Getting name of windows computer running python script?

Question

I have a couple Windows computers on my network that will be running a python script. A different set of configuration options should be used in the script depending on which computer is running this script.

How would I get that computer name in the python script?

Let's say the script was running on a computer named DARK-TOWER, I'd like to write something like this:

>>> python.library.get_computer_name()
'DARK-TOWER'

Is there a standard or third party library I can use?

Dmitry Dronov · Accepted Answer · 2023-01-06 01:31:20Z

235

It turns out there are three options (including the two already answered earlier):

>>> import platform
>>> import socket
>>> import os
>>> platform.node()
'DARK-TOWER'
>>> socket.gethostname()
'DARK-TOWER'
>>> os.environ['COMPUTERNAME'] # WORK ONLY ON WINDOWS
'DARK-TOWER'

edited Jan 6, 2023 at 1:31

Dmitry Dronov

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answered Apr 28, 2009 at 20:57

Eric Palakovich Carr

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10 Comments

Stephan202 Over a year ago

Answering one's own question may be considered poor taste by some, but it is perfectly fine, as per the FAQ: stackoverflow.com/faq

nilamo Over a year ago

I don't think it's bad at all, since Eric was compiling a few different responses into a single resource, not to mention adding a new one (platform).

Jason S Over a year ago

ok, so this cries out for a follow-up: what's the difference between platform.node() and socket.gethostname() ? can they ever be different?

Peter Gibson Over a year ago

On posix systems, socket.gethostname() returns the libc gethostname(), while platform.node() returns platform.uname()[1] which is somewhat related to os.uname() which calls the libc uname()... It looks like they might end up in the same place, but they take quite different paths to get there and I wouldn't be relying on the value to be the same across different platforms.

MrNoob Over a year ago

Worth noting that os.environ['COMPUTERNAME'] will return all uppercase, whereas platform.node() and socket.gethostname() can return mixed case.

|

brettkelly · Accepted Answer · 2009-04-28 20:53:25Z

52

import socket
socket.gethostname()

answered Apr 28, 2009 at 20:53

brettkelly

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4 Comments

joshin4colours Over a year ago

+1 for this being the best way to go. It's the most effective cross-platform call.

Dmitry Dronov Over a year ago

platform.node() is crossplatform too

Xxxo Over a year ago

Computer name and host name are two different things. For example, when you are in a VPN, your host name is X and your computer name can be Y. This answer is not correct, since the question is about COMPUTER name and not host name.

Chau Pham Over a year ago

this works for me, while using os doesn't

twasbrillig · Accepted Answer · 2014-09-23 00:13:47Z

25

From https://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-list/2006-April/397494.html

import os
os.getenv('COMPUTERNAME')

edited Sep 23, 2014 at 0:13

twasbrillig

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answered Apr 28, 2009 at 20:53

oneporter

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3 Comments

Peter Gibson Over a year ago

This doesn't work for me on OS-X 10.6.8 using Python 2.7.2, it returns None. The other methods described do work however.

Daniel F Over a year ago

@PeterGibson I had the same thing occurring to me on Ubuntu 12.04.

Matt Hancock Over a year ago

Returns None for me on Ubuntu 16.04. Interestingly, HOSTNAME is a defined environment variable in bash, but both os.getenv('HOSTNAME') returns None also, while socket.gethostname() returns the correct string.

Eric Palakovich Carr · Accepted Answer · 2022-10-31 11:21:25Z

18

As Eric Palakovich Carr said you could use these three variants.

I prefer using them together:

def getpcname():
    n1 = platform.node()
    n2 = socket.gethostname()
    n3 = os.environ["COMPUTERNAME"]
    if n1 == n2 or n1 == n3:
        return n1
    elif n2 == n3:
        return n2
    else:
        raise Exception("Computernames are not equal to each other")

I prefer it when developing cross patform applications to be sure ;)

edited Oct 31, 2022 at 11:21

Eric Palakovich Carr

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answered Jan 13, 2016 at 17:29

Faminator

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4 Comments

Charles Plager Over a year ago

Just a bit cleaner: if n1==n2 or n2==n3: return n1 elif n2==n3: return n2 else: raise Exception("Computer names are not equal to each other")

dexteritas Over a year ago

@CharlesPlager It should be:

if n1==n2 or n1==n3: return n1 elif n2==n3: return n2 else: raise Exception("Computer names are not equal to each other")

(n1 instead of n2)

Charles Plager Over a year ago

@dexteritas: You are correct. (It won't let me edit it for whatever reason).

busdriver Over a year ago

You could use os.getenv("COMPUTERNAME") which returns None instead of raising error if "COMPUTERNAME" does not exist in env.

Brian R. Bondy · Accepted Answer · 2009-04-28 21:27:38Z

8

Since the python scrips are for sure running on a windows system, you should use the Win32 API GetComputerName or GetComputerNameEx

You can get the fully qualified DNS name, or NETBIOS name, or a variety of different things.

import win32api
win32api.GetComputerName()

>>'MYNAME'

Or:

import win32api
WIN32_ComputerNameDnsHostname = 1 
win32api.GetComputerNameEx(WIN32_ComputerNameDnsHostname)

>> u'MYNAME'

edited Apr 28, 2009 at 21:27

answered Apr 28, 2009 at 20:52

Brian R. Bondy

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Comments

Promit · Accepted Answer · 2009-04-28 20:51:15Z

3

I bet gethostname will work beautifully.

answered Apr 28, 2009 at 20:51

Promit

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