Selenium WebDriver Proxy

The term "public" should be understood to mean open proxy servers. That is, they can be used by all users without exception. They can be insecure and are often quite overloaded, so the connection speed or response time when using public proxies can be very slow.

A proxy server passes all traffic through itself, acting as an intermediary between the user and the remote server. It is most often used to conceal the real IP, to conditionally change the user's location, or to analyze traffic (for example, when testing web applications).

Here are some general guidelines to approach scraping protected sites:

1. Check Terms of Service:

   • Review the terms of service, robots.txt file, and any other usage policies provided by the website. Some websites explicitly prohibit scraping.

2. Contact the Website Owner:

   • If you have a legitimate reason for scraping and the website provides contact information, consider reaching out to the website owner or administrator to request permission.

3. Use Official APIs:

   • Many websites offer official APIs that allow controlled access to their data. Using an API is a sanctioned and structured way to obtain information.

4. Simulate Human Behavior:

   • Mimic human behavior by setting appropriate headers, handling cookies, and introducing delays between requests. This helps avoid detection mechanisms that may identify automated bots.

5. Handle CAPTCHAs:

   • Some sites may use CAPTCHAs to prevent automated access. Implement mechanisms to handle CAPTCHAs if they are encountered.

6. Use Proxy Servers:

   • Rotate IP addresses using proxy servers to avoid IP-based blocking. However, be aware that some sites may block common proxy server IP ranges.

7. Avoid Aggressive Scraping:

   • Limit the frequency and volume of your requests to avoid overloading the server. Implement rate limiting and throttling to mimic human browsing behavior.

8. Stay Informed:

   • Monitor the website for changes in its structure or policies. Adjust your scraping strategy accordingly to adapt to any modifications.

To enable responsive design mode in Firefox using Selenium, you can use the webdriver.FirefoxOptions() class and set the desired options for responsive design. Here's an example in Python:

from selenium import webdriver

# Create Firefox options
firefox_options = webdriver.FirefoxOptions()

# Enable responsive design mode
firefox_options.add_argument('--start-maximized')  # Start the browser in maximized mode
firefox_options.add_argument('--width=800')  # Set the initial width
firefox_options.add_argument('--height=600')  # Set the initial height

# Create the WebDriver instance with the specified options
driver = webdriver.Firefox(options=firefox_options)

# Navigate to a website
driver.get('https://example.com')

# Continue with your Selenium script...

# Close the browser when done
driver.quit()

In this example:

• --start-maximized: Opens the browser window in maximized mode.
• --width=800: Sets the initial width of the browser window to 800 pixels.
• --height=600: Sets the initial height of the browser window to 600 pixels.

You can adjust the width and height values based on your specific requirements.

Please note that the responsiveness of the design is primarily determined by the CSS media queries and how the website is designed to handle different viewport sizes. Changing the browser window size using Selenium does not necessarily trigger responsive behavior unless the website's CSS is designed to respond to changes in viewport size.

If you want to simulate specific devices with predefined sizes, you can use the mobile_emulation capability in Chrome. However, this is specific to Chrome and not available in Firefox.

from selenium import webdriver

chrome_options = webdriver.ChromeOptions()
chrome_options.add_experimental_option('mobileEmulation', {'deviceName': 'iPhone X'})

driver = webdriver.Chrome(chrome_options=chrome_options)
driver.get('https://example.com')

# Continue with your Selenium script...

driver.quit()

Keep in mind that responsive design testing is often more effectively done using tools built into browsers (e.g., Chrome DevTools) or specialized testing frameworks rather than relying solely on Selenium.

It means a proxy server for devices that connect to the router via WiFi. It is also a remote server to let traffic through. For example, a user sends a request to Netflix from his smartphone through a proxy that is hosted in the UK. Netflix servers will "recognize" such a user as being from the UK (regardless of his actual location).