What user agent should I use when making requests to Zoopla for scraping?

When scraping websites like Zoopla, it's important to follow their terms of service (ToS) and use scraping practices that are considerate and lawful. Websites often have specific rules about automated access, and failing to adhere to these can result in your IP being blocked or other legal consequences.

Regarding the user agent, if after reviewing Zoopla's ToS you find that scraping is permitted, you should use a user agent that accurately describes your bot. Websites use the user agent string to identify the type of device or browser making the request. If you are writing a web scraper, you might want to use a user agent that identifies your scraper as a bot.

Some websites specifically check for generic user agents and block them, so it's often better to use a more descriptive user agent. Here's how you might set a user agent in Python using the requests library:

import requests

headers = {
    'User-Agent': 'MyScraperBot/1.0 (+http://mywebsite.com/bot-info)'
}

url = 'https://www.zoopla.co.uk/'
response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)

# Make sure to check the status code to ensure your request was successful
if response.status_code == 200:
    html = response.text
    # Proceed with your scraping
else:
    print(f'Request was unsuccessful: Status Code {response.status_code}')

And here's an example using Node.js with the axios HTTP client:

const axios = require('axios');

const headers = {
    'User-Agent': 'MyScraperBot/1.0 (+http://mywebsite.com/bot-info)'
};

axios.get('https://www.zoopla.co.uk/', { headers })
    .then(response => {
        console.log(response.data);
        // Proceed with your scraping
    })
    .catch(error => {
        console.error(`Request was unsuccessful: Status Code ${error.response.status}`);
    });

Remember to replace 'MyScraperBot/1.0 (+http://mywebsite.com/bot-info)' with your own user agent string that properly identifies your bot and provides a link to a webpage explaining the purpose of your bot, how it operates, and how to contact you if necessary. This transparency can help prevent your scraper from being blocked and demonstrates good web scraping etiquette.

If Zoopla's ToS do not allow scraping, you should not proceed with the scraping activity. Always respect the rules and legal boundaries set by the website. If you need data from Zoopla for legitimate purposes, look to see if they offer an official API or reach out to them directly to request permission or to inquire about partnership opportunities.