A web scraper is a tool designed to extract information from websites automatically. It navigates web pages, parses the HTML content, and gathers relevant data—such as product prices, contact details, or news articles—based on predefined criteria. Web scrapers are widely used in data analysis, market research, and competitive intelligence, saving time and effort compared to manual data collection. However, it's essential to abide by a website's terms of service to avoid legal issues related to unauthorized data usage.