Scraper
A scraper is the tool that does the scraping — a program that visits web pages, reads the data you care about, and saves it in a structured format like a spreadsheet. If web scraping is the activity, the scraper is the thing doing the work. The word covers everything from a few lines of code to a polished app, so "scraper" tells you what a tool does, not how it is built.
Scrapers come in very different shapes. Some are scripts a developer writes and maintains in code. Some are browser extensions. And some are fully self-serve web tools where you fill in a form and download a file, with all the technical machinery hidden. They range from general-purpose (point at any site) to purpose-built (one source, done well).
Whatever the form, a good scraper handles the tedious parts for you: working through many pages, keeping the columns consistent, and coping when a site changes its layout. The best ones also stay strictly on public data, so you are only ever collecting what any visitor could see.
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How it relates to 1Scrape
1Scrape is a purpose-built, no-code scraper for three sources: TikTok, Instagram, and Google Maps. Rather than a general tool you configure or a script you maintain, it is a form: choose a source, describe your target, set how many results you want, and it returns a clean CSV. Contact columns — email, phone, and bio link from public profiles — come built in, so the same scraper that gathers posts also builds a lead list.
Frequently asked questions
What types of scrapers are there?
Broadly: code libraries a developer writes, browser extensions that grab data from the page you are viewing, and self-serve web tools that do everything behind a form. Tools also split into general-purpose scrapers you point at any site and purpose-built ones focused on a single source.
Do I need to install a scraper?
Not with a web-based one. 1Scrape runs in the browser — nothing to install, no extension, no API to wire up. You fill in a form, watch the run, and download the CSV.