Browser Tokens¶

The Python SDK supports automated browser-based authentication using Playwright. This guide explains how to use this feature.

Python Only

Browser-based authentication is only available in the Python SDK. TypeScript users must provide tokens manually.

Overview¶

Browser authentication automates the NFL.com login process to obtain access tokens without manual intervention. This is useful for:

Automated scripts and pipelines
Server-side applications
Testing and development

Setup¶

Install Playwright¶

pip install playwright
playwright install chromium

Basic Usage¶

from griddy.nfl import GriddyNFL

# Authenticate with credentials
nfl = GriddyNFL(
    login_email="your_email@example.com",
    login_password="your_password"
)

# The SDK is now authenticated
games = nfl.games.get_games(season=2024, season_type="REG", week=1)

Headless Mode¶

By default, browser authentication runs with a visible browser window. For server environments, use headless mode:

nfl = GriddyNFL(
    login_email="your_email@example.com",
    login_password="your_password",
    headless_login=True  # Run without visible browser
)

How It Works¶

Playwright launches a Chromium browser
Navigates to NFL.com login page
Fills in email and password
Completes the login flow
Extracts the access token from browser storage
Returns the token to the SDK

Token Storage¶

After successful authentication, the SDK saves credentials to creds.json:

# First run - browser authentication
nfl = GriddyNFL(
    login_email="user@example.com",
    login_password="password",
    headless_login=True
)

# Subsequent runs - use saved token
import json
with open("creds.json") as f:
    auth = json.load(f)

nfl = GriddyNFL(nfl_auth=auth)

Security

The creds.json file contains sensitive tokens. Add it to .gitignore and secure it appropriately.

Error Handling¶

from griddy.nfl import GriddyNFL

try:
    nfl = GriddyNFL(
        login_email="user@example.com",
        login_password="password",
        headless_login=True
    )
except Exception as e:
    print(f"Authentication failed: {e}")
    # Handle login failure - wrong credentials, network issues, etc.

Environment Variables¶

Store credentials securely using environment variables:

import os
from griddy.nfl import GriddyNFL

nfl = GriddyNFL(
    login_email=os.environ["NFL_EMAIL"],
    login_password=os.environ["NFL_PASSWORD"],
    headless_login=True
)

CI/CD Usage¶

For automated pipelines:

# GitHub Actions example
env:
  NFL_EMAIL: ${{ secrets.NFL_EMAIL }}
  NFL_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.NFL_PASSWORD }}

steps:
  - name: Install Playwright
    run: |
      pip install playwright
      playwright install chromium

  - name: Run script
    run: python my_script.py

Troubleshooting¶

Browser Not Found¶

# Reinstall Playwright browsers
playwright install chromium

The login process may timeout if NFL.com is slow or has changed. Try:

Run without headless mode to see what's happening
Check your internet connection
Verify credentials are correct
Check if NFL.com is accessible

CAPTCHA or MFA¶

If NFL.com requires CAPTCHA or multi-factor authentication:

Log in manually once to establish trust
Use headless_login=False to handle challenges manually
Consider using token-based authentication instead

Best Practices¶

Cache tokens: Save and reuse tokens instead of logging in every time
Use headless in production: Always use headless_login=True in server environments
Secure credentials: Never commit credentials to version control
Handle failures: Implement retry logic for transient failures
Refresh tokens: Check token expiration and re-authenticate when needed