Company
Date Published
Author
Antonello Zanini
Word count
3071
Language
English
Hacker News points
None

Summary

The guide provides a comprehensive look at using C# for web scraping, detailing the tools and steps required for both static and dynamic content scraping. It highlights several popular C# libraries such as HtmlAgilityPack, HttpClient, Selenium WebDriver, and Puppeteer Sharp, emphasizing their roles in simplifying the web scraping process. The guide walks through setting up a C# project in Visual Studio, installing necessary libraries, and using them to scrape data from websites like the SpongeBob SquarePants episodes page on Wikipedia. For static content, HtmlAgilityPack is used, while dynamic content scraping is demonstrated with Selenium, which handles JavaScript-rendered pages using headless browser capabilities. The scraped data can be exported to formats like CSV for further analysis or storage in databases. Additionally, the guide underscores the importance of data privacy and suggests using proxies to prevent IP bans and access geographically restricted content. The conclusion encourages adapting to changes in web page structures and suggests exploring solutions like Bright Data for enhanced web scraping needs.