How to Scrape a Blog in C#

Updated: August 2, 2026

Let's use Iron WebScraper to extract Blog content using C# or VB.NET.

This tutorial shows how a WordPress blog (or similar) may be scraped back into content using .NET

// Define a class that extends WebScraper from IronWebScraper
public class BlogScraper : WebScraper
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Override this method to initialize your web-scraper.
    /// Set at least one start URL and configure domain or URL patterns.
    /// </summary>
    public override void Init()
    {
        // Set your license key for IronWebScraper
        License.LicenseKey = "YourLicenseKey";
        
        // Enable logging for all actions
        this.LoggingLevel = WebScraper.LogLevel.All;
        
        // Set a directory to store output and cache files
        this.WorkingDirectory = AppSetting.GetAppRoot() + @"\BlogSample\Output\";
        
        // Enable caching with a specific duration
        EnableWebCache(new TimeSpan(1, 30, 30));
        
        // Request the start URL and specify the response handler
        this.Request("http://blogSite.com/", Parse);
    }
}

// Define a class that extends WebScraper from IronWebScraper
public class BlogScraper : WebScraper
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Override this method to initialize your web-scraper.
    /// Set at least one start URL and configure domain or URL patterns.
    /// </summary>
    public override void Init()
    {
        // Set your license key for IronWebScraper
        License.LicenseKey = "YourLicenseKey";
        
        // Enable logging for all actions
        this.LoggingLevel = WebScraper.LogLevel.All;
        
        // Set a directory to store output and cache files
        this.WorkingDirectory = AppSetting.GetAppRoot() + @"\BlogSample\Output\";
        
        // Enable caching with a specific duration
        EnableWebCache(new TimeSpan(1, 30, 30));
        
        // Request the start URL and specify the response handler
        this.Request("http://blogSite.com/", Parse);
    }
}

' Define a class that extends WebScraper from IronWebScraper
Public Class BlogScraper
    Inherits WebScraper

    ''' <summary>
    ''' Override this method to initialize your web-scraper.
    ''' Set at least one start URL and configure domain or URL patterns.
    ''' </summary>
    Public Overrides Sub Init()
        ' Set your license key for IronWebScraper
        License.LicenseKey = "YourLicenseKey"
        
        ' Enable logging for all actions
        Me.LoggingLevel = WebScraper.LogLevel.All
        
        ' Set a directory to store output and cache files
        Me.WorkingDirectory = AppSetting.GetAppRoot() & "\BlogSample\Output\"
        
        ' Enable caching with a specific duration
        EnableWebCache(New TimeSpan(1, 30, 30))
        
        ' Request the start URL and specify the response handler
        Me.Request("http://blogSite.com/", AddressOf Parse)
    End Sub
End Class

' Define a class that extends WebScraper from IronWebScraper
Public Class BlogScraper
    Inherits WebScraper

    ''' <summary>
    ''' Override this method to initialize your web-scraper.
    ''' Set at least one start URL and configure domain or URL patterns.
    ''' </summary>
    Public Overrides Sub Init()
        ' Set your license key for IronWebScraper
        License.LicenseKey = "YourLicenseKey"
        
        ' Enable logging for all actions
        Me.LoggingLevel = WebScraper.LogLevel.All
        
        ' Set a directory to store output and cache files
        Me.WorkingDirectory = AppSetting.GetAppRoot() & "\BlogSample\Output\"
        
        ' Enable caching with a specific duration
        EnableWebCache(New TimeSpan(1, 30, 30))
        
        ' Request the start URL and specify the response handler
        Me.Request("http://blogSite.com/", AddressOf Parse)
    End Sub
End Class

As usual, we create a Scraper and inherit from the WebScraper class. In this case, it is "BlogScraper".

We set a working directory to "\BlogSample\Output" where all of our output and cache files can go.

Then we enable the web cache to save requested pages inside the cache folder "WebCache."

Now let's write a Parse function:

/// <summary>
/// Override this method to handle the Http Response for your web scraper.
/// Add additional methods if you handle multiple page types.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="response">The HTTP Response object to parse.</param>
public override void Parse(Response response)
{
    // Iterate over each link found in the section navigation
    foreach (var link in response.Css("div.section-nav > ul > li > a"))
    {
        switch(link.TextContentClean)
        {
            case "Reviews":
                {
                    // Handle reviews case
                }
                break;
            case "Science":
                {
                    // Handle science case
                }
                break;
            default:
                {
                    // Save the link title to a file
                    Scrape(new ScrapedData() { { "Title", link.TextContentClean } }, "BlogScraper.Jsonl");
                }
                break;
        }
    }
}

/// <summary>
/// Override this method to handle the Http Response for your web scraper.
/// Add additional methods if you handle multiple page types.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="response">The HTTP Response object to parse.</param>
public override void Parse(Response response)
{
    // Iterate over each link found in the section navigation
    foreach (var link in response.Css("div.section-nav > ul > li > a"))
    {
        switch(link.TextContentClean)
        {
            case "Reviews":
                {
                    // Handle reviews case
                }
                break;
            case "Science":
                {
                    // Handle science case
                }
                break;
            default:
                {
                    // Save the link title to a file
                    Scrape(new ScrapedData() { { "Title", link.TextContentClean } }, "BlogScraper.Jsonl");
                }
                break;
        }
    }
}

''' <summary>
''' Override this method to handle the Http Response for your web scraper.
''' Add additional methods if you handle multiple page types.
''' </summary>
''' <param name="response">The HTTP Response object to parse.</param>
Public Overrides Sub Parse(ByVal response As Response)
	' Iterate over each link found in the section navigation
	For Each link In response.Css("div.section-nav > ul > li > a")
		Select Case link.TextContentClean
			Case "Reviews"
					' Handle reviews case
			Case "Science"
					' Handle science case
			Case Else
					' Save the link title to a file
					Scrape(New ScrapedData() From {
						{ "Title", link.TextContentClean }
					},
					"BlogScraper.Jsonl")
		End Select
	Next link
End Sub

''' <summary>
''' Override this method to handle the Http Response for your web scraper.
''' Add additional methods if you handle multiple page types.
''' </summary>
''' <param name="response">The HTTP Response object to parse.</param>
Public Overrides Sub Parse(ByVal response As Response)
	' Iterate over each link found in the section navigation
	For Each link In response.Css("div.section-nav > ul > li > a")
		Select Case link.TextContentClean
			Case "Reviews"
					' Handle reviews case
			Case "Science"
					' Handle science case
			Case Else
					' Save the link title to a file
					Scrape(New ScrapedData() From {
						{ "Title", link.TextContentClean }
					},
					"BlogScraper.Jsonl")
		End Select
	Next link
End Sub

Inside the Parse method, we get all the links to category pages (Movies, Science, Reviews, etc.) from the top menu.

We then switch to a suitable parse method based on the link category.

Let's prepare our object model for the Science Page:

/// <summary>
/// Represents a model for Science Page
/// </summary>
public class ScienceModel
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Gets or sets the title.
    /// </summary>
    public string Title { get; set; }
    
    /// <summary>
    /// Gets or sets the author.
    /// </summary>
    public string Author { get; set; }
    
    /// <summary>
    /// Gets or sets the date.
    /// </summary>
    public string Date { get; set; }
    
    /// <summary>
    /// Gets or sets the image.
    /// </summary>
    public string Image { get; set; }
    
    /// <summary>
    /// Gets or sets the text.
    /// </summary>
    public string Text { get; set; }
}

/// <summary>
/// Represents a model for Science Page
/// </summary>
public class ScienceModel
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Gets or sets the title.
    /// </summary>
    public string Title { get; set; }
    
    /// <summary>
    /// Gets or sets the author.
    /// </summary>
    public string Author { get; set; }
    
    /// <summary>
    /// Gets or sets the date.
    /// </summary>
    public string Date { get; set; }
    
    /// <summary>
    /// Gets or sets the image.
    /// </summary>
    public string Image { get; set; }
    
    /// <summary>
    /// Gets or sets the text.
    /// </summary>
    public string Text { get; set; }
}

''' <summary>
''' Represents a model for Science Page
''' </summary>
Public Class ScienceModel

    ''' <summary>
    ''' Gets or sets the title.
    ''' </summary>
    Public Property Title As String

    ''' <summary>
    ''' Gets or sets the author.
    ''' </summary>
    Public Property Author As String

    ''' <summary>
    ''' Gets or sets the date.
    ''' </summary>
    Public Property Date As String

    ''' <summary>
    ''' Gets or sets the image.
    ''' </summary>
    Public Property Image As String

    ''' <summary>
    ''' Gets or sets the text.
    ''' </summary>
    Public Property Text As String

End Class

''' <summary>
''' Represents a model for Science Page
''' </summary>
Public Class ScienceModel

    ''' <summary>
    ''' Gets or sets the title.
    ''' </summary>
    Public Property Title As String

    ''' <summary>
    ''' Gets or sets the author.
    ''' </summary>
    Public Property Author As String

    ''' <summary>
    ''' Gets or sets the date.
    ''' </summary>
    Public Property Date As String

    ''' <summary>
    ''' Gets or sets the image.
    ''' </summary>
    Public Property Image As String

    ''' <summary>
    ''' Gets or sets the text.
    ''' </summary>
    Public Property Text As String

End Class

Now let's implement a single page scrape:

/// <summary>
/// Parses the reviews from the response.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="response">The HTTP Response object.</param>
public void ParseReviews(Response response)
{
    // A list to hold Science models
    var scienceList = new List<ScienceModel>();

    foreach (var postBox in response.Css("section.main > div > div.post-list"))
    {
        var item = new ScienceModel
        {
            Title = postBox.Css("h1.headline > a")[0].TextContentClean,
            Author = postBox.Css("div.author > a")[0].TextContentClean,
            Date = postBox.Css("div.time > a")[0].TextContentClean,
            Image = postBox.Css("div.image-wrapper.default-state > img")[0].Attributes["src"],
            Text = postBox.Css("div.summary > p")[0].TextContentClean
        };

        scienceList.Add(item);
    }

    // Save the science list to a JSONL file
    Scrape(scienceList, "BlogScience.Jsonl");
}

/// <summary>
/// Parses the reviews from the response.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="response">The HTTP Response object.</param>
public void ParseReviews(Response response)
{
    // A list to hold Science models
    var scienceList = new List<ScienceModel>();

    foreach (var postBox in response.Css("section.main > div > div.post-list"))
    {
        var item = new ScienceModel
        {
            Title = postBox.Css("h1.headline > a")[0].TextContentClean,
            Author = postBox.Css("div.author > a")[0].TextContentClean,
            Date = postBox.Css("div.time > a")[0].TextContentClean,
            Image = postBox.Css("div.image-wrapper.default-state > img")[0].Attributes["src"],
            Text = postBox.Css("div.summary > p")[0].TextContentClean
        };

        scienceList.Add(item);
    }

    // Save the science list to a JSONL file
    Scrape(scienceList, "BlogScience.Jsonl");
}

''' <summary>
''' Parses the reviews from the response.
''' </summary>
''' <param name="response">The HTTP Response object.</param>
Public Sub ParseReviews(ByVal response As Response)
	' A list to hold Science models
	Dim scienceList = New List(Of ScienceModel)()

	For Each postBox In response.Css("section.main > div > div.post-list")
		Dim item = New ScienceModel With {
			.Title = postBox.Css("h1.headline > a")(0).TextContentClean,
			.Author = postBox.Css("div.author > a")(0).TextContentClean,
			.Date = postBox.Css("div.time > a")(0).TextContentClean,
			.Image = postBox.Css("div.image-wrapper.default-state > img")(0).Attributes("src"),
			.Text = postBox.Css("div.summary > p")(0).TextContentClean
		}

		scienceList.Add(item)
	Next postBox

	' Save the science list to a JSONL file
	Scrape(scienceList, "BlogScience.Jsonl")
End Sub

''' <summary>
''' Parses the reviews from the response.
''' </summary>
''' <param name="response">The HTTP Response object.</param>
Public Sub ParseReviews(ByVal response As Response)
	' A list to hold Science models
	Dim scienceList = New List(Of ScienceModel)()

	For Each postBox In response.Css("section.main > div > div.post-list")
		Dim item = New ScienceModel With {
			.Title = postBox.Css("h1.headline > a")(0).TextContentClean,
			.Author = postBox.Css("div.author > a")(0).TextContentClean,
			.Date = postBox.Css("div.time > a")(0).TextContentClean,
			.Image = postBox.Css("div.image-wrapper.default-state > img")(0).Attributes("src"),
			.Text = postBox.Css("div.summary > p")(0).TextContentClean
		}

		scienceList.Add(item)
	Next postBox

	' Save the science list to a JSONL file
	Scrape(scienceList, "BlogScience.Jsonl")
End Sub

After we have created our model, we can parse the Response object to drill down into its main elements (title, author, date, image, text).

Then, we save our results in a separate file using Scrape(object, fileName).

Click here for the full tutorial on the use of IronWebScraper

Get started with IronWebScraper

Webscraping has never been a simple task, with no dominant frameworks for use in C# or .NET programming environments. IronWebScraper was created to change this

Frequently Asked Questions

What is IronWebScraper used for?

IronWebScraper is used for extracting and processing data from web pages, specifically designed to facilitate web scraping tasks in C# or VB.NET environments.

How can I set a start URL in IronWebScraper?

In IronWebScraper, you can set a start URL by overriding the `Init` method and using the `this.Request` function to specify the URL you wish to scrape.

How does IronWebScraper handle caching?

IronWebScraper offers a feature to enable caching, which can be activated using the `EnableWebCache` method, allowing you to save requested pages into a cache directory for a specified duration.

Can you customize data extraction in IronWebScraper?

Yes, data extraction can be customized in IronWebScraper by overriding the `Parse` method, allowing you to extract specific information based on the HTTP response and CSS selectors.

How are parsed results saved in IronWebScraper?

Parsed results in IronWebScraper can be saved using the `Scrape` method, which allows the data to be written to files such as JSONL, providing a structured way to store extracted data.

Does IronWebScraper support logging?

Yes, IronWebScraper supports logging of all actions, which can be enabled by setting the `LoggingLevel` property to `WebScraper.LogLevel.All` within the `Init` method.

What structure is used for representing scraped data?

In IronWebScraper, scraped data is often represented in a custom object model, such as the `ScienceModel` class, which defines properties like Title, Author, Date, Image, and Text.

Is it possible to scrape multiple page types with IronWebScraper?

Yes, you can scrape multiple page types with IronWebScraper by implementing additional methods and using the response handlers to process different categories or sections.

How can IronWebScraper be initialized?

IronWebScraper is initialized by creating a class that extends `WebScraper` and overriding the `Init` method. This setup allows configuration of start URLs, logging, caching, and other necessary parameters.

How is the science data model structured in IronWebScraper?

The science data model in IronWebScraper is structured using the `ScienceModel` class, which includes properties for Title, Author, Date, Image, and Text, enabling easy extraction and manipulation of blog post content.

Curtis Chau

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Technical Writer

Curtis Chau holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science (Carleton University) and specializes in front-end development with expertise in Node.js, TypeScript, JavaScript, and React. Passionate about crafting intuitive and aesthetically pleasing user interfaces, Curtis enjoys working with modern frameworks and creating well-structured, visually appealing manuals.

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