What Are API and Scraping?

When importing products from marketplaces such as Taobao, Tmall, or 1688 into your Dropast list, it's important to understand the methods used to gather product data: API and Scraping. Here’s a brief overview of each method and how Dropast utilizes them.

API (Application Programming Interface):

- Default Method for Taobao and Tmall: The API allows the Dropast Chrome extension to directly communicate with the marketplace’s system to retrieve product data efficiently. This is the preferred method for products from Taobao and Tmall.

- Fallback to Scraping: Occasionally, the marketplace APIs may experience downtime. To ensure continuous operation and no interruption in service, the Dropast extension will revert to scraping the product page if the API is unavailable.

Scraping:

- Always Used for 1688: For importing product data from 1688, Dropast exclusively uses the scraping method. This involves programmatically reading the HTML content of the product page to extract necessary details.

- Exclusive Method for Videos and Reviews: Regardless of the marketplace, scraping is the only method used to import videos and reviews associated with the products.

Understanding the Use of Both Methods:

- Both API and scraping are integral to ensuring that your Dropast list remains robust and comprehensive, providing all the necessary product details to help you make informed decisions for your dropshipping business. By employing both methods, Dropast ensures reliability and continuity in product data collection.