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Scraper code

Puppeteer

Google's Node.js library to control Chrome in headless mode with total control. Free and open-source for scraping and test automation. Reserved for JavaScript developers who want raw power.

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Who's it for?OpsGrowth

Review by a Growth Engineer

My verdict: total control for developers.

Puppeteer is the reference for scraping and automation in JavaScript. Powerful but reserved for developers. Google's Node.js library to control Chrome in headless mode. Puppeteer gives you total control over a browser: scraping JavaScript sites, test automation, PDF generation, screenshots, etc. It's free, open-source, and ultra-powerful. If you code in JavaScript or TypeScript and want custom scraping, it's the reference. However, you need to know how to code and manage the infrastructure yourself.

What I like less: you need to know how to code, no alternative. Infrastructure management (proxies, scaling, anti-bot) is entirely your responsibility. The API can be verbose and async requires rigor. And for simple scrapes, it's clearly overkill compared to no-code tools.

My advice: use Puppeteer if you're a developer with custom or complex scraping needs. For simple and one-off scrapes, no-code tools are more efficient. And if you don't want to manage infrastructure, look at Apify which hosts your scrapers.

Why add it to your stack?

The reference for custom scraping in JavaScript. When I need total control, it's Puppeteer.

What you can do with it

  • 1Scrape SPAs and sites with client-side JavaScript rendering
  • 2Create automated end-to-end tests for your web applications
  • 3Transform web pages into clean PDFs programmatically
  • 4Capture screenshots of web pages automatically

What it does

  • Complete Chrome control
  • JavaScript site scraping
  • Test automation
  • PDF and screenshot generation
  • Open-source and free

How much?

Starting at 0

Free and open-source.

The detailed verdict

Do I really need this?

For developers doing custom scraping, it's a reference. For non-devs, move on and look at no-code tools.

Does it play nice with my stack?

Integrates into any Node.js project. Deployable on any infrastructure. However, proxy management, scaling and anti-bot are your responsibility.

Is it easy to pick up?

You need to know how to code in JavaScript, no shortcut. The learning curve is significant. Managing async, timeouts, errors... it's real development.

Is the UX any good?

No UI, it's pure code. The documentation is good but you'll still spend time on StackOverflow. The API can be verbose for simple cases.

Is it worth it?

It's free and open-source. The cost is your development time and infrastructure. For devs, the value for money is unbeatable. For others, it's a huge time investment.

What I like

  • JavaScript developers who want custom scraping of complex sites
  • Test automation and PDF or screenshot generation programmatically
  • Total control over the browser without limitations

What I like less

  • Non-developers as you need to know how to code in JavaScript, no alternative
  • Those who want plug-and-play without technical learning
  • If you don't want to manage infrastructure and proxies yourself

Need more details or help building your ideal stack?

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