API Scraping is the process of extracting data from APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) provided by websites. APIs allow for programmatic access to data and services, and API scraping involves sending requests to these interfaces to retrieve structured data, often in formats like JSON or XML. This method is often preferred over web scraping because it is typically more efficient, reliable, and less likely to violate the terms of service of the website. API scraping is widely used for applications such as data aggregation, real-time monitoring, and integrating third-party data into applications. Additionally, it often includes handling authentication and rate limiting to ensure compliant and effective data retrieval.