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

Examples

Create a separate least-privilege zone for a defined approved workload, keep its credential in the secret manager, and run one controlled authorization probe without emitting the proxy URL or credentials. Do not reuse personal or broad administrator credentials; record zone owner, target class, and rotation/revocation process before deployment.

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.