SPIDERING Meaning and
Definition
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Spidering refers to the automated process of collecting and indexing web pages across the internet by search engines or web crawlers. It is an integral part of how search engines gather information to create searchable indexes of websites and their contents.
Search engine spiders, commonly known as web crawlers or bots, crawl through websites by following hyperlinks to discover and retrieve information from individual web pages. These spiders start by visiting a specific URL or list of URLs and then systematically traverse through the site's internal links, extracting data from each page encountered along the way.
During spidering, the web crawler analyzes the page's HTML source code, extracting relevant information such as text, images, links, and metadata. This collected data is then indexed, meaning it is processed and organized to allow for quick and efficient retrieval when a user searches for specific keywords or phrases.
Spidering can be limited to a single website or extended to span across multiple domains. It aids search engines in the process of ranking and displaying search results based on the relevance of website content in response to users' search queries.
Beyond search engines, spidering can also be employed for other purposes, such as website monitoring and testing, content scraping, or scanning for vulnerabilities and security assessment.
Common Misspellings for SPIDERING
Etymology of SPIDERING
The term "spidering" is derived from the noun "spider", which refers to a small arachnid known for its ability to spin webs. In the context of the word "spidering", it has been transformed into a verb form by adding the suffix "-ing". It is used to describe the action or process of a spider crawling or moving like a spider, often in a web-like pattern. In the realm of technology, "spidering" also refers to the automated process in which search engines or web crawlers move through websites, following hyperlinks and indexing content. In this computer science context, the term is metaphorically borrowed from the natural behavior of spiders.
