How to Build a Web Scraping API with Express.js (Sell Your Scrapers)

Turn your scrapers into a paid API. Here is how.

The Architecture

Client → Your Express API → Scraper → JSON Response

Express.js API

const express = require("express");
const app = express();

app.get("/api/scrape", async (req, res) => {
  const { url, selector } = req.query;
  if (!url) return res.status(400).json({ error: "URL required" });

  try {
    const cheerio = require("cheerio");
    const response = await fetch(url, {
      headers: { "User-Agent": "ScraperAPI/1.0" }
    });
    const $ = cheerio.load(await response.text());

    const data = $(selector || "h1, h2, p").map((i, el) => ({
      tag: el.tagName,
      text: $(el).text().trim()
    })).get();

    res.json({ url, items: data.length, data });
  } catch (err) {
    res.status(500).json({ error: err.message });
  }
});

app.listen(3000);

Monetize It

1. RapidAPI — list your API, get paid per call
2. Direct sales — API key + Stripe subscription
3. Freelance — custom endpoints per client

Pricing Model

• Free: 100 requests/day
• Basic: $10/mo — 1,000 requests
• Pro: $50/mo — 10,000 requests

Resources

• Deploy to Apify
• Data as a Service Guide
• 77 Free Scrapers

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