7 Myths About Web Scraping APIs – Busted

Web scraping APIs have emerged as powerful tools that can abstract away the need for developers to handle proxy management, headless browsers, and anti-bot measures.

You provide the target URL and the API handles the rest: connecting to a remote data extraction service, it fetches the page, invokes its own pool of proxies and browsers as needed, deals with any anti-scraping hurdles like CAPTCHAs, IP blocks, etcetera, and returns the data you asked for.

In short, the API service plays the request handling role in your scraper – when all the logic is delivered from the cloud, you no longer have to wrangle local libraries, rotating IPs, mimic browsers, or deal with CAPTCHAs manually.

Yet, if you’re a developer used to DIY scraping with rotating proxies and custom scripts, you might be skeptical. Despite their benefits, web scraping APIs are sometimes misunderstood. So, let’s debunk some of the most common myths.

Myth 1: ‘Scraping APIs are more expensive than rolling my own proxies’

False: You may have heard that scraping via API-based tools works out more expensive.

True: When you factor in everything, scraping APIs often save you money.

Yes, you pay per request, but what you pay for is successful data. No more time or dollars wasted on blocked requests, proxy subscriptions, or CAPTCHA solves that go nowhere.

For example, one developer found that using a dedicated residential proxy service ended up more costly and yielded fewer successful pages than a combined scraping API. Why? The API efficiently handled retries and blocked resource hogs (like images), stretching each dollar further.

Many APIs have free tiers or pay-as-you-go models – you can start for little or no cost. And if you’re scraping a simple site, some APIs charge mere fractions of a cent per page.

Conversely, DIY scraping has hidden costs, including developer time, broken scripts, proxy maintenance. Scraping APIs eliminate those. The bottom line: they’re cost-effective, especially for small teams or projects where time and overhead equal money.

Consider the opportunity cost of developing and maintaining your own custom request handling logic and infrastructure. You may be able to build a system that is highly optimized for cost, but that means every second spent building and maintaining it is time not spent doing the fun, interesting and higher-value jobs using the data.

Myth 2: ‘Scraping via API means losing control and flexibility’

False: Some developers fret that, if they hand over the request handling to an API, they are potentially giving up fine-grained control over how requests are made.

True: Modern web Scraping APIs are highly flexible.

But using a request-handling API doesn’t mean giving up control. The best APIs are designed to act more like a powerful extension of your scraper, not a replacement for your logic. 

You can set custom headers, cookies, and user agents, just like with your own requests. Need to scrape from a specific country or city? Just flip a geolocation parameter.

Want to use a headless browser, or not? It’s usually a simple toggle, like "browserHtml": true. Many APIs support session persistence, so you can scrape by reusing session cookies.

Some even allow you to run browser scripts for complex interactions (think clicking buttons, scrolling, etc.).

In other words, you’re not stuck with a one-size-fits-all approach – you configure how the API works on each request.

You still hold the reins, but you don’t have to reinvent the wheel for proxy rotation or dealing with CAPTCHAs. The API gives you both control and convenience.

Myth 3: ‘They’re only needed for ultra-difficult websites’

False: Scraping APIs are ideal for tackling large, hard sites but overkill for smaller, straightforward targets.

True: Scraping APIs are just as useful for everyday web scraping, especially where you care about any kind of scalability and robustness in your solution.

In truth, even easy sites eat up time when you’re managing proxies and retries, and easy sites can break when you’re not baby-sitting them. An API handles all this so you can focus on actual data.

Even if a site is easy to scrape, using an API means you don’t have to manage proxies, monitor for blocks, or build infrastructure. It’s like having a reliable helper for all sites – easy or hard. 

Plus, many projects involve multiple websites: some easy, some hard. Rather than maintain separate scrapers, you can use a single API to handle everything. And if an “easy” site suddenly adds protections, the API will adapt automatically – no scramble on your side.

So, whether you’re scraping a simple blog or a JavaScript-heavy retail site, a scraping API can be your go-to. It’s not overkill; it’s right-sizing your effort. Use your energy for analyzing data, not firefighting scrapers.

Myth 4: ‘Web scraping APIs are hard to learn or integrate’

False: Some developers fear they don’t have time to learn a whole new tool, and that integrating it into their stack is going to be a pain.

True: If you can make an API request and send basic parameters, you can use a web scraping API. They’re typically as simple as POSTing instructions and a target URL to https://api.provider.com/extract. 

It’s just an endpoint. One HTTP call and you’re scraping like a pro, avoiding all that complexity.

You’ll find clear docs, code samples, IDE and SDKs for languages like Python, JavaScript, etc. You will get back a nice JSON object in response.

Many providers offer copy-paste examples and even Postman collections. Some have a GUI “playground” where you can test scraping a URL with various settings and see the results instantly (no coding).

Also, popular scraping frameworks like Scrapy have middleware to plug in scraping APIs with a few lines of config.

In short, integration is a breeze – often minutes to get something working. There’s no big learning curve or proprietary language to master. If anything, it’s easier than handling all the low-level stuff yourself.

Myth 5: ‘These services don’t use real browsers, so they can’t handle JS-heavy sites’

False: Only a local scraping stack can provide the kind of browser engine tricky sites and dynamic content require.

True: The best web scraping APIs do use real browsers under the hood when needed. In fact, the better ones will also use a browser as and when needed, but never when it can be avoided - as they cost a lot more to run. 

They can fetch pages that require running JavaScript, such as sites built on React, Angular, etc. 

Most providers have a headless Chrome or equivalent that they deploy on-demand. You usually just specify if you want JS rendering, and the API returns the fully rendered HTML. For instance, want to scrape an infinite-scroll page? The API can load it in a headless browser, scroll as instructed, and return the content.

This myth probably lingers from older  proxy tools, but it’s outdated – today’s scraping APIs handle client-side rendering like a champ. They combine the best of both worlds: fast HTTP fetching when possible, and full browser automation when necessary. Either way, you get the data.

Myth 6: ‘Web scraping APIs are only for big companies or large-scale projects’

False: Small-scale scraping is not suited to web scraping APIs.

True: Scraping APIs are for everyone – from solo devs and indie hackers to enterprise teams.

Many services have entry-level plans or pay-go pricing that make them accessible to small projects. For example, some offer a few thousand free requests on sign-up, and then low-cost tiers for more usage.

You don’t need to commit to huge monthly volumes. In fact, scraping APIs are great for one-off or periodic needs: if you only scrape data occasionally, you pay nothing most of the time and just pay for the requests when you make them. No need to maintain servers or proxy subscriptions during the down times.

On the flip side, if you do go big, the API will scale with you – without you having to architect that scale. Think of it this way: it’s as useful for 100 pages as it is for 100,000 pages. The service grows (or shrinks) to fit your project’s size.

Indie developers especially appreciate not having to babysit infrastructure for small experiments. So, whether your data need is tiny or huge, a scraping API can be a fit.

Myth 7: ‘I already have rotating proxies/unblocker – isn’t that the same thing?’

False: Web scraping APIs are all about unblocking and proxy rotation services.

True: Dedicated rotating proxy or “unblocker” services are helpful, but a web scraping API is a step above.

A proxy service gives you IP rotation and maybe solves some CAPTCHAs, but you still have to do a lot yourself.

A scraping API is more like a full package actively managing proxies and browsers for you, finding the right strategy out of thousands of possibilities to deliver data. It’s like comparing raw ingredients to a ready-made meal. Both feed you, but one saves you a lot more work.

That said, many scraping APIs can be used just like a proxy if you want (some have a proxy port integration). The difference is, with an API you have the option to offload more logic to the provider. For example, some have specialized endpoints for common sites and often have other value-add features that are only possible with a single integrated solution - such as being able to use AI to automatically parse out data from any page by simply passing in an extra parameter. 

Proxies may get you past anti-bot blocks, but scraping APIs handle the whole scraping process end-to-end. If you’re already using proxies, plugging a scraping API into your workflow could drastically cut down the remaining manual pieces. It’s a superset of what proxies offer, not just a substitute. It’s not a direct “swap” but it is usually very easy to hand-off request handling to an API in place of a proxy request depending on your use-case.

Developers’ best friend

In summary, Web Scraping APIs are a developer’s friend, not foe. They’re cost-effective, flexible, and easy to use – suitable for projects big and small.

By busting these myths, we see that using a scraping API can lead to faster development, fewer headaches, and often a more robust scraping solution than going solo.

Instead of worrying, give one a try on your next web scraping task – you might be pleasantly surprised at how much time and effort it saves you, all while keeping you in control of your data.