What is open source web scraping?

TL;DR

Open source scrapers let you inspect, modify, and self-host the code. Data never leaves your infrastructure.

What is open source web scraping?

Full source code published. Run on your servers, audit for security, modify to your needs. Complete control.

Why it matters

• Data sovereignty: Scraped data stays in your environment
• Customization: Modify logic and integrate with internal systems
• No vendor lock-in: Fork or switch anytime
• Cost control: No per-request pricing at scale

Trade-offs

You manage infrastructure, updates, proxies, and scaling yourself.

Olostep is fully open source with feature parity between self-hosted and cloud versions.

Key Takeaways

Open source scraping provides transparency, privacy, and control—essential for compliance-sensitive organizations.