WebHarvest

WebHarvest is an open-source web scraping and data mining tool. It allows users to extract data from websites and transform it into structured formats like XML or CSV. The tool operates by defining scraping configurations, which are essentially scripts that instruct WebHarvest on how to navigate web pages, identify specific data elements, and process them.

The core functionality of WebHarvest involves a rule-based system. Users define patterns, often using XPath or regular expressions, to locate the desired information within the HTML structure of web pages. It supports various web technologies and can handle dynamic content, cookies, and sessions. WebHarvest provides a graphical user interface that simplifies the process of creating and managing scraping jobs.

Key features include support for HTTP and FTP protocols, handling of various file formats, and the ability to execute custom scripts written in Java or Groovy. It can also perform data transformations, such as cleaning and aggregation, before outputting the extracted data. WebHarvest is often used for tasks like price monitoring, market research, content aggregation, and data analysis from the web. Its flexibility makes it suitable for both simple and complex web scraping projects.