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In computer science, a spider is a program that systematically browses the internet to index content for search engines. Also known as a web crawler or bot, it follows hyperlinks from page to page, gathering and analyzing data to build a searchable index of the web. Spiders are used by search engines like Google (Googlebot) and Bing (Bingbot) to keep their databases updated with the latest information.

How it works

Crawling: A spider starts with a list of known URLs and follows the links on those pages to discover new ones.

Data collection: As it navigates, it reads and collects information from each page, such as text, images, and metadata.

Indexing: The collected data is then sent to a search engine's central database, where it is processed and added to a massive index. This index acts like a digital library, allowing users to search for information efficiently.

Updating: Spiders are constantly re-crawling sites to check for new or changed content, ensuring the search engine's index remains as comprehensive as possible.