How to load Scrapfly data into Elasticsearch via Logstash

Elasticsearch is a popular distributed full-text search engine. By centrally storing data, you can perform ultra-fast searches, fine-tuning relevance, and powerful analytics with ease. Elasticsearch has a pipeline tool for loading data called "Logstash". You can use CData JDBC Drivers to easily import data from any data source into Elasticsearch for search and analysis.

This article explains how to use the CData JDBC Driver for Scrapfly to load data from Scrapfly into Elasticsearch via Logstash.

Using CData JDBC Driver for Scrapfly with Elasticsearch Logstash

• Install the CData JDBC Driver for Scrapfly on the machine where Logstash is running.
• The JDBC Driver will be installed at the following path (the year part, e.g. 20XX, will vary depending on the product version you are using). You will use this path later. Place this .jar file (and the .lic file if it's a licensed version) in Logstash.
  C:\Program Files\CData\CData JDBC Driver for API 20XX\lib\cdata.jdbc.api.jar
  
• Next, install the JDBC Input Plugin, which connects Logstash to the CData JDBC driver. The JDBC Plugin comes by default with the latest version of Logstash, but depending on the version, you may need to add it.
  https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/logstash/5.4/plugins-inputs-jdbc.html
• Move the CData JDBC Driver’s .jar file and .lic file to Logstash's "/logstash-core/lib/jars/".

Sending Scrapfly data to Elasticsearch with Logstash

Now, let's create a configuration file for Logstash to transfer Scrapfly data to Elasticsearch.

• Write the process to retrieve Scrapfly data in the logstash.conf file, which defines data processing in Logstash. The input will be JDBC, and the output will be Elasticsearch. The data loading job is set to run at 30-second intervals.
• Set the CData JDBC Driver's .jar file as the JDBC driver library, configure the class name, and set the connection properties to Scrapfly in the form of a JDBC URL. The JDBC URL allows detailed configuration, so please refer to the product documentation for more specifics.

The Scrapfly API uses API Key authentication. The API key is passed as the key query parameter on every request.

Using API Key Authentication

Your Scrapfly API key is required to create a connection. To obtain your API key:

1. Log into your Scrapfly account at scrapfly.io.
2. Navigate to Dashboard and select API Keys.
3. Copy your API key (begins with scp-live- for production or scp-test- for the test environment).

After obtaining your API key, set the following connection properties:

• AuthScheme: Set this to APIKey.
• APIKey: Set this to your Scrapfly API key.

Example connection string:

Profile=C:\profiles\Scrapfly.apip;AuthScheme=APIKey;ProfileSettings='APIKey=your_api_key';

Executing data movement with Logstash

Now let's run Logstash using the created "logstash.conf" file.

 logstash-7.8.0\bin\logstash -f logstash.conf

A log indicating success will appear. This means the Scrapfly data has been loaded into Elasticsearch.

For example, let's view the data transferred to Elasticsearch in Kibana.

 GET api_table/_search
 {
 "query": {
 "match_all": {}
 }
 }

We have confirmed that the data is stored in Elasticsearch.

By using the CData JDBC Driver for Scrapfly with Logstash, it functions as a Scrapfly connector, making it easy to load data into Elasticsearch. Please try the 30-day free trial.