What is Cloudflare Error 1010?

When diving into web scraping using modern browser automation frameworks like Puppeteer, Playwright, or Selenium, one might face a particularly vexing error: Error 1010: The owner of this website has banned your access based on your browser's signature.

Deciphering Error 1010

This error signifies that Cloudflare's protective measures have detected and identified the telltale signs (or signatures) of automated browsing. More often than not, this is due to javascript fingerprinting, a technique that can easily recognize and distinguish automated browsers from typical user browsers.

Battling Javascript Fingerprinting

To enhance the stealth of your browser automation tools and reduce the likelihood of running into such errors, it's crucial to mitigate the impact of javascript fingerprinting:

Puppeteer: Use plugins like puppeteer-extra-plugin-stealth that implement various evasion techniques to make Puppeteer less detectable.
Selenium: Modify your WebDriver properties and introduce random delays to mimic human-like interactions.
Playwright: Similar to Puppeteer, consider integrating with plugins or libraries that offer anti-fingerprinting capabilities.

Turn to Cloud-Based Solutions

For those who wish to sidestep the complications of manually fortifying browser tools against detection, web scraping APIs present a more straightforward alternative. Services like Piloterr offer fortified cloud browsers and requests designed to execute scraping commands, drastically reducing the chances of encountering Cloudflare's defenses.

Wrapping Up

While Cloudflare's Error 1010 stands as a formidable challenge, it's not an insurmountable one. With the right techniques and tools, web scrapers can efficiently and responsibly access the data they seek. Always remember to scrape ethically and adhere to a website's terms of service.