Learn web scraping

Guides, tutorials and courses on web scraping and data extraction — from your first request to production pipelines.

Zyte Blog — field notes from the world of data extraction
Use case

Best VS Code Extensions for Web Scraping

Discover the best VS Code extensions for web scraping, including Python tools, HTTP clients, and AI-powered solutions to build and debug scrapers faster.

Arnold Alexander10 min read
Zyte Blog — field notes from the world of data extraction
Use case

How to Build a Web Scraper in VS Code (Step-by-Step)

Learn how to build a web scraper in VS Code using Scrapy and AI tools. Follow this step-by-step guide to create, test, and scale your scraping projects.

Arnold Alexander10 min read
Zyte Blog — field notes from the world of data extraction
Developer interest

Stop using Python requests for web scraping: Use these modern modules instead

While the 'Requests' library remains the default choice for many Python developers due to its reliability and extensive documentation, the Python HTTP landscape has evolved considerably. Modern alternatives now offer significant advantages, including built-in asynchronous support, HTTP/2 compatibility, enhanced performance, and up-to-date TLS handling.

Ayan Pahwa6 min read
Zyte Blog — field notes from the world of data extraction
AI-assisted data extraction

A data scientist's guide to stress-free product scraping

As a data scientist, your job is to find patterns, build models, and generate insights. To do that, you first need to reliably acquire web data. Competitor pricing, product specifications, consumer reviews - you name it, data scientists need it.

John Rooney7 min read
Zyte Blog — field notes from the world of data extraction
Anti-ban

Why Python Requests gets "403 Forbidden"

If you’ve had your HTTP request blocked regardless of using correct headers, cookies, and good IPs, there’s a chance you are running into one of the simplest forms of blocking, and one of the most confusing for beginners.

John Rooney6 min read
Zyte Blog — field notes from the world of data extraction
Web scraping APIs

Building a production-style web scraper with Scrapy, Docker, and PostgreSQL

Demo project scrape2postgresql shows how to scrape structured data with Scrapy, store it in PostgreSQL, and run both the spider and database in separate containers using Docker Compose.

Ayan Pahwa7 min read
Zyte Blog — field notes from the world of data extraction
Search results

Why Page One SERP data Is no longer enough for SEO and AI systems

Page-one SERP data shows visibility, but deeper results reveal volatility, trends, and opportunity. Learn why SEO platforms and AI systems need full-depth data.

Arnold Alexander10 min read
Zyte Blog — field notes from the world of data extraction
Search results

Why pagination logic becomes operational debt at SERP scale

SERP pagination becomes brittle and expensive at scale. Learn why retries, deduplication, and ordering logic turn into operational debt over time.

Arnold Alexander10 min read
Zyte Blog — field notes from the world of data extraction
Search results

Why SERP data costs exploded, and why most teams felt it overnight

SERP data costs spiked overnight after bulk access patterns disappeared. Learn what changed, why inefficiency exploded, and what it means for SEO platforms.

Arnold Alexander10 min read
Zyte Blog — field notes from the world of data extraction
Search results

SERP data collection at scale and why efficiency matters again

Why has SERP data collection become more expensive? Learn what changed, why efficiency declined, and how it impacts SEO platforms and AI systems at scale.

Arnold Alexander10 min read
Zyte Blog — field notes from the world of data extraction

The New Guide to Web Scraping at Scale_One_Page

20 min read
Zyte Blog — field notes from the world of data extraction
Use case

How to evaluate a web scraping company

Learn how to evaluate a web scraping company based on reliability, operating model, compliance, and organizational maturity. A practical guide to choosing a long-term web data partner.

Arnold Alexander10 min read