Web Scraping
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Web scraping, also known as web harvesting or data extraction, is the process of automatically collecting information from websites. Imagine it like sifting through sand on a beach to find valuable seashells. Instead of sand, you're sifting through website code to find specific data you need.
Why is Web Scraping Useful?
News aggregation
News websites often scrape headlines and summaries from various sources to provide a comprehensive news feed.
Market research
Companies can scrape data on industry trends, competitor analysis, and customer sentiment to make informed decisions.
Price comparison websites
They use scrapers to track product prices on different platforms and display the best deals for customers.
How Does Web Scraping Work?
- Target Selection: You define the specific website(s) from which you want to extract data.
- Fetching Data: A scraper retrieves the website's content, typically the HTML code behind the scenes.
- Parsing & Filtering: The scraper analyzes the code to locate the desired data points. Imagine searching for seashells by looking for their specific shapes and colors.
- Extracting & Storing: Once identified, the scraper extracts the data and stores it in an organized format like a spreadsheet or database.
Is Web Scraping Legal and Ethical?
- Respect robots.txt: Websites often have a robots.txt file that specifies whether scraping is allowed. Always check and adhere to these guidelines.
- Don't overload servers: Be mindful of how often you scrape data to avoid overwhelming the website's servers.
- Follow website terms of service: Make sure your scraping activities comply with the website's terms and conditions.