Web scraping is the automated extraction of structured data from websites — product prices, review text, contact information, job listings, or any publicly visible content. A scraper issues HTTP requests, parses the returned HTML or JSON, and extracts target fields into a usable format.
Modern web scraping is an arms race: websites deploy bot detection, CAPTCHAs, JavaScript challenges, and dynamic rendering to block automated access, while scrapers counter with proxies, browser automation, and behavioral mimicry. The legal landscape varies by jurisdiction and target site — always check a site's terms of service and applicable law before scraping at scale.