Veebiskrapimiseks

Veebiskrapimiseks, also known as web scraping, is a technique used to extract data from websites. It involves automated programs, often called scrapers or bots, that visit web pages and parse their content to collect specific information. This data can then be stored, analyzed, or used for various purposes.

The process typically involves a scraper sending a request to a web server, which then returns the HTML content of the requested page. The scraper then analyzes this HTML, identifying the desired data based on predefined rules, such as HTML tags, CSS selectors, or XPath expressions. Once extracted, the data can be saved in formats like CSV, JSON, or databases.

Web scraping is employed across numerous fields. Businesses use it for market research, competitor analysis, and price monitoring. Researchers utilize it for data collection in fields like social sciences and economics. Developers might use it for website quality assurance or to populate databases with information.

However, web scraping also raises ethical and legal considerations. Some websites explicitly prohibit scraping in their terms of service, and aggressive scraping can overload servers, disrupting their functionality. Responsible scraping practices involve respecting robots.txt files, limiting request rates, and identifying scrapers with user agents. The legality of web scraping can vary depending on jurisdiction and the specific data being collected.