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Complete guide to use apify.com

Guide-Adepy-Com

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Today, I am delighted to share with you a complete and intuitive guide to master Apify.com , a revolutionary platform for web automation and web scraping. Whether you are a seasoned developer or a beginner in the field of web automation, this guide is designed to provide you with all the necessary knowledge to make the most of Apify.

=> Access credits offered to apify.com here

What is Apify?

APIFY is a Cloud Computing platform that provides tools for web processes automation, web scraping (web data extraction), and data processing and integration. In other words, APIFY allows users to create, deploy and manage scripts or programs that automate tasks on the web, collect websites, and process them for various uses.

Here are some key points on Apify:

  1. Web Scraping and Data Extraction: APIFY is particularly recognized for its web scraping capabilities. It allows users to collect structured data from websites, even those that are dynamic and piloted by JavaScript.

  2. Automation of web tasks: APIFY allows you to automate repetitive tasks on the web, such as filling out forms, navigating on sites, or even performing integration tests.

  3. Actors (Actors): The platform uses the concept of "actors", which are scripts or containerized applications executed in the Apify cloud. These actors can be written in various programming languages, but JavaScript/Node.js is most commonly used.

  4. Data storage: APIFY offers storage options for extracted data, including datasets, Key-Value Stores, and requests, allowing flexible data management.

  5. Planning and integration: APIFY tasks can be planned and integrated with other services and APIs, facilitating the automation of complex workflows.

  6. Community and marketplace: APIFY has an active community and a marketplace where users can share, sell or buy pre-constructed actors.

In summary, APIFY is a robust solution for the automation of web processes and web scraping, offering a flexible and powerful platform for developers and companies seeking to extract and manipulate web data.

History and evolution of Apify

The history and evolution of Apify are marked by innovation and adaptation to growing needs in terms of automation and processing of web data. Here is an overview of his career:

  1. Origins and Foundation: Apify was founded under the name of apifying in 2015 by Jakub Balada and Jan čurn. The idea was to create a platform that would make web automation accessible and easy for developers and businesses. The emphasis was on the web scraping and the automation of repetitive tasks on the Internet.

  2. Initial development: At first, APIFY focused on the development of basic technologies for web scraping and the execution of scripts in the cloud. Their objective was to provide a platform where users could deploy and execute actors (scripts or programs) to automate various web tasks.

  3. Launch of the APIFY platform: in 2016, the APIFY platform, then called Apify, was officially launched. It offered tools for scraping, data extraction, and automation, with a focus on simplicity and flexibility.

  4. Rename and expansion: in 2018, Apify was renamed in Apify to better reflect the extended range of its capacities beyond simple scraping. This period has also seen the expansion of the functionality of the platform, including the introduction of data storage, task planning, and integration with other systems and API.

  5. Growth and popularity: Apify has gained popularity over the years, becoming a choice of predilection for businesses and developers for web scraping and automation needs. Its ease of use, coupled with its power and flexibility, has contributed to its rapid growth.

  6. Continuous innovations: the platform continues to evolve, with constant improvements, updates, and the addition of new features. The APIFY team regularly works to improve the user experience and the extension of the platform's capacities to meet the changing challenges of automation and processing of web data.

  7. Impact during the COVVI-19 pandemic: During the Pandemic of COVID-19, APIFY played a key role in the collection and distribution of relevant information, helping to automate data collection, vaccines, and containment measures, thus demonstrating its usefulness in times of crisis.

In conclusion, Apify has traveled a long way since its creation, transforming a simple idea of ​​web scraping to a complete automation and data processing platform, while remaining at the cutting edge of technology in this constantly evolving area.

Applications and current uses of Apify

Apify finds its applications in a variety of fields thanks to its flexibility and its power in terms of web automation and web scraping. Here are some of the current uses of Apify:

  1. Web data extraction (web scraping): the most common use of APIFY is the web scraping. Companies use it to extract websites data, such as products from products, customer reviews, real estate information, stock market data, etc.

  2. Website monitoring: APIFY allows you to monitor changes on websites, such as content updates, price changes, or stock availability. It is useful for competitive monitoring or market previous day.

  3. Automation of web tests: developers use APIFY to automate websites tests, by checking the functionality, performance, and the responsiveness of sites on different devices and browsers.

  4. Recovery of information on social networks: APIFY is used to extract data from social media platforms, such as trends, opinions, and engagement statistics, which is essential for market analyzes and marketing.

  5. Data integration and workflows automation: APIFY can be integrated with other tools and services to automate workflows. For example, the extracted data can be automatically sent to databases, spreadsheets, or CRM systems.

  6. Academic research and data analysis: Researchers use APIFY to collect large amounts of web data for statistical analyzes, market studies, or sociological research.

  7. Creation of bots and virtual agents: APIFY allows you to create boots to perform automated tasks on the web, such as ticket booking, appointment planning, or even participation in online discussions.

  8. Follow -up of public opinion and trends: companies and marketing agencies use APIFY to follow public opinion and current trends, which is crucial for the development of marketing and communication strategies.

  9. Crisis management: during crisis situations, such as the COVVI-19 pandemic, APIFY was used to collect and analyze data on cases, vaccinations, and government measures.

  10. Technological and competitive watch: Companies use APIFY to monitor technological developments and activities of their competitors, by collecting relevant data to remain competitive.

In summary, APIFY is a versatile platform that adapts to many needs and industries, offering efficiency automation and extraction solutions for businesses, developers, researchers, and marketing professionals.

Basic principle

Understand the web scraping and automation

Web scraping and automation are two key concepts in the world of data management and IT. Here is a detailed explanation of each of them:

Understand the web scraping

  1. Definition: Web Scraping is a technique used to extract websites data. This method involves downloading and analyzing web pages to obtain specific information.

  2. How it works: the process usually starts with sending an HTTP request to a website to get its HTML content. Then, using different programming tools and techniques (such as CSS, XPath selectors, or specific libraries), the necessary data is extracted from this content.

  3. Uses: Web Scraping is widely used to collect information such as prices of products, stock market data, real estate lists, weather information, and many others. It is particularly useful in the fields of market research, data analysis, and digital marketing.

  4. Legal and ethical considerations: it is important to respect ethical laws and lines during the web scraping, particularly in matters of copyright and data confidentiality. It is also essential to comply with the Robots.TXT files of the sites, which specify the rules of access for indexing robots.

Understand automation

  1. Definition: Automation refers to the use of technology to perform tasks or processes independently, without continuous human intervention.

  2. Application in the web: In the context of the web, automation may include tasks such as automatic database update, programmed publication of content on social networks, execution of websites, or even automated interaction with users.

  3. Tools and languages: Web automation often uses programming languages ​​such as Python, JavaScript (Node.JS), or specific tools like Selenium, Puppeteer, or APIs provided by third -party platforms.

  4. Advantages: Automation saves time and increase efficiency by reducing repetitive manual tasks. It can also improve the accuracy of processes by eliminating human errors.

  5. Challenges: One of the main challenges of automation is to ensure that automated processes remain up to date with websites of websites or technologies. In addition, care should not be taken to overload the servers of the target sites with excessive requests.

In summary, web scraping and automation are powerful tools for data processing and optimization of web processes. However, they require particular attention to the legal, ethical, and technical aspects to be used effectively and in a responsible manner.

 
 

Supported programming languages ​​(JavaScript, Python, etc.)

Apify is a versatile platform that supports several programming languages, allowing developers to choose the one with which they are most comfortable to create their actors (Actors) and automate tasks. Here are the main programming languages ​​supported on Apify:

  1. JavaScript (node.js): JavaScript, in particular node.js, is the programming language most commonly used on Apify. The platform provides a robust javascript SDK that simplifies the creation of scrapers and automation. With Node.JS, users can easily manage asynchronous requests, which is essential for web scraping and automation of web tasks.

  2. Python: Python is also popular among users of Apify, particularly in the web scraping and data analysis community. Python is recognized for its clear syntax and vast collection of data processing libraries. On Apify, developers can use Python to write their automation and scraping scripts, taking advantage of its powerful libraries such as Beautifulsoup, Requests, or Scrapy.

  3. Other languages: although JavaScript and Python are the most popular, Apify is also compatible with other programming languages. Thanks to the use of Docker containers, users can create their actors in languages ​​like PHP, Ruby, Java, or any other language that can be executed in a Docker container. This offers great flexibility for developers with skills in different languages.

In conclusion, although JavaScript (Node.JS) and Python are the most used programming languages ​​on Apify, the platform offers flexibility to use a variety of other languages ​​thanks to its management of Docker containers. This versatility allows developers to choose the language that best suits their project and their expertise.

Introduction to APIs

Introduction to APIs on apify.com is an essential subject to understand how to interact programming with the platform. Here is a simplified explanation:

What is an API?

An API (Application Programming Interface) is a set of rules and protocols to build and interact with software. In the context of APIFY, the API allows developers to integrate their applications or systems with the features of APIFY.

APIFY API: Key features

  1. Automation and control: The APIFY API allows to automate tasks such as the launch of actors (programs or scripts performed on APIFY), management of query queues, and the recovery of results.

  2. Access to data: with the API, users can access the data stored on APIFY, such as datasets (data sets) and Key-Value Stores (key-value data).

  3. Integration with other services: API facilitates APIFY integration with other services and platforms, allowing users to connect their automation and web scraping workflows with external tools.

  4. Resource management: developers can use the API to manage their resources on APIFY, such as the creation of new players, the configuration of execution environments, and monitoring of the use of resources.

How to use the APIFY API?

  1. Authentication: To use the APIFY API, you must first obtain an API key, which allows you to authenticate your requests.

  2. API documentation: APIFY provides complete documentation of its API, including information on the different endpoints, available methods (GET, Post, etc.), and response formats.

  3. Sending queries: API requests can be sent using tools such as Postman or directly through scripts using HTTP libraries in languages ​​like JavaScript (Node.JS) or Python.

  4. Treatment of responses: API responses are generally in JSON format, which makes them easily manipulable in most programming languages.

Examples of use

  • Launch an actor to make a web scraping and recover the data directly via the API.
  • Integrate the results of a scraping in a database management system or a dashboard.
  • Automate monitoring of several scraping or automation tasks using the API to control and monitor the processes.

In conclusion, the APIFY API is a powerful tool to extend, integrate and automate the use of Apify's features. It is essential for developers who want to create complex and interactive systems based on APIFY's capacities.

Start with APIFY

  1. Creation of an account and navigation in the interface
  2. Understand the APIFY dashboard
  3. Install the necessary tools (SDK apify, node.js)

Use the actors (Actors) apify

  1. What is an actor?
  2. Creation and deployment of your first actor
  3. Use of libraries and modules

Build web scraper

  1. Understand the CSS and XPath selectors
  2. Data handling and storage (datastore)
  3. Manage pagination and redirects

Data management

  1. Data formats (JSON, CSV, HTML, etc.)
  2. Using Apify Dataset
  3. Export and integrate data

Planning and automation

  1. Plan recurring tasks
  2. Automate workflows
  3. Monitoring and notifications

Troubleshooting and good practices

  1. Current problem solving
  2. Data security and confidentiality
  3. Performance optimization

Practical and examples

  1. Examples of web scraping projects
  2. Real study case analysis
  3. Advanced tips and tips

Conclusion and additional resources

  1. Summary of acquired skills
  2. Additional learning resources
  3. APIFY community and support
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