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

# .env (NEVER commit to git)
BRIGHTDATA_CUSTOMER_ID=c_abc123
BRIGHTDATA_ZONE=web_unlocker1
BRIGHTDATA_ZONE_PASSWORD=z_pass_xyz
BRIGHTDATA_API_TOKEN=abc123def456

# .gitignore — add these
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

# Node.js — set environment variable
export NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS=./brd-ca.crt

Step 4: Install HTTP Libraries

# Node.js
npm install axios dotenv

# Python
pip install requests python-dotenv

Step 5: Verify Connection

// verify-brightdata.ts
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('Connection verified.');
}

verify().catch(console.error);

# verify_brightdata.py
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

• Bright Data Control Panel
• Proxy Setup Docs
• SSL Certificate

Next Steps

After successful auth, proceed to brightdata-hello-world for your first scraping request.