Web Scraping Scrape API
Returns one web page's content as clean markdown or HTML, with the resolved URL, status code, fetch metadata, and an optional screenshot.
GET /v1/web/scrapeLast updated November 2026Maintained by the SocialCrawl team
Try the Web Scraping Scrape API
See real data before writing a single line
When to use the Web Scraping Scrape API
Use it for a single known URL; for whole sites start a crawl job instead.
From the API reference
Fetches a public web page and returns clean content, metadata, and optional media in the unified WebPage schema. When the page scrapers cannot open a social platform profile or post (a LinkedIn profile, company page or post; an Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X or Threads profile or post; a Reddit post, subreddit or user page; a YouTube video or channel), the page is read through that platform's own endpoint, for example /v1/linkedin/profile, at that endpoint's price: 5 credits for LinkedIn, 1 for the others. page.native then carries the endpoint (endpoint), what it charged (credits_used) and its full structured record (data). page.content.markdown, html and raw_html are written from that record rather than taken from the site's HTML, and _warnings says so. Only markdown, html and rawHtml requests are read this way. A page the scrapers can read keeps the scrape and its price.
Searching 69 platforms in parallel
What can you do with the Scrape API?
The Scrape endpoint gives you structured Web Scraping data with computed fields in a single request. No scraping infrastructure to build or maintain.
Example Request
# GET /v1/web/scrape: Metered: holds 1 credit per call up front and refunds what the call does not use. Cache hits are free and failed calls are refunded.
# Check the price first for 0 credits: add dry_run=1 to the query. Nothing is fetched or charged.
# --max-time 25: this endpoint's measured p99 latency x 1.5.
# --retry 3: retries timeouts, 429 and 5xx, honoring Retry-After.
# -o response.json keeps only the final attempt's body.
# One Idempotency-Key per request, reused on every retry, so a retried call is never charged twice.
IDEMPOTENCY_KEY=$(od -An -N16 -tx1 /dev/urandom | tr -d ' \n')
curl -sS --max-time 25 --retry 3 -o response.json \
-H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Idempotency-Key: $IDEMPOTENCY_KEY" \
"https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/web/scrape?url=https%3A%2F%2Fexample.com&formats=markdown" && cat response.json# GET /v1/web/scrape: Metered: holds 1 credit per call up front and refunds what the call does not use. Cache hits are free and failed calls are refunded.
# Check the price first for 0 credits: add dry_run=1 to the query. Nothing is fetched or charged.
import os
import random
import time
import uuid
import requests
API_KEY = os.environ.get("SOCIALCRAWL_API_KEY", "YOUR_API_KEY")
TIMEOUT_S = 25 # this endpoint's measured p99 latency x 1.5.
MAX_RETRIES = 3
URL = "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/web/scrape"
def backoff(attempt):
# Exponential backoff with jitter: about 1 s, 2 s, then 4 s.
return 2 ** attempt * (0.5 + random.random() / 2)
def socialcrawl(params):
# One Idempotency-Key per request, reused on every retry, so a retried call is never charged twice.
idempotency_key = str(uuid.uuid4())
for attempt in range(MAX_RETRIES + 1):
try:
res = requests.get(
URL,
params=params,
headers={"x-api-key": API_KEY, "Idempotency-Key": idempotency_key},
timeout=TIMEOUT_S,
)
body = res.json()
except (requests.RequestException, ValueError):
# A timeout, a dropped connection or a non-JSON gateway page: retry with the same key.
if attempt == MAX_RETRIES:
raise
time.sleep(backoff(attempt))
continue
if body["success"]:
return body
error = body["error"]
# Branch on error["type"], never on the message text.
if error["type"] == "RESOURCE_NOT_FOUND":
return None # refunded: nothing to read
retry_after = res.headers.get("Retry-After")
# SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE without Retry-After is a withdrawn endpoint: permanent.
permanent = error["type"] == "SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE" and retry_after is None
if not error.get("retryable") or permanent or attempt == MAX_RETRIES:
raise RuntimeError(f"{error['type']}: {error['message']} (request_id {body['request_id']})")
# Retry-After (seconds) wins; otherwise back off.
time.sleep(float(retry_after) if retry_after else backoff(attempt))
params = {
"url": "https://example.com",
"formats": "markdown",
}
body = socialcrawl(params)
if body is not None:
print(body["data"])// GET /v1/web/scrape: Metered: holds 1 credit per call up front and refunds what the call does not use. Cache hits are free and failed calls are refunded.
// Check the price first for 0 credits: add dry_run=1 to the query. Nothing is fetched or charged.
const API_KEY = process.env.SOCIALCRAWL_API_KEY ?? "YOUR_API_KEY";
const TIMEOUT_MS = 25_000; // this endpoint's measured p99 latency x 1.5.
const MAX_RETRIES = 3;
type Page = { next_cursor: string | null; has_more: boolean };
type SocialCrawlResponse =
| { success: true; data: any; pagination?: Page; credits_used: number; request_id: string }
| { success: false; error: { type: string; message: string; retryable: boolean }; request_id: string };
const sleep = (ms: number) => new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, ms));
// Exponential backoff with jitter: about 1 s, 2 s, then 4 s.
const backoffMs = (attempt: number) => 2 ** attempt * 1000 * (0.5 + Math.random() / 2);
async function socialcrawl(url: URL) {
// One Idempotency-Key per request, reused on every retry, so a retried call is never charged twice.
const idempotencyKey = crypto.randomUUID();
for (let attempt = 0; ; attempt++) {
let res: Response;
let body: SocialCrawlResponse;
try {
res = await fetch(url, {
headers: {
"x-api-key": API_KEY,
"Idempotency-Key": idempotencyKey,
},
signal: AbortSignal.timeout(TIMEOUT_MS),
});
body = (await res.json()) as SocialCrawlResponse;
} catch (error) {
// A timeout, a dropped connection or a non-JSON gateway page: retry with the same key.
if (attempt >= MAX_RETRIES) throw error;
await sleep(backoffMs(attempt));
continue;
}
if (body.success) return body;
// Branch on error.type, never on the message text.
if (body.error.type === "RESOURCE_NOT_FOUND") return null; // refunded: nothing to read
const retryAfter = res.headers.get("Retry-After");
// SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE without Retry-After is a withdrawn endpoint: permanent.
const permanent = body.error.type === "SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE" && retryAfter === null;
if (!body.error.retryable || permanent || attempt >= MAX_RETRIES) {
throw new Error(`${body.error.type}: ${body.error.message} (request_id ${body.request_id})`);
}
// Retry-After (seconds) wins; otherwise back off.
await sleep(retryAfter ? Number(retryAfter) * 1000 : backoffMs(attempt));
}
}
const url = new URL("https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/web/scrape");
url.searchParams.set("url", "https://example.com");
url.searchParams.set("formats", "markdown");
const body = await socialcrawl(url);
if (body) console.log(body.data);Parameters
| Parameter | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| url | Yes | Public URL to fetch. |
| formats | No | Comma-separated output formats such as markdown,screenshot. A social platform URL is read through its own endpoint only for markdown, html and rawHtml. |
| only_main_content | No | Strip nav, headers, footers and sidebars and keep the article body. Default true; send false when you need the whole page, including the chrome. A markdown-only scrape of a site the primary scraper cannot fetch is served by a second extractor, which returns the whole page. |
| wait_for | No | Milliseconds to wait after load before capturing, for pages that render their content in JavaScript. Leave unset unless the page comes back empty or half-built. |
| mobile | No | Render in a mobile viewport with a mobile user agent. Use it when the site serves a different layout to phones. |
| timeout | No | Hard cap on the page load in milliseconds, 1 to 30000. A page that exceeds it fails and is refunded rather than returning a partial capture. |
| max_age | No | Accept an upstream-cached copy up to this many milliseconds old, which is faster and still one credit. Default 172800000 (48 hours), or 0 (a live fetch) with `proxy=auto` or `proxy=enhanced`; send 0 to force a live fetch. A cached copy of a page that failed (HTTP 400 or more) is never served: it is fetched again, live. |
| location_country | No | ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code to fetch from, e.g. 'us' or 'de'. Use it for geo-varying pages such as pricing or availability. |
| screenshot_full_page | No | When a screenshot format is requested, capture the entire scrollable page instead of the visible viewport. |
| include_tags | No | CSV of CSS selectors or HTML tags to keep, e.g. 'article,main'. Everything outside them is dropped. Use it to pin extraction to a known container. |
| exclude_tags | No | CSV of CSS selectors or HTML tags to drop, e.g. 'nav,footer,.cookie-banner'. Applied after include_tags. |
| proxy | No | Proxy tier: basic (the default), auto (a plain request first, then a stronger one if the site blocks it), or enhanced. Use auto when a plain scrape returns a block or CAPTCHA page. auto and enhanced read the page live unless you set max_age. (basic | auto | enhanced) |
| pdf_parse | No | Parse the target as a PDF and return its extracted text. Send it when the URL points at a PDF rather than an HTML page. |
| block_ads | No | Block ad and tracker requests, which is faster and quieter. Default true. |
| remove_base64_images | No | Drop inline base64-encoded images from the returned content instead of carrying them in the payload. Default true. |
What does the Web Scraping Scrape API return?
Every response follows one unified schema. Here is a real, unmodified response body, so you can see the exact fields you get back before spending a credit.
Example response
{
"success": true,
"platform": "web",
"endpoint": "/v1/web/scrape",
"data": {
"page": {
"url": "https://example.com",
"final_url": "https://example.com/",
"status_code": 200,
"scrape_id": "01a0fca4-f04b-7369-9cd6-64e0f4d82214",
"fetched_at": null,
"content": {
"markdown": "Thisdomainisforuseindocumentationexampleswithoutneedingpermission.Thisisnotaservice,avoidrelyingonitfortestingandmonitoringpurposes.\n\nهذا النطاق مُخصص للاستخدام في أمثلة التوثيق دون الحاجة إلى إذن. هذه ليست خدمة، يُرجى تجنب الاعتماد عليها لأغراض الاختبار والمراقبة.\n\n该域名仅用于文档示例,无需获得许可。这并非一项服务,请勿将其用于测试和监控目的。\n\nL’usagedecedomaineestréservéàdesexemplesdedocumentation,sansautorisationpréalable.Ilnes’agitpasd’unservice;sonutilisationàdesfinsdetestoudesurveillanceestàéviter.\n\nДанныйдоменпредназначендляиспользованиявпримерахдокументациибезнеобходимостиполученияпредварительногоразрешения.Этонесервис;нерекомендуетсяегоиспользованиедлятестированияимониторинга.\n\nEstedominioestádestinadoalusoenejemplosdedocumentaciónsinnecesidaddepermiso.Estonoesunservicio,evitarutilizarlopararealizarpruebasomonitoreos.\n\n [Learn more](https://iana.org/help/example-domains)",
"html": null,
"raw_html": null,
"summary": null
},
"media": {
"screenshot_url": null,
"audio_url": null,
"video_url": null
},
"extraction": null,
"answer": null,
"highlights": null,
"change_tracking": null,
"page_count": null,
"total_page_count": null,
"fetch": {
"cache_state": "hit",
"cached_at": "2026-10-02T12:40:55.009Z",
"proxy_tier": null
},
"page_state": {
"value": "content",
"confidence": 0.85,
"skipped_judge": false
}
}
},
"credits_used": 1,
"request_id": "req_example000000",
"cached": false,
"credits_remaining": 9999,
"source": "captured",
"captured_at": "2026-10-02T12:44:23.265Z",
"redacted": true
}Live sample illustrating the unified response shape. Field values reflect the record you query.
How does the Web Scraping Scrape API work?
Send a GET request with your API key and get back clean, structured JSON in our unified schema. Supported computed fields are populated when the source provides the required inputs.
Method
GET
Response
JSON
How do you scrape social media data in seconds?
The fastest social media scraping API for developers. Scrape profiles, posts, comments, and analytics from 69 platforms covering 10B+ monthly active users.
One schema, every platform
Query 69 platforms with identical response structures. Write your integration once.
Computed fields, not just scraped
When an endpoint supports these metrics and the source provides the required inputs, the normalized record includes engagement_rate, estimated_reach, content_category, and language. Ready to use.
See your data before you code
Visual Data Explorer. Paste any URL, get rich result cards, sortable tables, CSV export.
import requests
response = requests.get(
'https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/tiktok/profile',
params={'handle': 'charlidamelio'},
headers={'x-api-key': 'sc_YOUR_API_KEY'}
)
data = response.json(){
"success": true,
"platform": "tiktok",
"data": {
"author": {
"username": "charlidamelio",
"followers": 152400000
},
"engagement": {
"likes": 12400000000,
"engagement_rate": 0.087
},
"metadata": {
"language": "en",
"content_category": "lifestyle"
}
}
}Have a question? We got answers
Find answers to frequently asked questions about SocialCrawl's API, pricing, and capabilities.
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