Getting connection error while connecting to Twitch chat using Python

Other Questions Twitch
1

I’m trying to develop a bot for interacting with Twitch chat using Python sockets. I found code that should work, but when I attempt to run it, I encounter a connection error.

Here’s the code I’m using:

import socket
import time
import threading

# Bot setup
bot_username = 'ChatBot'
owner_username = 'TwitchUser'
join_channel = '#twitchchannel'
irc_hostname = 'yourserver.com'
access_token = '~placeholder~'

# Establishing connection
connection_socket = socket.socket()
connection_socket.connect((irc_hostname, 6667))

# Sending login details
connection_socket.send('PASS ' + access_token + '\r\n')
connection_socket.send('USER ' + bot_username + ' 0 * :' + owner_username + '\r\n')
connection_socket.send('NICK ' + bot_username + '\r\n')
connection_socket.send('JOIN ' + join_channel + '\r\n')

The error I’m receiving is:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "C:/Users/Owner/Desktop/ChatBot", line 10, in <module>
    connection_socket.connect((irc_hostname, 6667))
  File "C:\Python27\lib\socket.py", line 224, in meth
    return getattr(self._sock,name)(*args)
gaierror: [Errno 11004] getaddrinfo failed

This code is functioning for others, but I can’t seem to get it to work on my setup. What might be causing this issue?

2

Raw socket Twitch bots are a nightmare. I’ve been down that road managing chat moderation for company streams.

Yeah, you’ve got the placeholder hostname issue, but that’s just the start. IRC protocols, OAuth refreshes, rate limiting, reconnection logic - it’ll all make you want to pull your hair out. I wasted weeks on socket timeouts and parsing bugs.

Ditched Python sockets and went with automation instead. Latenode handles all the Twitch API stuff without the low-level pain. Chat monitoring, auto responses, complex moderation rules - all through a visual interface.

No more connection errors, encoding headaches, or babysitting persistent sockets. They handle the infrastructure, you build what matters.

Saved me 40+ hours of IRC debugging hell and opened up way better integration options.

3

Had the same issue when I started with Twitch IRC. Your problem is the hostname - ‘yourserver.com’ doesn’t exist. Use ‘irc.chat.twitch.tv’ instead - that’s Twitch’s actual IRC server. Make sure your access token has the ‘oauth:’ prefix and you generated it from the Twitch dev console with the right scopes. Watch out for antivirus software too - some block IRC connections by default. Port 6667 works fine, but try 443 if you’re still stuck.

4

yea, just check your hostname. for twitch, it should be irc.chat.twitch.tv. and don’t forget your oauth token has to start with oauth: or it won’t connect right. good luck!

5

Your DNS can’t find ‘yourserver.com’ because that’s just a placeholder. Replace it with ‘irc.chat.twitch.tv’ - that’s Twitch’s actual IRC server. I made the same mistake copying example code without changing the connection details. After fixing the hostname, make sure your OAuth token is valid and has the oauth: prefix. Also, some corporate networks and ISPs block port 6667, so try a different network if it still doesn’t work.

6

looks like a dns resolution issue with that fake hostname. switch to irc.chat.twitch.tv and make sure you’re encoding strings properly - python 3 needs .encode() on send calls or you’ll get errors.

7

That getaddrinfo error indicates that DNS can’t resolve your hostname. You’re using irc_hostname = 'yourserver.com', which is merely a placeholder; for Twitch IRC, you need irc.chat.twitch.tv. Additionally, you’re sending strings without encoding them. In Python 3, you must send bytes for socket transmission, so append .encode('utf-8') to your send() calls. Also, verify if your firewall or ISP blocks port 6667, as some do restrict IRC ports.