# Quick Start: Web Scraper API

Oxylabs [Web Scraper API](https://oxylabs.io/products/scraper-api/web) is an all-in-one solution that handles proxy rotation, JavaScript rendering, and anti-bot systems automatically. This guide will take you from an empty terminal to real-time web data in just a few minutes.

Follow the detailed steps below or watch a quick video walk-through:

{% embed url="<https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=2s&v=WOD0mZnu-j0>" %}

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

### Setup & credentials

Before sending your first request, you need to authorize your access:

1. **Create an account:** Sign up at the [Oxylabs Dashboard](https://dashboard.oxylabs.io/).
2. **Choose a plan:** Pick a free trial for testing or a subscription right away.
3. **Create an API User:** Go to "Web Scraper API" section on the left and select "Users" tab.
4. **Store your credentials:** These specific API credentials (not your dashboard login) are required for all requests.
   {% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Your first request

The `universal` source works for any public website. Open your terminal and run this command to scrape our sandbox site:

```bash
curl --user 'USERNAME:PASSWORD' \
'https://realtime.oxylabs.io/v1/queries' \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{
    "source": "universal",
    "url": "https://sandbox.oxylabs.io/products"
}'
```

{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Getting structured data

If you are scraping a supported domain (like Amazon or Google), the API can return structured JSON instead of raw HTML. Just set the `source` to a dedicated target and use `"parse": true`. For example, let's scrape an Amazon product:

```bash
curl 'https://realtime.oxylabs.io/v1/queries' \
--user "USERNAME:PASSWORD" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
    "source": "amazon_product", 
    "query": "B07FZ8S74R", 
    "parse": true
}'
```

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{% endstepper %}

### Essential Parameters

These are the most common parameters used to customize your request:

| Parameter       | Type    | Description                                                                        |
| --------------- | ------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `source`        | string  | Required. The scraping engine (e.g., `universal`, `amazon`, `Google Search` etc.). |
| `url` / `query` | string  | The target link or the keyword/ID for dedicated targets.                           |
| `parse`         | boolean | Set to `true` for structured JSON results on supported domains.                    |
| `render`        | string  | Set to `html` to enable a headless browser for JavaScript-heavy sites.             |
| `geo_location`  | string  | Localize your results (e.g., `United States` or `90210`).                          |

### Common response codes

| Code  | Status              | Description                                       |
| ----- | ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| `200` | `OK`                | Success. Your data is in the `results` object.    |
| `401` | `Unauthorized`      | Check your API User credentials in the dashboard. |
| `429` | `Too Many Requests` | You have exceeded your concurrency limit.         |

You can find the [full list of response codes](/products/web-scraper-api/response-codes.md) in the Web Scraper API product section.

### Next Steps

Now that you've sent your first query, explore the rest of our documentation based on your needs:

* **Looking for specific domains?** Head to the [API Targets](https://developers.oxylabs.io/api-targets/) section for dedicated guides on Amazon, Google, eBay, and many more popular websites.
* **Need advanced features?** Visit the [Products](/products/web-scraper-api.md) space to learn about Custom Parsing, Scheduler, Cloud Storage delivery, and more.
* **Scale with AI?** Check out [solutions for AI workflows](/products/web-scraper-api/solutions-for-ai-workflows.md) or see how [OxyCopilot](/products/web-scraper-api/web-scraper-api-playground/oxycopilot.md) can automate your parsing logic using plain English.
* **Different Integrations?** We use synchronous Realtime integration in our examples. You can find Proxy Endpoint or asynchronous Push-Pull integration in the [integration methods](/integrations/web-scraper-api-integrations.md) page.


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://developers.oxylabs.io/get-started/quick-start-web-scraper-api.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.