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> If you don't want bots loading your website and scraping it, make an API so that they can easily access the information they want. Precisely. While scraping
by cookie_monsta 7y ago
> If you don't want bots loading your website and scraping it, make an API so that they can easily access the information they want.
Precisely. While scraping competitor sites for pricing info etc is exactly as sleazy as it sounds, I have no qualms about scraping in certain situations. A couple that spring to mind:
- Where the site's UI is so dumb that it doesn't let me do what any reasonable person might naturally want to do (this would be the case in the original article)
- Where it's a govt. site and the data is only trickled out through some 90's era search function. Taxpayers paid for the collection of that data, taxpayers pay for its storage etc - give the taxpayers an API to access it!
- FDSGSG 7y ago> scraping competitor sites for pricing info etc is exactly as sleazy as it sounds So not even a tiny bit sleazy then?
- chii 7y ago> While scraping competitor sites for pricing info etc is exactly as sleazy as it sounds Why is it wrong to scrape your competitor's site for pricing info? If it's publically accessible, it's free game. As long as such scraping doesn't cause any undue DOS'ing or prevent anyone else from accessing such info.
- evilDagmar 7y agoIt typically becomes rather "challenging" to justify to management why one shouldn't scrape "aggressively" until the competitor's site degrades or falls over. That's why it's generally kind of sleazy.
- bydl0coder 7y agoLarge eCommerce sites are constantly scraped by competitors, market research companies and even vendors (to ensure sellers honor MSRP). Scraping activity is usually throttled at reasonable levels.
- FDSGSG 7y agoCould you tell us more about your "typical" experiences?