Web data harvesting: Headless exemplified by Browserless
Contents of article:
- Headless web scraping. ABC
- Headless web scraping. Options
- Case for Browserless
- Dexodata: buy residential and mobile proxies for web scraping via Browserless
Dexodata’s mission is being a site where professionals buy residential and mobile proxies, along with datacenter IP-addresses. As such, we adjust our ecosystem to changing scenarios and purposes. Headless web scraping is of particular interest to our ecosystem of proxies. Many of our articles describe advantages of headless approaches. In this piece, we revisit the topic, from a new angle, taking Browserless as our focal point.
Headless web scraping. ABC
Headless web scraping means techniques applied to grab details from web presences without rendering pages in visible, graphical UIs. That constitutes stark contrasts with traditional data harvesting approaches, when browsing solutions (Chrome, Safari) get activated for loading pages. Then scripts or programs interact with browsers to obtain data. This method normally involves displaying pages, clicking on elements, navigating through sites. While this seems more comprehensible to human eyes, it is resource-intensive, slow, counterproductive.
Web data harvesting in headless formats, for its part, looks as follows: it performs scraping processes without even showing users web pages. That is, headless browsers are applied for complete automation, without UIs. Such a property does not mean that nothing happens. People just cannot see what is occurring. Headless browsing alternatives do, in fact, access and interact with pages, resembling regular browsers. However, scraping manipulations are executed in the background. Flows are controlled programmatically, via code. In case one practices this trick, data gathering procedures become more efficient, as there is no need to render web pages visually.
Headless web scraping. Options
Whenever headless web scraping operations are at stake, there exist several options concerning attainment of info picking goals set. Let’s name a few:
- Puppeteer, available as a Node.js-based library, a widely used headless browser and automation tool, providing a high-level API for controlling headless Chrome or Chromium.
- Playwright, accessible through JS, Java, TypeScript, Python, resembling Puppeteer, congenial with more browsers.
- Apify, a web scraping and automation platform, helpful in Node.js as well as Python and opening doors towards a headless browser and a serverless computing environment.
Actually, if users are familiar with low-level coding, there is no requirement to involve software assistants. Working directly with headless versions of, say, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox is possible. Both ways will serve you, unmediated, for web scraping, after configuring in respective headless modes. Yet it mandates tech knowledge.
Case for Browserless
This article’s intention is not to remind visitors about advantages pertaining to headless web scraping. No rocket science. The idea is advocating exploration of Browserless, a truly comprehensive option.
If you haven’t tested this tool, give it a try. At Dexodata’s site with residential and mobile proxies, we universally feel skeptical about ‘one-size-fits-all’ promises. But this assistant deserves one’s attention in this capacity.
Browserless exemplifies headless web scraping by functioning as a robust, scalable platform for controlling headless browsers remotely. Here are manners via which Browserless satisfies info collection needs:
- Browserless gives access to headless browsers, e.g. headless Chrome and Chromium.
- API control offered by Browserless enables sending queries and commands to headless browsers, allowing for automated navigation coupled with web data harvesting.
- Browserless is capable of scaling horizontally, allowing one running multiple headless browser instances concurrently. This scalability is essential for handling large-scale scraping tasks.
- It is possible to configure headless browsers via Browserless to mimic real-world user behavior patterns by setting user agents, headers, other parameters to make requests appear more like those of regular browsers, avoiding anti-scraping mechanisms.
- Browserless integrates well with various programming languages and frameworks, making it accessible to engineers for controlling headless browsers and automating web interactions.
- Initialization of captcha tackling capabilities during scraping sessions, simplifying processes of overcoming those tiresome obstacles.
- Browserless arranges session and cookie management.
- Extra ingredients on top of info gathering, encompassing capture of screenshots, generation of page-based PDFs.
Dexodata: buy residential and mobile proxies for web scraping via Browserless
An additional magnet of Browserless is its compatibility with proxies. Intensive web scraping efforts suppose countless requests, which puts conspicuous digital labels on your actions. Buy residential and mobile proxies via Dexodata for overcoming those challenges. While Browserless features built-in residential proxies, one can still rely on external ones. We recommend doing so, as Browserless accepts them.
The rationale behind Dexodata’s advice is straightforward. First, some projects mandate mobile proxies. Second, proxy rotation empowered by wide IP pools plays significant roles. Our platform contains 1M+ ethically sourced IPs from 100+ countries, including America, Great Britain, Canada, Chile, major EU locations, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Japan, Turkey, etc. Targeting settings comprise cities, ISPs, carriers. Pricing plans start at $3.65 per 1 Gb or $0.3 per port, so there exist no shortage of offerings for unleashing the full Browserless potential.
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