What's the best way to build a web crawler in Python from scratch? or How can I improve the efficienc

16 Replies, 1509 Views

"What's the best way to build a web crawler in Python from scratch?"

Hey folks! 👋

I'm trying to build a web crawler python project from scratch, but I'm kinda lost on where to start. Should I just use `requests` + `BeautifulSoup` or go for something more advanced?

Also, how do you handle stuff like rate limiting or storing crawled data? Any libraries or tips you swear by?

Kinda new to this, so any advice is appreciated!

Thanks in advance! 🚀

---

OR

"Why is my Python web crawler getting blocked, and how do I fix it?"

Ugh, my web crawler python script keeps getting blocked after a few requests. 😤

I'm using `requests` with some basic headers, but sites are still detecting me. Are there any sneaky tricks to avoid this?

Should I rotate user-agents, use proxies, or just slow the heck down?

Help a noob out! 🙏
Hey! If you're just starting with a web crawler python project, I'd say keep it simple—`requests` + `BeautifulSoup` is totally fine for most basic stuff.

For rate limiting, check out `time.sleep()` to add delays between requests. And for storage, SQLite or even a simple CSV file works if you're not dealing with huge data.

If you wanna level up later, try Scrapy—it’s built for this and handles a lot of the messy stuff (like throttling) for you.

Good luck!
Dude, getting blocked is the worst. 😅 For your web crawler python script, try these:

- Rotate user-agents (fake being a browser).
- Use `requests` with proxies (check out free ones on https://free-proxy-list.net/).
- Add random delays between requests—sites hate bots that spam.

Also, some sites check headers, so make sure yours aren’t too obvious.
If you're serious about web crawler python stuff, Scrapy is the way to go. It’s got built-in middleware for throttling, retries, and even handles proxies.

For storage, Scrapy supports JSON, CSV, or databases out of the box. Way cleaner than rolling your own solution.

Downside? Steeper learning curve, but worth it if you’re scaling up.
Yo, fellow noob here! I had the same issue with my web crawler python script.

What worked for me:
- Slowed down requests (like 2-3 sec delay).
- Used fake_useragent library to randomize headers.
- Some sites block if you don’t respect robots.txt, so maybe check that too?

Still figuring it out, but hope this helps!
For avoiding blocks in your web crawler python project, proxies are a must. Free ones are hit or miss—I’d recommend paid ones like Luminati if you’re serious.

Also, sites like Cloudflare detect bots by JS rendering. If you’re hitting those, maybe try Selenium or Playwright to mimic real browsers.

It’s a cat-and-mouse game, tho.
Honestly, if you’re new to web crawler python, start small. `requests` + `BeautifulSoup` is great for learning.

For storage, SQLite is easy and lightweight. And for rate limiting, just don’t be greedy—space out your requests.

Once you’re comfy, dive into Scrapy or even async libs like `aiohttp` for speed.
Wow, thanks for all the tips, everyone! 🙌

I tried adding delays and rotating user-agents to my web crawler python script, and it’s working way better now. Still getting blocked on some sites tho—guess I’ll have to look into proxies next.

Scrapy sounds awesome but maybe a bit advanced for me rn. Anyone got a good tutorial link for it?

Thanks again! 🚀
Pro tip: If your web crawler python script gets blocked, check if you’re sending cookies/session data. Some sites track that.

Also, Cloudflare hates bots—try adding `referer` headers or even using a headless browser like Puppeteer if nothing else works.

It’s trial and error, sadly.



Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)