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nodriver is built to be undetectable by bot protection systems like CloudFlare. This example shows you how to access CloudFlare-protected sites and handle verification challenges.

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How it works

nodriver’s core design makes it undetectable:
  • Uses a clean, unpatched Chrome browser
  • No automation signatures in the browser fingerprint
  • Natural mouse movements and interactions
  • Proper timing and behavior patterns
Most CloudFlare-protected sites will work automatically without any special code.

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Basic example

Simply navigate to a CloudFlare-protected site: 
import nodriver as uc

async def main():
    driver = await uc.start()
    
    # Navigate to CloudFlare-protected site
    tab = await driver.get("https://www.nowsecure.nl")
    
    # CloudFlare check passes automatically
    await tab
    
    # You can now interact with the page normally
    print(f"Successfully loaded: {tab.url}")
    print(f"Page title: {await tab.get_content()}")
    
    await tab.sleep(5)
    driver.stop()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    uc.loop().run_until_complete(main())
In most cases, CloudFlare protection is bypassed automatically. You don’t need to write any special code - just navigate to the URL normally.

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Handling verification checkboxes

For sites with interactive verification (like “I’m not a robot” checkboxes), use the verify_cf() method: 
import nodriver as uc

async def main():
    driver = await uc.start()
    tab = await driver.get("https://www.nowsecure.nl")
    
    # Wait for page to load
    await tab
    
    # Automatically find and click CloudFlare verification checkbox
    result = await tab.verify_cf()
    
    if result:
        print("CloudFlare verification passed!")
    else:
        print("No verification needed")
    
    # Continue with your scraping
    content = await tab.select("body")
    print(content.text)
    
    driver.stop()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    uc.loop().run_until_complete(main())

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Multi-tab CloudFlare example

You can handle multiple CloudFlare-protected sites simultaneously: 
import asyncio
import nodriver as uc

async def main():
    driver = await uc.start()
    
    # Protected sites to access
    urls = [
        "https://www.nowsecure.nl",
        "https://www.bet365.com",
    ]
    
    # Open first URL
    await driver.get(urls[0])
    
    # Open additional URLs in new windows
    for url in urls[1:]:
        await driver.get(url, new_window=True)
    
    # Wait for all tabs to load
    for tab in driver.tabs:
        await tab
        print(f"Loaded: {tab.url}")
    
    # All CloudFlare checks pass automatically
    await driver.sleep(5)
    
    driver.stop()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    uc.loop().run_until_complete(main())

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Using template matching for custom challenges

For custom verification UIs, you can use template matching to find and click verification elements: 
import nodriver as uc

async def main():
    driver = await uc.start()
    tab = await driver.get("https://protected-site.com")
    
    await tab
    
    # Use custom template image for verification
    # The template should be a cropped image with the target in the center
    template_path = "verify_button_template.png"
    location = await tab.verify_cf(template_image=template_path, flash=True)
    
    if location:
        print(f"Verification element found at: {location}")
    
    driver.stop()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    uc.loop().run_until_complete(main())

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Key methods

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verify_cf()

Automatically finds and clicks CloudFlare verification checkboxes: 
# Basic usage
await tab.verify_cf()

# With custom template image
await tab.verify_cf(template_image="path/to/template.png")

# Flash the element when found (for debugging)
await tab.verify_cf(flash=True)
The verify_cf() method uses computer vision to locate verification checkboxes that are hidden from the DOM using shadow-root or web workers.

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Template image format

If you need to create a custom template image:
  1. Take a screenshot of the verification element
  2. Crop it to include the target area
  3. Ensure the target is in the center of the image
  4. Use a moderate size (e.g., 111x71 pixels)
  5. Include some surrounding context for better matching
1

Navigate to protected site

Simply use get() as you normally would:
tab = await driver.get("https://cloudflare-protected-site.com")
2

Wait for page load

Let the page fully load and CloudFlare checks complete:
await tab
This is usually all you need. CloudFlare will pass automatically.
3

Handle verification if needed

Only if there’s an interactive challenge:
await tab.verify_cf()
4

Continue normally

After verification, use the page as normal:
# Find elements
element = await tab.find("your text here")

# Extract data
data = await tab.select_all(".product")

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Best practices

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Add realistic delays

Mimic human behavior with natural pauses: 
# Wait after page load
await tab
await tab.sleep(1)

# Wait between actions
await element.click()
await tab.sleep(0.5)

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Avoid detection patterns

# Use find() with best_match for realistic element selection
button = await tab.find("submit", best_match=True)
await tab.sleep(0.5)
await button.click()

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Handle dynamic content

# Wait for specific elements instead of fixed delays
verification_passed = await tab.select(".verification-success")

# Or use find() which auto-retries
content = await tab.find("expected content", best_match=True)
While nodriver is very effective at bypassing bot detection, always:
  • Respect robots.txt and terms of service
  • Add reasonable delays between requests
  • Don’t hammer servers with rapid requests
  • Consider the ethical and legal implications of your automation

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Advanced: Accessing bot challenge pages

Some sites may still present challenges. Here’s how to handle them: 
import nodriver as uc

async def main():
    driver = await uc.start()
    tab = await driver.get("https://challenging-site.com")
    
    # Wait for potential challenge page
    await tab.sleep(3)
    
    # Check if we're on a challenge page
    challenge = await tab.select("#challenge-form")
    
    if challenge:
        # Try automatic verification
        await tab.verify_cf(flash=True)
        
        # Wait for redirect
        await tab.sleep(5)
    
    # Verify we're on the actual content
    print(f"Final URL: {tab.url}")
    
    driver.stop()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    uc.loop().run_until_complete(main())

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Troubleshooting

If you’re still being blocked:
  1. Add more realistic delays: Humans don’t interact instantly
  2. Use headless mode carefully: Some sites detect headless browsers
  3. Check your IP: You might be rate-limited or blocked at the network level
  4. Rotate user agents: Though nodriver handles this, you can customize if needed
  5. Check for captchas: Some sites use captchas that require human solving
nodriver is designed to be undetectable, but it’s not a magic bullet. Some advanced bot protection systems may still detect automation through behavioral analysis or require human intervention (like captchas).

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