A "scraper" is a software tool designed to extract data from websites. It automates the process of gathering information, such as text, images, or links, by simulating human browsing behavior. Scrapers can be used for various purposes, including market research, data analysis, and content aggregation. Web scrapers typically work by sending requests to a website's server, retrieving the HTML content, and then parsing it to find the desired data. While scrapers can be useful for legitimate purposes, they may also raise ethical and legal concerns, especially if they violate a website's terms of service or robots.txt file.