WEB CRAWLERS Meaning and
Definition
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Web crawlers, also known as web spiders, are automated software programs designed to systematically browse and index the vast amounts of information available on the World Wide Web. Their main purpose is to collect data from websites by following hyperlinks from one page to another, essentially mimicking the way humans navigate through webpages. These crawlers operate autonomously, continually traversing the internet to discover, index, and categorize web pages for search engines, data mining, web archiving, and other purposes.
Web crawlers function by sending HTTP requests to web servers, requesting the contents of specific web pages. They analyze the received HTML data, extract information such as page titles, headings, text, and links, and store this data in a searchable database. By systematically traversing web pages and following links, crawlers can build an index of the entire web, making it searchable by search engine algorithms.
Although web crawlers are most commonly associated with search engines, they are also utilized by organizations for various purposes, including competitive analysis, market research, data extraction, and website optimization. However, web crawler behavior is regulated by robots.txt files on websites, which can restrict their access to certain pages or directories.
While web crawlers greatly facilitate the discovery and indexing of web content, they can also impose a load on web servers and negatively impact website performance. Therefore, website owners and administrators often implement measures to control and manage crawler activity to ensure the efficient functioning of their websites and servers.
Common Misspellings for WEB CRAWLERS
- qeb crawlers
- aeb crawlers
- seb crawlers
- eeb crawlers
- 3eb crawlers
- 2eb crawlers
- wwb crawlers
- wsb crawlers
- wdb crawlers
- wrb crawlers
- w4b crawlers
- w3b crawlers
- wev crawlers
- wen crawlers
- weh crawlers
- weg crawlers
- web xrawlers
- web vrawlers
- web frawlers
Etymology of WEB CRAWLERS
The term "web crawlers" is a compound word that combines "web" and "crawlers". Here is the etymology of each component:
1. Web: Derived from the phrase "World Wide Web", the term "web" refers to the interconnected system of pages and resources available on the internet. The word "web" dates back to the early 1990s when the World Wide Web was developed.
2. Crawlers: The word "crawler" here refers to an automated program or software that systematically browses through web pages on the internet. The term "crawler" is derived from the action of crawling, or moving slowly and steadily like a crawling insect. In the context of web crawling, it signifies the systematic and methodical process of exploring web pages.
