How to Scrape Zillow Data Using Mobile Endpoints

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How to Scrape Zillow Data Using Mobile Endpoints

Zillow recently implemented Perimeter X protection on their website, making it significantly more difficult to scrape their data. However, there’s a workaround: their mobile endpoints remain unprotected, providing an alternative avenue for data extraction.

This technique, originally suggested by a developer named Muhammad who has created numerous actors on Apify, offers a brilliant solution for accessing Zillow’s property data without encountering the same barriers present on their website.

Setting Up Your Environment

To get started with this approach, you’ll need:

  • A mid-em proxy setup
  • An iPhone with the Zillow app installed (though alternative methods exist for Android users)

After setting up mid-em web (following the referenced tutorial), you’ll be able to intercept network requests from your Zillow mobile app.

Finding the Right Endpoints

The key to successfully scraping Zillow lies in identifying the GraphQL endpoints that contain the property data. When browsing properties in the app, multiple requests are sent, but the most valuable ones have operation names related to:

  • ForSaleHubAndSpokeHTTTertiaryWorld
  • Secondary hubs

These endpoints contain comprehensive property information including:

  • Price and currency
  • Property facts (beds, baths, square footage)
  • Price history
  • Tax history
  • Assigned schools
  • Lot information
  • Listing agents
  • Nearby homes

Making the Request

To extract data from these endpoints, you’ll need to:

  1. Import fetch from node-fetch
  2. Create a fetch request with the appropriate headers (content-type: application/json)
  3. Structure the request as a POST (since it’s GraphQL)
  4. Include the necessary JSON payload with the ZPID (Zillow Property ID) of the property you want to scrape

The ZPID can be found in the URL of any Zillow property listing, making it easy to target specific properties.

Additional Information

While the main endpoint provides most of the critical property data, some information like property descriptions may be found in separate endpoints. By combining data from multiple endpoints, you can assemble a complete property profile comparable to what’s available on the Zillow website.

This method provides a reliable alternative for accessing Zillow data when traditional web scraping approaches fail due to enhanced protection mechanisms.

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