Turn Any Website Into Structured Data with Custom Parser

Generate HTML parsers that fix themselves automatically as websites evolve. Eliminate the constant maintenance cycle so your team can focus on analysis, not infrastructure.

Get parsed, ready-to-use data
AI-powered HTML analysis
Self-healing parser presets
Maintenance-free parsing infrastructure

Automate data parsing from start to finish

Describe your needs in plain English and let AI analyze the HTML structure, generate XPath selectors, and build the parsing logic for you. Save your configurations as presets, enable self-healing to handle HTML changes, and deploy across scraping projects to get the exact data you need.

Build, test, and refine parsers in minutes
Automatically parse HTML layouts into structured JSON
Fully customize with CSS and XPath selectors

Get parsed data from any website

No more limitations when it comes to data parsing. Get complete control over which sites to parse and exactly what data to extract. Ensure uninterrupted data flow and scale on demand without writing complex parsers from scratch.

Parse HTML of any web page
Localize results to 195 countries
Scale to thousands of URLs seamlessly

Forget parser maintenance

Custom Parser is a free feature that eliminates the endless build-monitor-fix cycle. With the help of AI technology, we create and maintain parsing logic for a specific web page, while the actual data extraction runs AI-free through our parsing engine. It is completely hosted and maintained on our end at no additional cost.

Deploy hundreds of parsers without development overhead
Parsers self-heal on performance drops
Fast data extraction without AI latency

What are self-healing parser presets?

Parser presets store your custom data extraction logic that is executed on a raw HTML document. Once you enable self-healing, our system automatically monitors and updates the parser whenever the HTML structure changes.

Step 1

Submit the name of your parser preset along with other scraping parameters to our API.

Step 2

Web Scraper API fetches the website’s HTML document and sends it to Custom Parser along with the parser preset name.

Step 3

Our parsing engine uses the preset to extract data from the HTML into JSON format. If parsing performance drops, the AI updates the parser with new logic.

Step 4

The extracted JSON data is delivered directly to you or your cloud storage.

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Part of our all-in-one scraper

Get a free trial of Web Scraper API, which includes access to Custom Parser. Web Scraper API collects real-time public data from search engines, e-commerce sites, and much more.

Localized results without IP blocks
Structured JSON data
Customizable request parameters
Convenient delivery
JavaScript rendering

Start free trial

Jorūnė Skridailaitė

Senior Account Manager @ Oxylabs

Custom Parser is a great companion to Web Scraper API. By utilizing this extra feature, you get an exceptionally convenient scraping experience from start to finish.

Vincent Patrizio

Enterprise Account Manager @ Oxylabs

Using Custom Parser is a super efficient way to work with data. Not only does it deliver parsed data, but it also allows you to retrieve just the specific data needed – no more, no less.

A word from your Dedicated Account Manager

Get personal assistance from your Dedicated Account Manager on any data scraping or parsing matter.

Useful resources

Docs

Step-By-Step Guide

Find everything you need to start creating your own parsers.

Video

Visual Tutorial

Learn what Custom Parser and self-healing presets are and see how to build your parser.

Github

Writing Parsing Instructions

Follow an in-depth guide on how to manually write your own parser.

Frequently asked questions

How do I create my own parser?

The simplest way is to use OxyCopilot, available through our dashboard in the Web Scraper API Playground. Here, you can quickly create, test, and edit parsers by using a visual interface. Follow these step-by-step guides in our documentation:

What does Custom Parser do?

Oxylabs' Custom Parser extracts user-specified data from raw HTML into structured JSON format. Simply describe what you want to parse in plain English, and the built-in AI will analyze the HTML to create parsing logic with element selectors. The parsing engine then applies these instructions to extract the necessary information and convert it into structured JSON. Essentially, Oxylabs saves time and resources by letting you focus on data instead of analyzing web structures and managing parsers.

How hard is it to build a parser?

The difficulty of building parsers ranges from moderate to difficult, especially as data volume increases. Managing tens or hundreds of parsers becomes unsustainable when website structures constantly change and parsers require fixes.

Oxylabs simplifies this challenge. You can generate parsers using AI, save them as hosted presets, and enable self-healing so they automatically adapt to website changes.

For a detailed comparison of building vs. buying parsers, see our blog post: What Is Parsing of Data?

What is the difference between parser and parsing?

Parsing is the process of transforming raw data into a readable format. A parser is the tool or software that performs this transformation using predefined logic and rules.

Can I use Custom Parser without Web Scraper API?

Custom Parser is a free feature that enhances Web Scraper API capabilities. To use it, you need an active Web Scraper API subscription, or you can claim a free trial for testing.

What are dedicated parsers?

Dedicated parsers are pre-built parsers developed and maintained by Oxylabs for specific popular websites. If a dedicated parser is not available for your target website, you can create your own parsing logic using Custom Parser.

Important: You can only use one parser type per request—either a dedicated parser or a custom parser, not both.

What is the difference between XPath and CSS selectors?

XPath and CSS selectors are two different methods for selecting specific elements within HTML or XML documents. CSS selectors are generally easier to use, while XPath expressions are more powerful but rather difficult to use.

Learn more: XPath vs. CSS Selectors

Can I save my Custom Parsers?

Yes, you can save your own parsers by creating Parser Presets that are hosted on our system. Instead of writing new rules for every job, you can save your parser once and apply it across multiple tasks, use self-healing to automatically update it as websites change, and track its performance.