Best HTML Parsing Libraries for Web Scraping

Discover top HTML parsers for web scraping and data extraction, including httpx, AIOHTTP, and urllib.

What Is an HTML Parser?

An HTML parser processes HTML documents, converting them into a structured data format for easy navigation and manipulation. They analyze HTML code to build a tree-like structure representing the document's DOM. HTML parsers are essential for web scraping, allowing you to extract information like product names and prices from websites.

Key Considerations for HTML Parsers

• Pros and Cons: Benefits and drawbacks of the library.
• Programming Language: Language the library is written in.
• GitHub Stars: Popularity indicator.
• CSS Selector Support: Built-in CSS selector support.
• XPath Support: Built-in XPath expression support.

Top 7 HTML Parsers

1. jsoup

• Pros: Implements WHATWG HTML specification, includes HTTP client, vast API.
• Cons: Not the fastest.
• Language: Java
• GitHub Stars: 10.5k
• CSS Selector Support: Yes
• XPath Support: Yes

💡 Learn more about web scraping with jsoup.

2. Nokogiri

• Pros: Secure by default, CSS3 selectors, full API documentation.
• Cons: Not the most used.
• Language: Ruby
• GitHub Stars: 6.1k
• CSS Selector Support: Yes
• XPath Support: Yes

💡 Learn more about web scraping with Ruby.

3. Beautiful Soup

• Pros: Multiple parsers, widely used, code formatting.
• Cons: No API documentation, no native XPath support.
• Language: Python
• GitHub Stars: —
• CSS Selector Support: Yes
• XPath Support: Possible with lxml

💡 Learn more about web scraping with Beautiful Soup.

4. Cheerio

• Pros: jQuery-like syntax, high performance.
• Cons: Still in beta, no XPath support.
• Language: JavaScript (Node.js)
• GitHub Stars: 27.6k
• CSS Selector Support: Yes
• XPath Support: No

💡 Learn more about web scraping with Cheerio.

5. Html Agility Pack

• Pros: Works with .NET languages, XSLT support.
• Cons: Little documentation, no native CSS selector support.
• Language: C#
• GitHub Stars: 2.5k
• CSS Selector Support: Possible via extension
• XPath Support: Yes

💡 Learn more about web scraping with Html Agility Pack.

6. libxml2

• Pros: Used by many libraries, extreme performance.
• Cons: Complex API, limited to XPath.
• Language: C
• GitHub Stars: —
• CSS Selector Support: No
• XPath Support: Yes

💡 Learn more about web scraping with libxml2.

7. PHPHtmlParser

• Pros: Parses broken HTML, complete API.
• Cons: Not actively maintained, no documentation.
• Language: PHP
• GitHub Stars: 2.3k
• CSS Selector Support: Yes
• XPath Support: No

💡 Learn more about web scraping with PHP.

Summary Table

HTML Parser	Language	GitHub Stars	CSS Selector	XPath
jsoup	Java	10.5k	✅	✅
Nokogiri	Ruby	6.1k	✅	✅
Beautiful Soup	Python	—	✅	Possible via lxml
Cheerio	JavaScript	27.6k	✅	❌
Html Agility Pack	C#	2.5k	Possible via extension	✅
libxml2	C	—	❌	✅
PHPHtmlParser	PHP	2.3k	✅	❌

Conclusion

This guide explored the best HTML parsing libraries. Your choice depends on your programming language and project needs. Remember, websites may use anti-bot technologies, but tools like Bright Data's proxy services or Web Scrapers can help you retrieve HTML for parsing.

Learn how to scrape specific websites:

• Amazon
• LinkedIn
• Google Maps
• Google News