Web Crawler

1. Introduction
1.1 Background
Web crawlers play a crucial role in data extraction from the vast expanse of the internet. This project
aims to develop a web crawler using JavaScript, enabling users to systematically retrieve information
from web pages.

1.2 Objectives
Create a web crawler capable of traversing websites and extracting relevant data.

Implement the crawler with modularity and extensibility in mind.

Provide a user-friendly interface for configuration and execution.

2. Project Overview
2.1 Scope
The web crawler is designed to extract information from HTML documents within a specified
domain. It is limited to publicly accessible content and follows ethical scraping practices.

2.2 Features
Configurable depth-first traversal of a website.

Robust handling of different HTML structures.

Concurrent processing for improved performance.

3. System Architecture
3.1 High-Level Architecture
The system is divided into components: the crawler engine, HTML parser, and configuration manager.
These components work together to systematically crawl and extract information.

3.2 Technology Stack

Language: JavaScript (Node.js)

Modules: axios for HTTP requests, cheerio for HTML parsing.

4. Implementation
4.1 Design
The design focuses on creating a modular and flexible structure. The crawler follows a depth-first
traversal strategy, ensuring efficient exploration of a website.

4.2 Code Structure

The codebase is organized into modules:

crawler.js: Responsible for initiating and managing the crawling process.

parser.js: Implements the HTML parsing logic using cheerio.

config.js: Manages user-configurable settings.

4.3 Key Algorithms or Processes

The crawler employs a recursive algorithm for traversing web pages and extracting relevant data. It
maintains a visited list to avoid duplicate processing.

5. User Guide
5.1 Installation
Clone the repository.

Install dependencies: npm install.

5.2 Usage
Configure parameters in config.js.

Run the crawler: node crawler.js.

6. Testing
6.1 Unit Testing
Unit tests ensure the correctness of individual modules, such as the HTML parser and configuration
manager.

6.2 Integration Testing

Integration tests validate the interaction between the crawler components.
7. Results
7.1 Achievements
Successfully implemented a web crawler capable of systematically extracting data from diverse
websites.

7.2 Challenges
Addressed challenges related to varying HTML structures and optimized the crawler for performance.

8. Conclusion
8.1 Summary
The JavaScript web crawler project provides a scalable and efficient solution for web data extraction.

8.2 Future Work

Potential future enhancements include adding support for handling JavaScript-rendered content and
improving user configuration options.

9. Annexure
9.1 Source Code
[To be provided in the annexure.]

9.2 Screenshots
[To be provided in the annexure.]