`TimeoutError`

TimeoutError is a built-in exception that is raised when a system function like time.sleep() or another operation times out.

This exception is particularly useful when dealing with operations that have a specified time limit, such as network requests or file operations. If an operation exceeds the allowed time, Python raises a TimeoutError to signal that the operation couldn’t be completed in the expected timeframe.

You can handle this exception to implement retry logic or notify users that an operation took too long.

`TimeoutError` Occurs When

Network requests exceed a predefined timeout limit
Long-running file or database operations take longer than expected

`TimeoutError` Can Be Used When

Implementing retry logic for operations that time out
Controlling execution flow when dealing with slow external systems or APIs

`TimeoutError` Examples

An example of when the exception appears:

Python
      
        
      
    
>>> import socket
>>> s = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
>>> s.settimeout(2)
>>> s.connect(("10.255.255.1", 80))
Traceback (most recent call last):
    ...
TimeoutError: timed out

An example of how to handle the exception:

Python
      
        
      
    
>>> import socket
>>> try:
...     s = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
...     s.settimeout(2)
...     s.connect(("10.255.255.1", 80))
... except TimeoutError:
...     print("The connection timed out. Please try again later.")
...
The connection timed out. Please try again later.

Tutorial

Socket Programming in Python (Guide)

In this in-depth tutorial, you'll learn how to build a socket server and client with Python. By the end of this tutorial, you'll understand how to use the main functions and methods in Python's socket module to write your own networked client-server applications.

advanced python web-dev

For additional information on related topics, take a look at the following resources: