A web scraper (also known as a web crawler, spider, or data scraper) is a software tool that extracts data from websites. It works by accessing the HTML code of a web page, identifying specific elements such as text, images, links, and metadata, and then extracting that data and storing it in a structured format, such as a spreadsheet or database.
Web scraping can be a useful technique for gathering large amounts of data from multiple sources quickly and efficiently. It can be used for a variety of purposes, such as market research, lead generation, content aggregation, and price monitoring.
However, it’s important to note that web scraping can also raise ethical and legal concerns, especially if it involves accessing copyrighted or personal data without permission. Therefore, it’s important to use web scraping tools responsibly and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
