Blog
How to build a Website Scraper API with BuildShip using No-code
Tutorial
·
Jul 24, 2025
In today's data-driven world, extracting information from websites is a valuable skill. Whether you're gathering competitive intelligence, monitoring price changes, or building a dataset for analysis, web scraping is an essential tool in your arsenal. However, traditional scraping methods often require extensive coding knowledge and infrastructure setup.
In this guide, we'll show you how to create and deploy a powerful website scraper API using BuildShip's no-code platform, all without writing a single line of code.
In today's data-driven world, extracting information from websites is a valuable skill. Whether you're gathering competitive intelligence, monitoring price changes, or building a dataset for analysis, web scraping is an essential tool in your arsenal. However, traditional scraping methods often require extensive coding knowledge and infrastructure setup.
In this guide, we'll show you how to create and deploy a powerful website scraper API using BuildShip's no-code platform, all without writing a single line of code.
In today's data-driven world, extracting information from websites is a valuable skill. Whether you're gathering competitive intelligence, monitoring price changes, or building a dataset for analysis, web scraping is an essential tool in your arsenal. However, traditional scraping methods often require extensive coding knowledge and infrastructure setup.
In this guide, we'll show you how to create and deploy a powerful website scraper API using BuildShip's no-code platform, all without writing a single line of code.
Why Use a No-Code Scraper Solution?
Before diving into the tutorial, let's understand why a no-code approach might be advantageous:
- Speed of deployment: Launch a functional API in minutes instead of days
- No infrastructure management: Forget about servers, containers, or cloud configuration
- Simplified maintenance: Updates happen automatically without breaking your workflow
- Accessible to non-developers: Marketing teams, analysts, and product managers can build without coding expertise
While traditional scraping solutions using Python (BeautifulSoup, Scrapy) or Node.js (Cheerio, Puppeteer) offer flexibility, they require significant technical knowledge and ongoing maintenance. BuildShip bridges this gap by providing a powerful alternative that doesn't sacrifice functionality.
Creating Your Website Scraper API
Let's walk through the process of remixing a website scraper template and deploying it as an API:
Step 1: Start with the Scraper Template
1. Navigate to the templates section in BuildShip
2. Find and select the "Scrape Site" template
3. Click "Remix" to create your own version of the workflow
Step 2: Configure Your Scraper
The template workflow is straightforward with three main components:
1. Input: The website URL you want to scrape
2. Processing: The scraping logic (with crawl options)
3. Output: The scraped data returned as a response
You'll notice a configuration option for crawling. When set to:
- False: The scraper will only extract data from the main URL
- True: The scraper will follow and extract data from all linked pages
Step 3: Test Your Scraper
Before deploying, it's important to test your scraper:
1. Enter a test URL (e.g., "buildship.com")
2. Run the workflow
3. Review the output, which should include the URL and its contents
Step 4: Add an API Trigger
To make your scraper accessible externally:
1. Click "Add Trigger" in your workflow
2. Select "REST API Call" as the trigger type
3. Click "Connect" to generate an API endpoint
BuildShip will automatically generate a unique API URL for your scraper. This URL is what external applications will use to access your scraper functionality.
Step 5: Test Your API with Postman
Before final deployment, test your API endpoint:
1. Copy the generated API URL
2. Open Postman or your preferred API testing tool
3. Create a new POST request to your API URL
4. In the request body, add a JSON object with the key "websiteURL" and your target URL as the value:
```json
{
"websiteURL": "buildship.com"
}
```
5. Send the request
At this point, you'll receive a response indicating that the workflow has been triggered in test mode.
Step 6: Deploy Your Scraper API
The final step is to deploy your workflow:
1. Return to BuildShip
2. Click the "Ship" button to deploy your workflow
3. Your scraper API is now live and ready to accept real requests
Test your deployed API by sending the same Postman request again. This time, you should receive the actual scraped content from your target website.
Advanced Considerations for Web Scraping
While BuildShip makes the technical implementation straightforward, there are important factors to consider when deploying a production scraper:
Handling Anti-Scraping Measures
Many websites implement measures to prevent scraping:
- Rate limiting: Limit your requests to avoid being blocked
- User-agent rotation: Consider how your scraper identifies itself to websites
- IP rotation: For high-volume scraping, you might need to use proxy services
BuildShip's scraper template includes basic protections, but for heavily protected sites, you may need additional configuration.
Selector Strategies for Data Extraction
When scraping specific data points rather than entire pages:
- CSS selectors: Target specific elements using their CSS classes or IDs
- XPath: Navigate complex document structures
- Regular expressions: Extract patterns from text content
The BuildShip interface allows you to specify these selectors without writing code, but understanding selector strategies will help you extract precisely what you need.
Ethical and Legal Considerations
Always approach web scraping responsibly:
- Check the website's robots.txt file and terms of service
- Don't overload servers with excessive requests
- Respect copyright and data privacy regulations
- Consider using official APIs when available
Monitoring and Maintaining Your Scraper
Websites change frequently, which can break scrapers. Consider:
- Setting up regular tests to verify your scraper still works
- Creating alerts for when the data structure changes
- Documenting the expected output format for easier troubleshooting
Integrating Your Scraper API
Now that your scraper API is live, you can integrate it with various systems:
- Data analysis tools: Connect to Tableau, Power BI, or Google Data Studio
- Automation platforms: Trigger scraping jobs from Zapier or Make
- Custom applications: Call your API from any application that can make HTTP requests
- Spreadsheets: Use Google Sheets or Excel to pull data directly from your API
For a complete video tutorial, click the button below:
Conclusion
By following this guide, you've successfully created and deployed a website scraper API without writing a single line of code. BuildShip's no-code approach makes web scraping accessible to everyone, regardless of technical background.
The power of this solution lies in its simplicity and flexibility. You can quickly adapt your scraper to different websites, configure crawling behavior, and integrate the results with your existing tools and workflows.
We're excited to see what you build with this website scraper API! Whether you're tracking competitors, gathering research data, or building a custom aggregator, the possibilities are endless.
Happy building!
Why Use a No-Code Scraper Solution?
Before diving into the tutorial, let's understand why a no-code approach might be advantageous:
- Speed of deployment: Launch a functional API in minutes instead of days
- No infrastructure management: Forget about servers, containers, or cloud configuration
- Simplified maintenance: Updates happen automatically without breaking your workflow
- Accessible to non-developers: Marketing teams, analysts, and product managers can build without coding expertise
While traditional scraping solutions using Python (BeautifulSoup, Scrapy) or Node.js (Cheerio, Puppeteer) offer flexibility, they require significant technical knowledge and ongoing maintenance. BuildShip bridges this gap by providing a powerful alternative that doesn't sacrifice functionality.
Creating Your Website Scraper API
Let's walk through the process of remixing a website scraper template and deploying it as an API:
Step 1: Start with the Scraper Template
1. Navigate to the templates section in BuildShip
2. Find and select the "Scrape Site" template
3. Click "Remix" to create your own version of the workflow
Step 2: Configure Your Scraper
The template workflow is straightforward with three main components:
1. Input: The website URL you want to scrape
2. Processing: The scraping logic (with crawl options)
3. Output: The scraped data returned as a response
You'll notice a configuration option for crawling. When set to:
- False: The scraper will only extract data from the main URL
- True: The scraper will follow and extract data from all linked pages
Step 3: Test Your Scraper
Before deploying, it's important to test your scraper:
1. Enter a test URL (e.g., "buildship.com")
2. Run the workflow
3. Review the output, which should include the URL and its contents
Step 4: Add an API Trigger
To make your scraper accessible externally:
1. Click "Add Trigger" in your workflow
2. Select "REST API Call" as the trigger type
3. Click "Connect" to generate an API endpoint
BuildShip will automatically generate a unique API URL for your scraper. This URL is what external applications will use to access your scraper functionality.
Step 5: Test Your API with Postman
Before final deployment, test your API endpoint:
1. Copy the generated API URL
2. Open Postman or your preferred API testing tool
3. Create a new POST request to your API URL
4. In the request body, add a JSON object with the key "websiteURL" and your target URL as the value:
```json
{
"websiteURL": "buildship.com"
}
```
5. Send the request
At this point, you'll receive a response indicating that the workflow has been triggered in test mode.
Step 6: Deploy Your Scraper API
The final step is to deploy your workflow:
1. Return to BuildShip
2. Click the "Ship" button to deploy your workflow
3. Your scraper API is now live and ready to accept real requests
Test your deployed API by sending the same Postman request again. This time, you should receive the actual scraped content from your target website.
Advanced Considerations for Web Scraping
While BuildShip makes the technical implementation straightforward, there are important factors to consider when deploying a production scraper:
Handling Anti-Scraping Measures
Many websites implement measures to prevent scraping:
- Rate limiting: Limit your requests to avoid being blocked
- User-agent rotation: Consider how your scraper identifies itself to websites
- IP rotation: For high-volume scraping, you might need to use proxy services
BuildShip's scraper template includes basic protections, but for heavily protected sites, you may need additional configuration.
Selector Strategies for Data Extraction
When scraping specific data points rather than entire pages:
- CSS selectors: Target specific elements using their CSS classes or IDs
- XPath: Navigate complex document structures
- Regular expressions: Extract patterns from text content
The BuildShip interface allows you to specify these selectors without writing code, but understanding selector strategies will help you extract precisely what you need.
Ethical and Legal Considerations
Always approach web scraping responsibly:
- Check the website's robots.txt file and terms of service
- Don't overload servers with excessive requests
- Respect copyright and data privacy regulations
- Consider using official APIs when available
Monitoring and Maintaining Your Scraper
Websites change frequently, which can break scrapers. Consider:
- Setting up regular tests to verify your scraper still works
- Creating alerts for when the data structure changes
- Documenting the expected output format for easier troubleshooting
Integrating Your Scraper API
Now that your scraper API is live, you can integrate it with various systems:
- Data analysis tools: Connect to Tableau, Power BI, or Google Data Studio
- Automation platforms: Trigger scraping jobs from Zapier or Make
- Custom applications: Call your API from any application that can make HTTP requests
- Spreadsheets: Use Google Sheets or Excel to pull data directly from your API
For a complete video tutorial, click the button below:
Conclusion
By following this guide, you've successfully created and deployed a website scraper API without writing a single line of code. BuildShip's no-code approach makes web scraping accessible to everyone, regardless of technical background.
The power of this solution lies in its simplicity and flexibility. You can quickly adapt your scraper to different websites, configure crawling behavior, and integrate the results with your existing tools and workflows.
We're excited to see what you build with this website scraper API! Whether you're tracking competitors, gathering research data, or building a custom aggregator, the possibilities are endless.
Happy building!
Why Use a No-Code Scraper Solution?
Before diving into the tutorial, let's understand why a no-code approach might be advantageous:
- Speed of deployment: Launch a functional API in minutes instead of days
- No infrastructure management: Forget about servers, containers, or cloud configuration
- Simplified maintenance: Updates happen automatically without breaking your workflow
- Accessible to non-developers: Marketing teams, analysts, and product managers can build without coding expertise
While traditional scraping solutions using Python (BeautifulSoup, Scrapy) or Node.js (Cheerio, Puppeteer) offer flexibility, they require significant technical knowledge and ongoing maintenance. BuildShip bridges this gap by providing a powerful alternative that doesn't sacrifice functionality.
Creating Your Website Scraper API
Let's walk through the process of remixing a website scraper template and deploying it as an API:
Step 1: Start with the Scraper Template
1. Navigate to the templates section in BuildShip
2. Find and select the "Scrape Site" template
3. Click "Remix" to create your own version of the workflow
Step 2: Configure Your Scraper
The template workflow is straightforward with three main components:
1. Input: The website URL you want to scrape
2. Processing: The scraping logic (with crawl options)
3. Output: The scraped data returned as a response
You'll notice a configuration option for crawling. When set to:
- False: The scraper will only extract data from the main URL
- True: The scraper will follow and extract data from all linked pages
Step 3: Test Your Scraper
Before deploying, it's important to test your scraper:
1. Enter a test URL (e.g., "buildship.com")
2. Run the workflow
3. Review the output, which should include the URL and its contents
Step 4: Add an API Trigger
To make your scraper accessible externally:
1. Click "Add Trigger" in your workflow
2. Select "REST API Call" as the trigger type
3. Click "Connect" to generate an API endpoint
BuildShip will automatically generate a unique API URL for your scraper. This URL is what external applications will use to access your scraper functionality.
Step 5: Test Your API with Postman
Before final deployment, test your API endpoint:
1. Copy the generated API URL
2. Open Postman or your preferred API testing tool
3. Create a new POST request to your API URL
4. In the request body, add a JSON object with the key "websiteURL" and your target URL as the value:
```json
{
"websiteURL": "buildship.com"
}
```
5. Send the request
At this point, you'll receive a response indicating that the workflow has been triggered in test mode.
Step 6: Deploy Your Scraper API
The final step is to deploy your workflow:
1. Return to BuildShip
2. Click the "Ship" button to deploy your workflow
3. Your scraper API is now live and ready to accept real requests
Test your deployed API by sending the same Postman request again. This time, you should receive the actual scraped content from your target website.
Advanced Considerations for Web Scraping
While BuildShip makes the technical implementation straightforward, there are important factors to consider when deploying a production scraper:
Handling Anti-Scraping Measures
Many websites implement measures to prevent scraping:
- Rate limiting: Limit your requests to avoid being blocked
- User-agent rotation: Consider how your scraper identifies itself to websites
- IP rotation: For high-volume scraping, you might need to use proxy services
BuildShip's scraper template includes basic protections, but for heavily protected sites, you may need additional configuration.
Selector Strategies for Data Extraction
When scraping specific data points rather than entire pages:
- CSS selectors: Target specific elements using their CSS classes or IDs
- XPath: Navigate complex document structures
- Regular expressions: Extract patterns from text content
The BuildShip interface allows you to specify these selectors without writing code, but understanding selector strategies will help you extract precisely what you need.
Ethical and Legal Considerations
Always approach web scraping responsibly:
- Check the website's robots.txt file and terms of service
- Don't overload servers with excessive requests
- Respect copyright and data privacy regulations
- Consider using official APIs when available
Monitoring and Maintaining Your Scraper
Websites change frequently, which can break scrapers. Consider:
- Setting up regular tests to verify your scraper still works
- Creating alerts for when the data structure changes
- Documenting the expected output format for easier troubleshooting
Integrating Your Scraper API
Now that your scraper API is live, you can integrate it with various systems:
- Data analysis tools: Connect to Tableau, Power BI, or Google Data Studio
- Automation platforms: Trigger scraping jobs from Zapier or Make
- Custom applications: Call your API from any application that can make HTTP requests
- Spreadsheets: Use Google Sheets or Excel to pull data directly from your API
For a complete video tutorial, click the button below:
Conclusion
By following this guide, you've successfully created and deployed a website scraper API without writing a single line of code. BuildShip's no-code approach makes web scraping accessible to everyone, regardless of technical background.
The power of this solution lies in its simplicity and flexibility. You can quickly adapt your scraper to different websites, configure crawling behavior, and integrate the results with your existing tools and workflows.
We're excited to see what you build with this website scraper API! Whether you're tracking competitors, gathering research data, or building a custom aggregator, the possibilities are endless.
Happy building!
