What is Netrc file ?

Netrc file contains user credentials and is used to auto-login. It is usually located in users home directory .netrc but location can be overridden with NETRC environment variable. Netrc also supports macros macdef to automate tasks. Netrc can be used with ftp, curl, git etc.

Netrc file sample:

~ $ cat .netrc
machine product.company.com
login first.last
password secret-password

macdef macro-name1
command1
command2

Get client:

curl -o netrc_client.py  "https://gist.githubusercontent.com/pratz/789dc165c6d9f79be86608547b128c69/raw/41fb7796f6b6d0a09ac5ddeaf8c79de30a2387ed/NetRc%2520-%2520read,%2520write,%2520update"

Client compatibility:

- Linux/Mac
- Python 2.7.x

Usage:

# create client
netrc_instance = NetRc(
        "product.company.com",
        login="first.last",
        password="secret-password",
        account="", # account is optional
        )

# create or update file content
netrc_instance.create_or_update()

# Custom file path (not recommended, as other programs might look for .netrc in users home directory)
NETRC_FILE_PATH = /custom/file/path
netrc_instance.create_or_update(path=NETRC_FILE_PATH)

Warning:

• Netrc stores credentials in plan text. This is how netrc is meant to be ;)

Use case:

• Its a good idea to use netrc when you have token based authentication.
• Automation for service accounts with token based authentication.