials from the control panel, not a dedicated npm SDK.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 18+ or Python 3.10+
- Bright Data account at https://brightdata.com
- A configured zone (Web Unlocker, Scraping Browser, SERP API, or Residential)
- Zone credentials from the Bright Data control panel
Instructions
Step 1: Gather Credentials from Control Panel
Log into https://brightdata.com/cp and navigate to your zone's overview tab:
| Credential | Location | Example |
|---|
| Customer ID | Settings > Account | c_abc123 |
| Zone Name | Zone overview tab | web_unlocker1 |
| Zone Password | Zone overview tab | z_pass_xyz |
| API Token | Settings > API tokens | abc123def456 |
Step 2: Configure Environment Variables
BRIGHTDATA_CUSTOMER_ID=c_abc123
BRIGHTDATA_ZONE=web_unlocker1
BRIGHTDATA_ZONE_PASSWORD=z_pass_xyz
BRIGHTDATA_API_TOKEN=abc123def456
echo '.env' >> .gitignore
echo '.env.local' >> .gitignore
Step 3: Download Bright Data SSL Certificate
Required for HTTPS proxy connections through the super proxy:
curl -sO https://brightdata.com/ssl/brd-ca.crt
export NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS=./brd-ca.crt
Step 4: Install HTTP Libraries
npm install axios dotenv
pip install requests python-dotenv
Step 5: Verify Connection
import axios from 'axios';
import https from 'https';
import 'dotenv/config';
const { BRIGHTDATA_CUSTOMER_ID, BRIGHTDATA_ZONE, BRIGHTDATA_ZONE_PASSWORD } = process.env;
const proxy = {
host: 'brd.superproxy.io',
port: 33335,
auth: {
username: `brd-customer-${BRIGHTDATA_CUSTOMER_ID}-zone-${BRIGHTDATA_ZONE}`,
password: BRIGHTDATA_ZONE_PASSWORD!,
},
};
async function verify() {
const res = await axios.get('https://lumtest.com/myip.json', {
proxy,
httpsAgent: new https.Agent({ rejectUnauthorized: false }),
});
console.log('Proxy IP:', res.data.ip);
console.log('Country:', res.data.country);
console.log();
}
().(.);
import os, requests
from dotenv import load_dotenv
load_dotenv()
proxy_url = (
f"http://brd-customer-{os.environ['BRIGHTDATA_CUSTOMER_ID']}"
f"-zone-{os.environ['BRIGHTDATA_ZONE']}"
f":{os.environ['BRIGHTDATA_ZONE_PASSWORD']}"
f"@brd.superproxy.io:33335"
)
resp = requests.get(
'https://lumtest.com/myip.json',
proxies={'https': proxy_url},
verify='./brd-ca.crt',
)
print(f"Proxy IP: {resp.json()['ip']}, Country: {resp.json()['country']}")
Output
.env file with zone credentials (git-ignored)brd-ca.crt SSL certificate for HTTPS proxying- Successful proxy connection showing rotated IP and country
Error Handling
| Error | Cause | Solution |
|---|
407 Proxy Authentication Required | Wrong username format | Use brd-customer-{ID}-zone-{ZONE} |
SSL: CERTIFICATE_VERIFY_FAILED | Missing CA cert | Download brd-ca.crt |
ECONNREFUSED on port 33335 | Firewall blocking | Allow outbound TCP to brd.superproxy.io:33335 |
403 Forbidden | Zone not active | Activate zone in control panel |
Resources
Next Steps
After successful auth, proceed to brightdata-hello-world for your first scraping request.
