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Data acquisition

JavaScript vs Python for Web Scraping Compared in 2024

Yelyzaveta Nechytailo

2024-06-134 min read

Python and JavaScript are two of the most popular web scraping languages, each having its strengths, weaknesses, and unique features. In this article, let’s compare Python and JavaScript for web scraping in 2024. Whether you're a seasoned developer or a curious newcomer, this guide will help you decide which one is a better suit for your needs.

Which is better for web scraping Python or JavaScript?

Determining whether one or the other language is better for web scraping is not straightforward. Each of them has its unique set of advantages and features that make them more or less suitable for different use cases. While Python is well-known for its simplicity and a huge selection of web scraping libraries, JavaScript successfully handles dynamic content and is essential for client-side interactions on the web. Therefore, the decision usually depends on the complexity of the scraping project and its specific requirements.

Main features compared

Let’s now describe and compare the two languages according to such criteria: difficulty, popular libraries, asynchronous capabilities, dynamic content handling, scalability, performance, use cases, pros and cons, community.

Difficulty

Python: Considered to be beginner-friendly due its readability, simplicity, and straightforward syntax. The learning curve is generally smoother, with easy-to-understand concepts and fewer complexities in structure.
JavaScript: Less intuitive and harder to read, especially for those who are just starting in programming. It can also be more challenging due to asynchronous programming and prototypal inheritance. However, JavaScript is a must-know for web developers as it powers most of the dynamic content on the web.

Popular libraries

Python: BeautifulSoup, Scrapy, Selenium, Requests. These libraries simplify web scraping activities, offering robust functionalities to handle HTTP requests, parse HTML and XML documents, and manage scraping workflows.
JavaScript: Puppeteer, Cheerio, Playwright, Axios. They offer a variety of functionalities that streamline and simplify the process of extracting public data from websites.

Asynchronous capabilities

Python: Supports asynchronous programming with asyncio library and async/await syntax.
JavaScript: Built around its event loop, utilizing modern constructs like Promises and async/await which makes it ideal for handling multiple concurrent tasks efficiently.

Dynamic content handling

Python: Can handle dynamic content with the help of tools like Selenium and Playwright which allow for the interaction and JavaScript-rendering on web pages. However, they add complexity to the scraping process.
JavaScript: Excellent at handling dynamic content. JavaScript does that natively as it runs in the browser and can directly interact with and manipulate the DOM using tools like Puppeteer and Playwright.

Scalability

Python: Scales well for large web scraping projects with the help of frameworks, such as Scrapy, which provides built-in support for distributed scraping and robust handling of large volumes of data.
JavaScript: Well-suitable for scalable web applications and real-time services. Its non-blocking, event-driven architecture allows it to handle a large number of simultaneous connections efficiently.

Performance

Python: Not only easy to use and understand, but also offers excellent performance for data processing and scripting, with additional tools to optimize performance where necessary.
JavaScript: Offers high performance for asynchronous operations and can handle high-throughput scraping tasks efficiently, particularly with Node.js. The single-threaded nature of Node.js can handle many simultaneous connections, making it ideal for real-time applications.

Use cases

Python: Data-intensive scraping, web-development, data analysis, game development, natural languages processing, and all other tasks where ease of use and rapid development are priorities.
JavaScript: Scraping JavaScript-heavy websites, creatinine interactive front-end web applications, automating browser tasks, testing web applications, and other scenarios where control over browser automation is crucial.

Pros

Python: Easy to learn and use, versatile, extensive libraries and frameworks availability, various integration capabilities, support community and documentation;
JavaScript: Superior for dynamic content, high performance for asynchronous tasks, various integration capabilities, extensive ecosystem and libraries, browser compatibility.

Cons

Python: can be less efficient with dynamic content, asynchronous programming can be less intuitive;
JavaScript: steeper learning curve for beginners, requires more setup for non-browser-based scraping.

Community

Python: A huge and active community of scraping enthusiasts with abundant resources, forums, tutorials, and videos. This is another reason why Python is so popular among beginners;
JavaScript: A vast community, especially among web developers. Resources and support are readily available, making it easier to find solutions to common issues.

Criteria	Python	JavaScript
Difficulty	Beginner-friendly.	Less intuitive, harder to read.
Popular Libraries	BeautifulSoup, Scrapy, Selenium, Requests.	Puppeteer, Cheerio, Playwright, Axios.
Asynchronous Capabilities	Yes. With asyncio library and async/await syntax.	Yes. Built around its event loop, utilizing Promises and async/await.
Dynamic Content Handling	Yes.	Yes.
Scalability	Scalable.	Scalable.
Performance	Excellent performance for data processing and scripting.	High performance for asynchronous operations.
Use Cases	Data-intensive scraping, web development, data analysis, game development, natural language processing.	Scraping JavaScript-heavy websites, creating interactive front-end web applications, automating browser tasks, testing web applications.
Pros	Easy to learn and use; Versatile; Extensive libraries and frameworks; Various integration capabilities; Support community and documentation.	Superior for dynamic content; High performance for asynchronous tasks; Various integration capabilities; Extensive ecosystem and libraries; Browser compatibility.
Cons	Less efficient with dynamic content; Less intuitive asynchronous programming .	Steeper learning curve; More setup for non-browser-based scraping.
Community	A huge and active community with resources, forums, tutorials, and videos.	A vast community, especially among web developers.

Web scraping JavaScript vs Python

Scraping page meta title and H1 with Python

First, install the requests and BeautifulSoup4 libraries:

pip install requests bs4

Then, run this code:

import requests
from bs4 import BeautifulSoup

# URL of the page to scrape
url = 'https://sandbox.oxylabs.io/products'

# Fetch the content of the page
response = requests.get(url)
html_content = response.content

# Load the HTML content for parsing
soup = BeautifulSoup(html_content, 'html.parser')

# Extract the Meta title
meta_title = soup.title.text if soup.title else 'No title found'

# Extract the first H1 tag
h1_tag = soup.h1.text if soup.h1 else 'No H1 tag found'

print(f"Meta Title: {meta_title}")
print(f"H1 Tag: {h1_tag}")

Scraping page meta title and H1 with JavaScript

Create a package.json file by running in a terminal:

npm init -y

Then, install the required libraries:

npm install axios cheerio

And run the code:

const axios = require('axios');
const cheerio = require('cheerio');

(async () => {
    // URL of the page to scrape
    const url = 'https://sandbox.oxylabs.io/products';

    // Fetch the content of the page
    const { data: htmlContent } = await axios.get(url);

    // Load the HTML content for parsing
    const $ = cheerio.load(htmlContent);

    // Extract the Meta title
    const metaTitle = $('title').text() || 'No title found';

    // Extract the first H1 tag
    const h1Tag = $('h1').first().text() || 'No H1 tag found';

    console.log(`Meta Title: ${metaTitle}`);
    console.log(`H1 Tag: ${h1Tag}`);
})();

To sum up

It’s clear that both Python and JavaScript are two powerful web scraping languages, each having their unique strengths and features. Python's simplicity and extensive library support make it an excellent choice for beginners and data-heavy projects. Meanwhile, JavaScript's ability to handle dynamic content and asynchronous operations makes it indispensable for scraping modern web applications. Ultimately, the optimal choice depends on your particular requirements, the type of websites you intend to scrape, and your proficiency with each language.

If you’d like to learn more about different programming languages, check out our blog post on the best programming languages for web scraping. As usual, don’t hesitate to reach out to us in case of any questions through the live chat or at hello@oxylabs.io.

About the author

Yelyzaveta Nechytailo

Senior Content Manager

Yelyzaveta Nechytailo is a Senior Content Manager at Oxylabs. After working as a writer in fashion, e-commerce, and media, she decided to switch her career path and immerse in the fascinating world of tech. And believe it or not, she absolutely loves it! On weekends, you’ll probably find Yelyzaveta enjoying a cup of matcha at a cozy coffee shop, scrolling through social media, or binge-watching investigative TV series.

Learn more about Yelyzaveta Nechytailo

All information on Oxylabs Blog is provided on an "as is" basis and for informational purposes only. We make no representation and disclaim all liability with respect to your use of any information contained on Oxylabs Blog or any third-party websites that may be linked therein. Before engaging in scraping activities of any kind you should consult your legal advisors and carefully read the particular website's terms of service or receive a scraping license.