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How to fetch property data using Redfin API with Python?
Fetching property data from Redfin using its API allows you to access structured data like property details, prices, and locations. While Redfin doesn’t provide a publicly documented API, its network requests can be analyzed through browser developer tools to identify endpoints that return property data in JSON format. Using Python’s requests library, you can interact with these endpoints and extract the required data programmatically. Before proceeding, ensure that your use case complies with Redfin’s terms of service and applicable laws .Here’s an example of fetching property data from Redfin’s API:
import requests # Example API endpoint (identified via network inspection) url = "https://www.redfin.com/stingray/api/gis-csv?al=1&market=sfbay&num_homes=100" headers = { "User-Agent": "Mozilla/5.0", "Authorization": "Bearer your_api_token", # If authentication is required } try: response = requests.get(url, headers=headers) response.raise_for_status() # Raise HTTPError for bad responses (4xx and 5xx) # Assuming JSON response data = response.json() for property in data.get("homes", []): address = property.get("address") price = property.get("price") beds = property.get("beds") print(f"Address: {address}, Price: {price}, Beds: {beds}") except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e: print("Error fetching data:", e)Analyzing network requests through browser tools helps identify how Redfin’s front-end fetches property data. Implementing retries and error handling ensures the scraper doesn’t fail due to temporary issues. How do you handle rate limits and authentication challenges when interacting with APIs like Redfin’s?
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5 Replies
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For pages that detect Selenium, I use tools like undetected-chromedriver to bypass basic anti-bot measures and ensure smooth scraping.
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To handle rate limits, I use the time.sleep() function to introduce delays between requests. This prevents overwhelming the server and reduces the risk of getting blocked.
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For endpoints requiring authentication, I store API keys or tokens securely in environment variables. This approach avoids exposing sensitive credentials in the source code.
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When working with large datasets, I use pagination to fetch data incrementally. This ensures I retrieve all available properties without overloading the server.
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Logging all requests and responses helps debug errors and adjust parameters when API structures or endpoints change, ensuring long-term scraper functionality.
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