Scraping Meaning: Definition, Examples, and Translations

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scraping

[หˆskreษชpษชล‹ ]

Definition

Context #1 | Noun

web technology

Scraping refers to the process of extracting data from websites or online sources. This technique is commonly used to collect information that is not readily available for download or through APIs. Scraping can involve various methods, including automated bots that mimic human browsing behaviors. It is often used in data mining and competitive analysis to gather insights from online content.

Synonyms

data extraction, screen scraping, web harvesting.

Examples of usage

  • Web scraping can help you gather product prices from different e-commerce sites.
  • Researchers use data scraping to collect social media metrics for their studies.
  • Data scraping techniques can reveal trends in customer reviews across platforms.

Translations

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Origin of 'scraping'

The term 'scraping' in the context of data extraction originates from the computing and programming fields, particularly in the early days of the internet when developers sought methods to automate the gathering of information from web pages. The concept of 'screen scraping' emerged in the 1970s and 1980s to describe the practice of capturing data displayed on computer screens, particularly from systems that lacked interfaces for direct data access. As the web evolved and grew more complex, the need for sophisticated scraping techniques became clear, leading to the development of various tools and programming libraries designed for web scraping. This has led to a significant increase in the use of scraping in diverse fields such as marketing, finance, and data science, where organizations need to analyze large volumes of public data to gain insights and make informed decisions.


Word Frequency Rank

At position #14,093, this word is part of sophisticated English vocabulary. It's useful for academic or professional contexts where precise language is needed.