How Do I Start Scraping a Website?

Updated

Start by deciding whether the target page is static or dynamic, then pick the simplest tool that can retrieve the data you need. Web Scraping FYI organizes its guidance around exactly this progression: scrape static pages, parse HTML, find hidden data, scrape dynamic pages, automate browsers, avoid getting blocked, and scale your scraper. If the data appears in the page source, you can usually fetch it with an HTTP client and parse the HTML. If it only appears after JavaScript runs, you need browser automation or an underlying API.

Step 1: Identify what kind of page you are dealing with

Open the page and compare what you see in the browser with what you get from a plain HTTP request.

Signal Static page Dynamic page
Data visible in "View Source" Yes Often no
Data present in raw HTTP response Yes Often no
Content loaded after page load No Yes
Typical approach HTTP client + HTML parser Browser automation or API calls

Web Scraping FYI splits its "How to Scrape" section along this line: static pages are handled with HTTP clients and HTML parsing, while dynamic pages require browser automation. Getting this classification right first saves you from building a browser-based scraper for a page that only needs a simple request.

Step 2: Scrape static pages and parse the HTML

For a static page, the workflow is:

  1. Fetch the page with an HTTP client in your language of choice. Web Scraping FYI lists HTTP clients and libraries for Python, JavaScript, PHP, Go, Ruby, and R.
  2. Parse the returned HTML with an HTML parser to locate the elements you want.
  3. Extract the text, attributes, or links and store them in your chosen format.

The knowledge base treats "Parse HTML" and "Find Hidden Data" as distinct skills, which is a useful reminder: not all data sits in obvious tags. Some values are embedded in attributes, script blocks, or JSON payloads inside the page, and you may need to inspect those rather than only the visible markup.

Step 3: Handle dynamic pages

When content is rendered by JavaScript, a plain HTTP request will not return it. Web Scraping FYI covers two main routes:

  • Browser automation — drive a real or headless browser so the page executes its JavaScript, then read the rendered DOM. The site groups this under browser automation tools and browser libraries.
  • Scraping APIs — use a service that handles rendering or access for you, listed under scraping APIs.

Browser automation is more flexible but heavier; scraping APIs trade control for convenience. Choose based on how many pages you need and how much rendering logic the site uses.

Step 4: Anticipate blocking and scale

Two sections of the knowledge base exist specifically because these problems are common:

  • Avoid getting blocked — anti-bot protections are a named topic, alongside anti-bot protection tools. Expect that some sites will actively resist automated access.
  • Scale your scraper — what works for one page often breaks at volume, so the site treats scaling as its own stage rather than an afterthought.

Plan for these before you have a working prototype you depend on, not after.

Step 5: Use the site's structure to go deeper

Web Scraping FYI is organized so you can move from concepts to concrete targets:

  • Concepts: What is Web Scraping, Web Scraping vs Web Crawling, Is Web Scraping Legal?
  • How-to: static pages, HTML parsing, hidden data, dynamic pages, browser automation, blocking, scaling
  • Tools & Technologies: languages and HTTP clients, frameworks, browser automation, browser libraries, anti-bot protections, scraping APIs, developer tools
  • Foundations: How HTTP Works, How HTML Works, How JavaScript Works, How JSON Works
  • Site-specific guides: e-commerce (Amazon, Walmart, eBay, Etsy, and others), real estate (Zillow, Redfin, Rightmove, and others), social media (Instagram, TikTok, Twitter/X, Reddit, and others), jobs and business (LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, and others), reviews and travel (Trustpilot, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Booking.com), and search (Google, Bing, SimilarWeb).

If you already know your target, jumping straight to the matching site guide is faster than reading general theory first. If you are new, the "How HTTP Works" and "How HTML Works" pages give the background that makes the scraping steps make sense.

A practical starting sequence

  1. Pick one target page and classify it as static or dynamic.
  2. If static, fetch it with an HTTP client and parse the HTML.
  3. If dynamic, try browser automation or a scraping API.
  4. Check whether the data you want is hidden in scripts or attributes.
  5. Before scaling, review anti-bot considerations and your blocking risk.
  6. Consult the site-specific guide if one exists for your target.

The knowledge base is explicitly aimed at both beginners and experienced developers, so you can enter at whichever step matches your current knowledge and skip the rest.