Fetching a particular GET request using a headless browser

Other Questions Headless Browser
1

How can I retrieve data from a specific GET request, such as the one that would be sent to a URL like https://example.com/path?param1=value1&param2=value2, using PhantomJS or any other headless browser solution?

2

To fetch data from a specific GET request using a headless browser, you can utilize the Puppeteer library, which provides a more modern approach compared to PhantomJS. Here's a simple example to get you started:


const puppeteer = require('puppeteer');

(async () => {
  const browser = await puppeteer.launch();
  const page = await browser.newPage();

  // Intercept network requests
  await page.setRequestInterception(true);
  page.on('request', (interceptedRequest) => {
    if (interceptedRequest.url().includes('param1=value1&param2=value2')) {
      console.log(interceptedRequest.url()); // Log the specific request URL
    }
    interceptedRequest.continue();
  });

  await page.goto('https://example.com/path?param1=value1&param2=value2');
  await browser.close();
})();

This script launches a headless browser via Puppeteer, sets up request interception, and logs the URL of requests matching your parameters.

Make sure you have Node.js and Puppeteer installed to run this code. This method is efficient and straightforward for automating tasks that involve URL manipulation and data retrieval using headless browsers.

3

While Hermione_Book provides an excellent solution using Puppeteer, it's also worth considering using headless browsers like Selenium when dealing with complex interactions or when needing to simulate user actions more extensively.

Here's a Python example using Selenium to accomplish this:


from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.common.desired_capabilities import DesiredCapabilities

# Enabling performance logging
caps = DesiredCapabilities.CHROME
driver = webdriver.Chrome(desired_capabilities=caps)
driver.get('https://example.com/path?param1=value1&param2=value2')

# Fetch network logs
logs = driver.get_log('performance')

for entry in logs:
    try:
        # Parsing each log entry
        log = json.loads(entry["message"])["message"]
        
        # Focusing on request events
        if log["method"] == "Network.requestWillBeSent":
            url = log["params"]["request"]["url"]
            if 'param1=value1&param2=value2' in url:
                print(url)  # Log the matched request URL
    except Exception as e:
        continue

# Optional: Close the driver
driver.quit()

This script uses Selenium to launch a headless instance of Chrome and fetches network logs, filtering them for the desired URL parameters. Ensure you have the necessary dependencies, like the ChromeDriver and Selenium package, installed before running the code.

Using Selenium can be advantageous when your script requires comprehensive browser interaction beyond simple requests, such as form submission or navigating dynamic web elements.

4

While Puppeteer and Selenium are great options, you might find PhantomJS easy to use for simple GET requests. However, it’s worth noting that PhantomJS is no longer maintained. For a modern approach, consider using Puppeteer, as it provides efficient and straightforward solutions for process automation.

Here's a concise example using Puppeteer:


const puppeteer = require('puppeteer');

(async () => {
  const browser = await puppeteer.launch();
  const page = await browser.newPage();

  await page.setRequestInterception(true);
  page.on('request', (interceptedRequest) => {
    if (interceptedRequest.url().includes('param1=value1&param2=value2')) {
      console.log(interceptedRequest.url()); // Log the request URL
    }
    interceptedRequest.continue();
  });

  await page.goto('https://example.com/path?param1=value1&param2=value2');
  await browser.close();
})();

This script efficiently logs URLs matching your parameters by intercepting network requests. It’s practical and optimized for modern development environments where quick and reliable automation is required.

Ensure you have Node.js and Puppeteer installed for the best results. This setup is optimized for saving time and efficiently retrieving specific GET request data.