What is Puppeteer and how can I use it for web scraping?

What is Puppeteer and how can I use it for web scraping?

Puppeteer is a Node.js library that provides a high-level API to control headless Chrome or Chromium. It's great for web scraping!

Can you give me a simple example of how to scrape a webpage using Puppeteer?

Sure! Here's a basic example:

const puppeteer = require('puppeteer');

(async () => {
  const browser = await puppeteer.launch();
  const page = await browser.newPage();
  await page.goto('https://example.com');
  const data = await page.evaluate(() => {
    return document.querySelector('h1').innerText;
  });
  console.log(data);
  await browser.close();
})();

What are some common challenges when using Puppeteer for scraping?

Common challenges include handling dynamic content, managing timeouts, and dealing with anti-scraping measures like CAPTCHAs.

Are there any alternatives to Puppeteer for web scraping?

Yes, alternatives include libraries like Cheerio, Scrapy, and Selenium, each with its own strengths.