I have been scraping the web since before "web scraping" was even a term people used. Back then, it was all regular expressions and raw HTTP requests. Tools like WebHarvy would have saved me months of work.

WebHarvy is a point-and-click web scraper for Windows. You open a website, select the data you want by clicking on it, and WebHarvy figures out the patterns and extracts everything automatically. It is that simple.

But even the smartest extraction tool is useless if your IP gets blocked.

Why WebHarvy Needs a Proxy

WebHarvy sends real browser requests to target websites. If you are scraping product catalogs, business directories, or classified listings, you are sending dozens or hundreds of requests in a single session. Target websites notice this pattern and respond with CAPTCHAs, rate limits, or outright blocks.

Snowpad's rotating mobile proxies solve this by making every request appear to come from a different Indian mobile user. One request comes from a Jio phone in Mumbai, the next from an Airtel phone in Bangalore. The target website sees organic traffic, not a scraper.

Configuring Snowpad in WebHarvy

Here is the step-by-step setup:

  1. Open WebHarvy and go to Tools → Options
  2. Click on Proxy Settings
  3. Select SOCKS5 as the proxy type
  4. Enter gw.snowpad.io as the host and 9999 as the port
  5. Enter your Snowpad username and password
  6. Click Test Connection to verify everything works
  7. Click OK to save

That is all it takes. Every extraction task you run from this point will route through Snowpad's pool of real Indian mobile IPs.

What I Scrape with WebHarvy + Snowpad

I have been running WebHarvy with Snowpad for several months now. Here is what works well:

  • Product data — Amazon, Flipkart, and Shopify store product listings with prices, descriptions, and reviews
  • Business directories — Justdial, Sulekha, and IndiaMart business listings with contact information
  • Classified ads — OLX and Quikr listings for market research and price comparison
  • Real estate — MagicBricks and 99acres property listings with pricing trends
  • Job postings — Naukri and Indeed job listings for market analysis

The rotating IPs are especially useful for large extraction jobs. When I scrape a directory with thousands of listings, each batch of requests uses a different IP. I have never hit a rate limit.

Why SOCKS5 over HTTP Proxy

WebHarvy supports both HTTP and SOCKS5 proxies. I always use SOCKS5 because it handles all traffic types at the TCP level. For a scraper that loads full web pages with images, scripts, and stylesheets, SOCKS5 provides better compatibility and fewer connection issues.

I covered the technical differences in detail in SOCKS5 vs HTTP Proxy Comparison.

Final Thoughts

WebHarvy is one of the most accessible scraping tools for Windows users. Combined with Snowpad's rotating mobile proxies, it becomes a reliable data extraction machine that runs without interruptions.

If you are new to proxies, start with What Is a Proxy Server and then read about the Types of Proxies to understand why mobile IPs are the best choice for web scraping.