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The website has no API: what are your options?
A website with no API can still be automated. Ask for a bulk import first. If there is none, browser automation can work the screens the way a person does. If neither fits, you can still make the manual task smaller.
Five options, in the order to try them
| Option | What it is | Fits when |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bulk import | The website accepts a file, such as a CSV, with many records at once. | The website offers it. Ask support; it is not always shown on the screen. |
| 2. Browser automation | Software logs in and enters each record through the screens. | There is no import, and the work repeats every day or week. |
| 3. A smaller manual task | The spreadsheet is cleaned and ordered so that a person pastes and does not retype. | The work is too rare to justify building anything. |
| 4. Ask the company | Request an API or an import from the company that runs the website. | You are a large enough customer for them to listen. |
| 5. Change the tool | Move to a product that has an API. | The choice is yours to make. With a customer's or a utility's portal, it usually is not. |
How browser automation handles a website with no API
It uses your login
The automation signs in with an account you control, the same way your staff do.
It follows the same screens
It opens the form, enters one record, submits it and reads the confirmation.
It checks before it submits
A row with a missing value is set aside for a person.
It stops when the website changes
If a screen looks different, it stops and reports the problem. It does not guess.
Before you automate someone else's website
- Read the website's terms of use. Some forbid automated access.
- Use your own account. Do not share or borrow a login.
- Do not work around a security check. If the website asks a person to prove they are a person, a person answers.
- Keep the pace reasonable. An automation should not flood a website with requests.
If the terms are unclear, ask the company that runs the website before you build.
Example: a contractor's daily portal entry
For a Utah fiber contractor, a person read job information from an Excel sheet and submitted it to a website each working day, then emailed the completed jobs. The task took about one hour a day. It now runs without a person.
Common questions
Can you automate a website that has no API?
Yes. Browser automation logs in and uses the same screens a person uses, so it does not need an API. Check the website's terms of use first.
What is a bulk import?
A bulk import lets you upload one file with many records in place of entering them one at a time. Ask the website's support team if they offer one, because it is not always visible in the menus.
Is it allowed to automate a portal I log in to?
It depends on the website's terms of use. Some allow it, some forbid it, and some say nothing. Read the terms, use your own account, and ask the company if you are unsure.
What happens when the website changes?
A well-built automation stops and reports the problem. Someone then updates it to match the new screen. It should never keep entering data it is not sure about.
Is it worth automating if the task is small?
Count the hours. Multiply the minutes it takes by the number of times it happens in a year, then divide by 60. If the total is weeks of someone's time, it is worth a look.
Show us the task that takes too long
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