https://github.com/iamdipankarpaul/web-crawler

https://github.com/iamdipankarpaul/web-crawler

Last synced: 1 day ago
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• Host: GitHub
• URL: https://github.com/iamdipankarpaul/web-crawler
• Owner: iamdipankarpaul
• Created: 2024-07-10T11:24:41.000Z (6 months ago)
• Default Branch: main
• Last Pushed: 2024-07-10T11:27:35.000Z (6 months ago)
• Last Synced: 2024-11-11T14:10:33.525Z (2 months ago)
• Language: JavaScript
• Size: 17.6 KB
• Stars: 0
• Watchers: 1
• Forks: 0
• Open Issues: 0
• Metadata Files:
  • Readme: README.md

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README

        
# A simple Web Crawler

A web crawler, also known as a web spider or web robot, is a type of software used by search engines and other web services to systematically browse and index the content of websites.

## How Web Crawlers Work:

1. **Starting Point (Seed URLs):** A web crawler begins with a list of URLs to visit, known as seed URLs.

2. **Fetching Pages:** The crawler fetches the content of these URLs using HTTP requests.

3. **Extracting Links:** While parsing the fetched content, the crawler identifies all the hyperlinks on the page.

4. **Queueing New Links:** The discovered links are added to the list of URLs to visit, creating a queue of pages to crawl.

5. **Repeating the Process:** The process repeats, with the crawler fetching, parsing, and queuing new links continuously.

## Use Cases of Web Crawlers:

1. **Search Engines:** Google, Bing, and other search engines use crawlers to index the web and provide relevant search results.

2. **Web Archiving:** Services like the Wayback Machine use crawlers to archive versions of web pages over time.

3. **Price Comparison:** E-commerce sites use crawlers to gather pricing information from competitors.

4. **Content Aggregation:** News aggregators and social media platforms use crawlers to collect and display content from various sources.

In summary, web crawlers play a vital role in navigating the vast expanse of the internet, enabling search engines to index content and various services to gather data efficiently.