Any programming language that can make HTTP requests can be used for web scraping. However, some programming languages are more suitable than others as they can significantly differ in terms of performance, ease of use, flexibility, and community support.
C# and Python are two of the most widely utilized programming languages, and both have their strengths and weaknesses. C# is typically preferred for game development, whereas Python is favored by data analysts, but either language can be used for web scraping.
So which language should you use for your next web scraping project? The following guide will help you decide.
Key Points & Takeaways
In a hurry? Go over the important points quickly:
- Flexibility and Ease of Use: Python shines with its simple syntax and extensive libraries like Beautiful Soup, making it ideal for beginners and rapid development.
- Performance and Enterprise Integration: C# offers robust performance and seamless integration with Microsoft ecosystems, suitable for complex, enterprise-level applications.
- Community and Resources: Python boasts a vast, active community and an abundance of resources, while C# provides comprehensive enterprise support through Microsoft.
What Is Python
Python is a high-level, open source, multiparadigm programming language that’s both compiled and interpreted. Its flexibility, large comprehensive standard library, and simple syntax make it appealing to both beginner and veteran programmers.
Python developers also have access to a large index of free and open source third-party libraries, which means that developers don’t have to write everything from scratch.
However, Python’s loose nature can cause a few challenges. For instance, the performance of your Python web scraper largely depends on how you implement it (either compiled or interpreted). Additionally, if you don’t perform effective garbage collection, misuse data types, and define and store too many objects in the memory, you can experience performance issues.
Developers new to Python may find that multithreading isn’t as straightforward in Python as it is in other programming languages—particularly object-oriented ones.
Ultimately, some developers may find themselves working on performance tweaks more than they do on functionality. Nevertheless, Python’s support of dynamic typing and rapid prototyping makes it easier to revise, test, and debug.
The importance of Python’s flexibility cannot be overstated. Webmasters will continue to develop and employ sophisticated techniques to curb web scraping, and you need to be able to quickly alter your web scraper to meet any new web scraping challenges. A Python-based web scraper, if written correctly, should be easy to modify and maintain.
Typically, building a Python web scraper requires only three imports, including Beautiful Soup 4:
import requests
from bs4 import BeautifulSoup
import JSON
With Python, you don’t have to export the data into a JSON file. You can also use HTML, XML, or CSV. Once you import the necessary packages, you can create a bs4 HTML using the desired web page, parse it, and then dump it into your JSON file:
#Parse data using BS4 and populate scraped_data object
try:
with open("data.json", 'w',newline='',encoding='utf-8') as jsonfile:
json.dump(scraped_data, jsonfile)
except:
file
except IOError:
print("I/O error")
Additionally, you’re not limited to using a single output file for dumping your data.
Please note: Creating a Python web scraper with a CSV slightly differs as you have to define column headers.
What Is C#
When C# was introduced, it was primarily an object-oriented programming language with strong typing. Today, the latest version supports functional programming, partial inference, and nominal and dynamic typing. These features add additional flexibility that helps it contend with languages like Python.
Despite it supporting a litany of design patterns, readability and structure remain the most important part of the C# design goals. These hard rules can be seen as an advantage by some and a disadvantage by others. As of 2014, both C# and the .NET Core (the platform and virtual machine it runs on) are open source.
Since C# is one of Microsoft’s proprietary languages, you can compile C# source code out of the box with any modern version of Windows. If you want a richer programming experience, you can use Microsoft Visual Studio or Visual Studio Code IDE. These tools, along with a large library of packages, can be used to help you quickly build your web scraper.
C# also offers a litany of concurrency features, from multithreading to task-based asynchronous programming (TAP). These features can make it easier for you to add parallel processing to your C# web scraper, which can, in turn, increase its speed and efficiency.
C#’s strong error and exception handling make it easier for you to debug and find issues with your code. Moreover, Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code have profiling and diagnostic tools that can help you refine your web scraper performance.
It’s a fully compiled programming language, which means that while it may be more efficient, you may also find that constantly compiling, building, and deploying your C# web scraper is disruptive to your workflow. Interpreted scripting languages allow you to see the result of code changes almost immediately. Compiled/built C# applications tend to have larger footprints than scripts.
Additionally, while C# mashes well with Microsoft-based operating systems (ie Windows), setting up and configuring for Linux- and Mac-based OSs may be more challenging—especially when compared to Python, which comes preinstalled with most Linux distros.
You need at least five imports to create a simple web scraper in C#:
//External libraries
using HtmlAgilityPack;
using CsvHelper;
//Local libraries
using System.IO;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Globalization;
The HTMLAgilityPack contains objects and methods that enable you to parse an HTML web page, while the CsvHelper allows you to export the output as a CSV file.
Web scraping in C# can be condensed into the following lines of code. Of course, it’s best to separate these operations into classes and methods. You also need to create a parameterized type for the List variable:
HtmlWeb htmlWeb = new HtmlWeb();
HtmlDocument doc = web.Load("pagename");
var contentType = doc.DocumentNode.SelectNodes("Doc Class");
var contents = new List<Row>();
foreach (var item in contentType)
{
contents.Add( Content = (Content = item.InnerText);
}
//Create an object of the StreamWriter class and use it to create a new CSVWriter from the CsvHelper package
//Use CSVWriter.WriteRecords(String records) method to write results to CSV file
C# vs. Python: A Web Scraping Head-to-Head
In the following sections, you’ll compare C# and Python based on their ease of use, community support and resources, and library and framework support.
Ease of Use
Python’s ubiquity and accessibility are what make it appealing to so many developers. When compared to C#, it’s supported by more IDEs out of the box, including Java IDEs like Apache NetBeans and IntelliJ IDEA, whereas C# is associated with only Visual Studio.
Python’s wide support makes it easy for you to adapt it to your workflow, whether it’s your first or third programming language. Moreover, Python, at its core, is an extremely advanced scripting language, but its syntax and typing are loose and forgiving. Consequently, if you attempt the same task in Python and C#, Python will require you to write fewer lines of code and will potentially create more readable source files. This, in turn, makes the source files easier to alter and update in the long run. Alternatively, you can also use object-oriented design patterns if that’s what you’re used to.
When compared to other object-oriented languages (like Java), C# is easy to learn and use. However, when you compare C# to Python, its rigid rules and structures can be off-putting—particularly for beginners. With that being said, C# blends well into the Windows and Microsoft ecosystem. This can be ideal for developers whose primary plans are to create Windows applications and solutions (non-cross-platform programs).
C#’s structure can also be seen as an advantage. It gives you an exact path to follow, making it easier to write optimal code. While it does support functional programming, it’s always best to stick to the classic object-oriented paradigm when using it.
Overall, if you’re looking to write a web scraper from scratch (without using third-party libraries), it would be easier to do so in Python; however, you may find it easier to work with exception handling, threads, and asynchronous code in C#.
Performance and Speed
As discussed previously, Python is essentially a hybrid language—it’s both compiled and interpreted. However, you mostly interface and interact with it as an interpreted language. This means it has many of the disadvantages (and advantages) of an interpreted scripting language.
Interpreted languages are traditionally executed line by line. The interpreter within the Python virtual machine (PVM) sees each line as a command or instruction. Each line is converted into machine code and then sent to the computer’s processor. This happens every time you execute your Python code and can lower your Python web scraper’s performance and speed. Despite this minor performance lag, Python still handles and runs web scraping operations well.
You can also overcome some of these performance dips by bundling or packaging your Python script as an executable. Additionally, various libraries can help you optimize Python.
In comparison, when it comes to speed and performance, C# is typically better than Python—especially if you’re a Windows user. The .NET framework was written and optimized for Windows, so building, packaging, and using your C# web scraper (as an executable or dynamic-link library) for Windows is easier and faster.
Additionally, because C# is statically typed, the compilation is more efficient and it’s easier to manage and handle variable-related errors.
As mentioned previously, Visual Studio comes with a host of performance-tuning additions to help you optimize your projects. You can also use multithreading, parallel programming, TAP, thread signaling, and a variety of other concurrency features and design patterns to optimize your C# web scraper performance.
Community and Resources
As one of the most widely used programming languages, Python has one of the largest and most active online developer communities. If you’re just starting out, you can visit Python’s official website, which contains links to various resources, such as tutorials, documentation, news, and forums.
Additionally, the Python subreddit has over a million members and has been around for over a decade. If you’re looking for a slightly smaller subreddit that focuses on helping beginners, r/learnpython is a great place to start.
Python developers also have access to a variety of different package repositories and managers. You don’t have to limit yourself to PyPI’s default manager. You can use bandersnatch or EggBasket. Some of the best libraries for web scraping are as follows:
While not as pervasive and all-encompassing as Python’s community, C#’s community support is also impressive. C# and Visual Studio specifically excel when it comes to their enterprise offerings. The Enterprise Edition of Visual Studio offers advanced testing, debugging, code duplication, and architectural analysis. If you subscribe to Visual Studio (Enterprise or Pro), Microsoft will give you access to their comprehensive technical support. This makes C# arguably the best option for enterprise developers and those who can afford it.
In addition to this, Microsoft has a large archive of documentation and tutorials related to C# programming. In the past, some developers have found Microsoft’s APIs and documentation hard to read, but Microsoft has since improved how it presents its resources and documentation through Microsoft Learn.
If you’ve worked with any of Microsoft’s documentation before or even used the Microsoft Docs API to write yours, the official C# documentation should make you feel at home.
Ultimately, C# is built and run by a multibillion-dollar company. It’s not hard to find help—paid or unpaid.
Integration and Extensibility
Python integrates well with various database management systems, such as MongoDB, SQLite, MySQL, and PostgreSQL. Even Microsoft offers Python SQL drivers that connect seamlessly on Windows, Linux, and Mac operating systems.
While many may prefer to use a language such as JavaScript for frontend and backend web development, you can use Python to build web services and RESTful APIs. Ultimately, you can integrate other services and applications into your Python project by adding JSON or REST through FastAPI.
In contrast, if you’re looking to build an advanced web scraper that utilizes distributed system architecture, C# is the better choice. This is due to its extensibility and ability to be integrated with a litany of tools and databases, such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQLite.
C# also offers advanced class and struct features, such as extension methods, which allow you to further increase the extensibility of projects. This can be convenient for large projects and is one of the many reasons C# and .NET work so well for large enterprise-level development.
C# supports web service integrations through SOAP and REST. Moreover, you can use Visual Studio to add these integrations through its user interface (as opposed to programmatically). Visual Studio also makes it easier for you to manage your databases and application server.
Conclusion
In this article, you compared C# and Python, specifically taking into account their unique advantages and disadvantages in regard to web scraping. If you’re already a C# programmer, there isn’t a reason to switch to Python. However, if you’re a beginner, then Python is probably the ideal option.
Regardless of which programming language you choose, Bright Data has solutions tailored to both. For instance, you don’t have to subscribe to the Microsoft Visual Studio IDE. The Bright Data Web Scraper IDE is a cost-effective solution that allows you to quickly build and configure business-specific web scrapers using ready-made JavaScript code and templates. And your web scraper is hosted on the Bright Data servers. This means you don’t have to worry about circumventing IP bans and other limitations.
Getting up and running with Python may be fast, but it’s not as fast as using the Bright Data Web Scraper IDE.
