Have you ever asked yourself, “What is Scrapy?” It is an open-source web-crawling framework written in Python, which allows developers to contribute to its GitHub repository. Scrapy is designed for web scraping and data extraction, and it can be used with all major operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and macOS. The platform is maintained by ScrapingHub, a company that specializes in cloud-based web scraping technologies. It was initially developed by Mydecio, a London-based eCommerce company, and Insophia, an Uruguayan web-consulting agency.
Over time, Scrapy has evolved from a basic web scraping tool to a more comprehensive web crawler. Users input code to the tool through one of its spiders, and the platform is now used by many top companies such as CareerBuilder, Lyst, and Parse.ly.
Why Do You Need Proxies With Scrapy?
Using a proxy server is a great way to protect your online anonymity while web scraping. It acts as an intermediary between your device and the server you are trying to access, rerouting all your internet traffic through an alternative IP address. This way, your true IP address, location, and other confidential data remain hidden. Proxy servers also provide a range of benefits, some of which are especially useful to Scrapy.
Web scraping is legally permissible, but it is not always welcomed by websites. Most web administrators will take measures to detect and block web crawlers. This is because when scraping data from a website, it increases the server load which can lead to server downtime and crashes for websites with low-powered servers. Moreover, some websites may consider web scraping as content theft and thus limit the number of requests that one IP address can make. With a web crawler, the multiple requests will result in a ban.
As long as the data you are gathering is publicly available (not protected by a username and password or something similar), it is not illegal. However, modern methods of preventing automated data gathering can be a hindrance. This is why using proxies can be so helpful. As previously mentioned, a proxy server replaces your original IP address with a new one, making it harder to detect your web scraping efforts. The best proxies to use are those that rotate with every few requests, ensuring your anonymity.
Best Proxies for Scrapy
Two of the most common types of proxies today are datacenter and residential proxies, and they can both be used for Scrapy. However, it’s best to steer clear of any free proxies, since they are often unreliable and can even put your data at risk. Remember, if a service is free, you are the product. For this reason, premium residential proxies are the best choice for Scrapy. These proxies come from real devices with ISP-issued IP addresses, so they are impossible to distinguish from normal traffic.
Alternatively, datacenter proxies are created on cloud servers and have the added benefit of being faster and more affordable. Depending on your budget, you can choose between the two.
If you’re looking for the best proxy services, OneProxy is the perfect choice. With a huge pool of genuine residential IP addresses spread all over the globe, we can guarantee that we can meet your Scrapy needs. Get in touch with us today!
