Web scraping glossary

Getting started with web scraping? Learn basic concepts and fundamentals in a glance.
reCAPTCHA is Google's bot detection service that distinguishes humans from automated scripts using behavioral analysis, challenges, and risk scoring to protect websites from spam and abuse.
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A proxy server acts as a middleman between your device and target websites, hiding your real IP address. In web scraping, proxies help you avoid IP bans, bypass rate limits, and access geo-restricted content by distributing requests across many IP addresses.
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IP rotation automatically switches between different IP addresses during web scraping to avoid detection and blocks. It makes your scraper appear as many separate users, helping you collect data reliably at scale.
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A datacenter proxy routes web requests through IP addresses hosted in commercial data centers, offering fast speeds and low costs for web scraping projects that need to collect data at scale.
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A residential proxy routes web requests through real home IP addresses, making your scraping traffic look like regular users and helping you avoid blocks on protected websites.
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Geo-blocking restricts website access based on your geographic location. Learn how it works, why sites use it, and how it affects web scraping projects.
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Cloudflare protection is a security layer that filters website traffic to block bots and attacks. It uses bot detection, JavaScript challenges, CAPTCHAs, and rate limiting to verify visitors before granting access.
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A honeypot is a hidden trap on websites designed to catch bots and scrapers by using invisible links or form fields that only automated visitors would interact with.
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User-agent detection identifies requests by analyzing browser and device information sent in HTTP headers. Websites use this technique to block automated traffic and protect their content from scrapers.
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Browser fingerprinting identifies visitors by collecting unique browser and device characteristics. Learn how it affects web scraping and ways to handle it.
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