Why does my sitemap work locally but not in Cloud?

If a sitemap works in your browser but returns no data in Web Scraper Cloud, the most common reason is that your local browser already has a required website state that the Cloud job does not.

Check whether you are logged in locally

If the website requires a login, your browser may already have an active login session when you test the sitemap locally. A Cloud job starts separately and does not automatically have that browser session.

As a result, Cloud may receive a login page instead of the page containing the data, which can lead to an Empty page or no extracted records.

If the website allows automated access, configure Website Log-In / State setup so the required sign-in steps are performed before normal sitemap extraction begins.

Check whether you performed a search or other setup manually

The same issue can happen when you manually perform an action before testing locally, for example:

• Submitting a search form
• Selecting a location
• Choosing a language or currency
• Opening a required page
• Clicking a control that prepares the page for scraping

If those actions are not part of the sitemap or Website Log-In / State setup, Cloud may open the initial page without the search or setup having been performed and return no data.

Inspect what Cloud actually received

For FullJS jobs, inspect the affected page in the Cloud job. The screenshot can reveal whether Cloud received a login screen, unsubmitted search page, consent screen, redirect, or another unexpected page state.

Then compare the remaining Cloud settings

If no additional website state is required:

• Confirm that Cloud has the same sitemap version you tested locally.
• Use FullJS when the page requires JavaScript, scrolling, clicking, or Website Log-In / State setup.
• Check the proxy configuration if the website behaves differently by location or access route.
• Increase timing settings only when the required content appears after an asynchronous update.

See the Website State Setup documentation and Troubleshoot Cloud scraping jobs documentation for more information.