Getting Started with Web Scraping in Elixir
                     Getting Started with 
Web Scraping in Elixir - 
The Ultimate Beginner’s 
Guide
Introduction
Web scraping has become an essential technique for 
businesses, researchers, and developers who want to 
collect structured data from websites. While Python, 
JavaScript, and PHP are the most common languages for 
scraping, Elixir—a functional, concurrent, and fault-
tolerant language—offers unique advantages that make it 
a great choice for web scraping at scale.
In this blog, we’ll walk you through how to start web 
scraping with Elixir, its benefits, tools, libraries, step-by-
step scraping examples, and how it compares with other 
languages. By the end, you’ll have the knowledge to 
confidently begin scraping with Elixir and integrate it into 
your data extraction workflows.
We’ll also highlight how you can complement your efforts 
using advanced Web Scraping Services, 
Enterprise Web Crawling Services, and modern Web 
Scraping API solutions like RealDataAPI for large-scale 
data requirements.
Why Choose Elixir for Web 
Scraping?
Before diving into the technical details, let’s explore why 
Elixir is a strong candidate for scraping projects:
1. Concurrency and Speed
Elixir is built on the Erlang VM (BEAM), which is designed 
for massive concurrency. If you’re scraping thousands of 
web pages simultaneously, Elixir can handle it efficiently 
without slowing down.
2. Fault Tolerance
Web scraping often involves unexpected issues like server 
timeouts, rate limiting, and broken HTML. Elixir’s fault-
tolerant design ensures your scrapers remain resilient 
under such challenges.
3. Functional Programming Paradigm
Functional programming makes it easier to write clean, 
testable, and maintainable scraping code. Data 
transformations are often simpler with immutable 
structures.
4. Scalability for Enterprise Web Crawling
For enterprises that need large-scale data extraction, 
Elixir shines. You can design distributed crawlers capable 
of handling millions of requests with Enterprise Web 
Crawling Services.
Core Libraries and Tools for Web Scraping in 
Elixir
Unlike Python (with BeautifulSoup, Scrapy) or 
JavaScript (with Puppeteer, Cheerio), Elixir has its 
own ecosystem for scraping:
• HTTPoison – A popular HTTP client for making GET/POST 
requests.
• Floki – An HTML parser (similar to BeautifulSoup in 
Python).
• Crawly – A fully featured crawling framework for Elixir 
(similar to Scrapy).
• Tesla – A flexible HTTP client with middleware support.
• Wallaby / Hound – For headless browser automation
• when dealing with JavaScript-heavy sites.
By combining these tools, you can build powerful scrapers 
that rival those made in other programming languages.
Step-by-Step Guide to Web Scraping with Elixir
Now let’s go through a practical example of scraping a 
website using Elixir.
1. Setup Elixir Project
First, create a new Elixir project:
Add dependencies to 
mix.exs:
Install dependencies:
2. Fetch Web Page Content
Using HTTPoison to send requests:
3. Parse HTML Content with Floki
Extract specific data (e.g., article titles):
4. Combine Fetching and Parsing
Run the scraper:
5. Scaling with Crawly
If you need enterprise-grade scraping, Crawly 
provides:
• Distributed crawling support
• Data pipelines (cleaning, storing)
• Configurable middlewares
• Integration with databases and queues
Example (basic Crawly crawler):
Handling JavaScript-heavy Websites
Some websites load content dynamically via 
JavaScript. Elixir alone may not be enough here. 
You can use:
• Wallaby or Hound (browser automation libraries).
• Headless Chrome (via Puppeteer) triggered from Elixir.
Or rely on Web Scraping API solutions like RealDataAPI, 
which automatically handle JavaScript rendering, 
CAPTCHAs, and proxies.
Data Storage Options in Elixir 
Scraping
Collected data must be stored efficiently:
• PostgreSQL/MySQL for structured storage.
• MongoDB for semi-structured JSON data.
• CSV/Excel files for simple exports.
• Elasticsearch for search-friendly datasets.
Crawly integrates well with these databases, making it 
perfect for Enterprise Web Crawling Services.
Best Practices for Web Scraping in Elixir
• Respect robots.txt – Always check if scraping is allowed.
• Use request throttling – Avoid overwhelming target 
servers.
• Rotate proxies and user-agents – Prevent IP bans.
• Implement retries – Handle failed requests gracefully.
• Store and clean data – Ensure your data pipeline 
removes duplicates and errors.
When to Use RealDataAPI for Web Scraping?
While Elixir is powerful, building and maintaining scrapers 
takes time. For businesses that need reliable, scalable, 
and real-time data extraction, APIs like RealDataAPI offer 
a faster solution.
Benefits of Using RealDataAPI:
• Pre-built scrapers for eCommerce, travel, real estate, 
jobs, and more.
• Handles CAPTCHAs, proxies, and dynamic rendering.
• Scalable for Enterprise Web Crawling Services.
• Easy integration with any tech stack (Elixir, Python, 
Java, etc.).
This allows you to focus on data analysis and insights 
rather than infrastructure.
Elixir vs. Other Languages for Web Scraping
Elixir excels in high-concurrency enterprise scraping, while 
Python/Node.js dominate in terms of community support 
and libraries.
Real-World Applications of Web Scraping with 
Elixir
E-commerce Price Monitoring – Scrape Amazon, eBay, and 
Walmart for real-time price tracking.
• Travel Aggregation – Collect flight and hotel data for 
travel apps.
• Job Boards – Extract listings from Indeed, LinkedIn, and 
niche sites.
• Real Estate Data – Gather property details for 
investment analysis.
• Market Research – Extract competitor and consumer 
sentiment data.
For large projects, outsourcing to Web Scraping Services
 or integrating RealDataAPI ensures accuracy, speed, and 
scalability.
Conclusion
Elixir might not be the first language that comes to mind 
for web scraping, but its concurrency, scalability, and fault 
tolerance make it a hidden gem for data-intensive 
scraping tasks. With tools like HTTPoison, Floki, and 
Crawly, you can build scrapers that rival those made in 
Python or JavaScript.
However, for businesses and enterprises that require 
continuous large-scale data pipelines, relying on Web 
Scraping Services, Enterprise Web Crawling Services, or a 
Web Scraping API like RealDataAPI can save significant 
time and cost.
Whether you’re a developer exploring Elixir for fun or a 
business looking to scale your data operations, this 
powerful language offers everything you need to build 
efficient scrapers and pipelines.
Source: https://www.realdataapi.com/getting-started-with-
web-scraping-elixir.php