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· 14 min read
Oleg Kulyk

Guide to Scraping and Storing Data to MongoDB Using Python

Data is a critical asset, and the ability to efficiently extract and store it is a valuable skill. Web scraping, the process of extracting data from websites, is a fundamental technique for data scientists, analysts, and developers. Python, with its powerful libraries such as BeautifulSoup and Scrapy, provides a robust environment for web scraping. MongoDB, a NoSQL database, complements this process by offering a flexible and scalable solution for storing the scraped data. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the steps of scraping web data using Python and storing it in MongoDB, leveraging the capabilities of BeautifulSoup, Scrapy, and PyMongo. Understanding these tools is not only essential for data extraction but also for efficiently managing and analyzing large datasets. This guide is designed to be SEO-friendly and includes detailed explanations and code samples to help you seamlessly integrate web scraping and data storage into your projects. (source, source, source, source, source)

· 14 min read
Oleg Kulyk

Guide to Cleaning Scraped Data and Storing it in PostgreSQL Using Python

In today's data-driven world, the ability to efficiently clean and store data is paramount for any data scientist or developer. Scraped data, often messy and inconsistent, requires meticulous cleaning before it can be effectively used for analysis or storage. Python, with its robust libraries such as Pandas, NumPy, and BeautifulSoup4, offers a powerful toolkit for data cleaning. PostgreSQL, a highly efficient open-source database, is an ideal choice for storing this cleaned data. This research report provides a comprehensive guide on setting up a Python environment for data cleaning, connecting to a PostgreSQL database, and ensuring data integrity through various cleaning techniques. With detailed code samples and explanations, this guide is designed to be both practical and SEO-friendly, helping readers navigate the complexities of data preprocessing and storage with ease (Python Official Website, Anaconda, GeeksforGeeks).

· 8 min read
Oleg Kulyk

Crawlee for Python Tutorial with Examples

Web scraping has become an essential tool for data extraction in various industries, from market analysis to academic research. One of the most effective libraries for Python available today is Crawlee, which provides a robust framework for both simple and complex web scraping tasks. Crawlee supports various scraping scenarios, including dealing with static web pages using BeautifulSoup and handling JavaScript-rendered content with Playwright. In this tutorial, we will delve into how to set up and effectively use Crawlee for Python, providing clear examples and best practices to ensure efficient and scalable web scraping operations. This comprehensive guide aims to equip you with the knowledge to build your own web scrapers, whether you are just getting started or looking to implement advanced features. For more detailed documentation, you can visit the Crawlee Documentation and the Crawlee PyPI.

· 10 min read
Oleg Kulyk

How to Read HTML Tables With Pandas

In the era of big data, efficient data extraction and processing are crucial for data scientists, analysts, and web scrapers. HTML tables are common sources of structured data on the web, and being able to efficiently extract and process this data can significantly streamline workflows. This is where the pandas.read_html() function in Python comes into play. pandas.read_html() is a powerful tool that allows users to extract HTML tables from web pages and convert them into pandas DataFrames, making it easier to analyze and manipulate the data.

This article provides a comprehensive guide on how to use pandas.read_html() to read HTML tables, covering both basic and advanced techniques. Whether you are extracting tables from URLs or HTML strings, or dealing with complex table structures, the methods discussed in this guide will enhance your web scraping capabilities and data processing efficiency. We will also explore how to handle nested tables, utilize advanced parsing options, integrate with web requests, transform and clean data, and optimize performance for large datasets. By mastering these techniques, you can significantly enhance your data analysis workflow and ensure accurate and efficient data extraction.

Throughout this guide, we will provide code samples and detailed explanations to help you understand and implement these techniques effectively. If you're ready to take your web scraping and data analysis skills to the next level, read on to learn more about the powerful capabilities of pandas.read_html().

· 9 min read
Oleg Kulyk

How to Parse XML in C++

Parsing XML in C++ is a critical skill for developers who need to handle structured data efficiently and accurately. XML, or eXtensible Markup Language, is a versatile format for data representation and interchange, widely used in web services, configuration files, and data exchange protocols. Parsing XML involves reading XML documents and converting them into a usable format for further processing. C++ developers have a variety of XML parsing libraries at their disposal, each with its own strengths and trade-offs. This guide will explore popular XML parsing libraries for C++, including Xerces-C++, RapidXML, PugiXML, TinyXML, and libxml++, and provide insights into different parsing techniques such as top-down and bottom-up parsing. Understanding these tools and techniques is essential for building robust and efficient applications that require XML data processing. For more information on XML parsing, you can refer to Apache Xerces-C++, RapidXML, PugiXML, TinyXML, and libxml++.

· 14 min read
Oleg Kulyk

Web Scraping with Haskell - A Comprehensive Tutorial

Web scraping has become an essential tool for data extraction from websites, enabling developers to gather information for various applications such as market research, competitive analysis, and content aggregation. Haskell, a statically-typed, functional programming language, offers a robust ecosystem for web scraping through its strong type system, concurrency capabilities, and extensive libraries. This guide aims to provide a comprehensive overview of web scraping with Haskell, covering everything from setting up the development environment to leveraging advanced techniques for efficient and reliable scraping.

· 15 min read
Oleg Kulyk

How to Parse HTML in C++

HTML parsing is a fundamental process in web development and data extraction. It involves breaking down HTML documents into their constituent elements, allowing for easy manipulation and analysis of the structure and content. In the context of C++, HTML parsing can be particularly advantageous due to the language's high performance and low-level control. However, the process also presents challenges, such as handling nested elements, malformed HTML, and varying HTML versions.

This comprehensive guide aims to provide an in-depth exploration of HTML parsing in C++. It covers essential concepts such as tokenization, tree construction, and DOM (Document Object Model) representation, along with practical code examples. We will delve into various parsing techniques, discuss performance considerations, and highlight best practices for robust error handling. Furthermore, we will review some of the most popular HTML parsing libraries available for C++, including Gumbo Parser, libxml++, Boost.Beast, MyHTML, and TinyXML-2, to help developers choose the best tool for their specific needs.

· 11 min read
Oleg Kulyk

How to Parse XML in Python

Parsing XML (eXtensible Markup Language) in Python is a fundamental task for many developers, given XML's widespread use in data storage and transmission. Python offers a variety of libraries for XML parsing, each catering to different needs and use cases. Understanding the strengths and limitations of these libraries is crucial for efficient and effective XML processing. This guide explores both standard and third-party libraries, providing code samples and detailed explanations to help you choose the right tool for your project.

Python's standard library includes modules like xml.etree.ElementTree, xml.dom.minidom, and xml.sax, each designed for specific parsing requirements. For more advanced needs, third-party libraries like lxml, BeautifulSoup, and untangle offer enhanced performance, leniency in parsing malformed XML, and ease of use.

This comprehensive guide also delves into best practices for XML parsing in Python, addressing performance optimization, handling large files, and ensuring robust error handling and validation. By the end of this guide, you will be equipped with the knowledge to handle XML parsing tasks efficiently and securely, regardless of the complexity or size of the XML documents you encounter.

· 25 min read
Oleg Kulyk

How to Use cURL With Proxy?

Efficient data transfer and network communication are critical for developers, system administrators, and network professionals. Two essential tools that facilitate these tasks are cURL and proxies. cURL, short for Client URL, is a command-line tool used for transferring data using various protocols such as HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, and more. Its versatility allows users to perform a wide range of network operations, from simple web requests to complex data transfers, making it a staple in many professionals' toolkits. On the other hand, proxies act as intermediaries between the client and the server, providing benefits such as enhanced privacy, access to geo-restricted content, load balancing, and improved connectivity. Understanding how to use cURL with proxies can significantly enhance your ability to manage network tasks efficiently and securely. This comprehensive guide will delve into the basics of cURL, its syntax, and how to effectively use it with different types of proxies, including HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS5. We will also explore best practices, advanced techniques, and troubleshooting tips to help you master cURL with proxies.

· 19 min read
Oleg Kulyk

How to Ignore SSL Certificate With cURL

In today's digital landscape, securing internet communications is paramount, and SSL/TLS certificates play a crucial role in this process. SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and its successor TLS (Transport Layer Security) are cryptographic protocols designed to ensure data privacy, authentication, and trust between web servers and browsers. SSL/TLS certificates, issued by Certificate Authorities (CAs), authenticate a website's identity and enable encrypted connections. This authentication process is similar to issuing passports, wherein the CA verifies the entity's identity before issuing the certificate.

However, there are scenarios, especially during development and testing, where developers might need to bypass these SSL checks. This is where cURL, a command-line tool for transferring data using various protocols, comes into play. cURL provides options to handle SSL certificate validation, allowing developers to ignore SSL checks temporarily. While this practice can be invaluable in non-production environments, it also comes with significant security risks. Ignoring SSL certificate checks can expose systems to man-in-the-middle attacks, phishing, and data integrity compromises. Therefore, it's essential to understand both the methods and the implications of bypassing SSL checks with cURL.