Software that operates on Shabbat

Benefitting from forbidden activities on Shabbos

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Question

I am writing a small software for a client whose purpose is to collect information from a website and insert it into a table that the client can view. Because the information on the site changes frequently, he wants the software to run once a day. The software does not run on my computer; I upload it to an external server that will not be connected to me. The question is whether I am allowed to upload this software to the server in such a way that it runs once a day, as the code will then automatically run on Shabbat as well.

Answer

Shalom and blessings

Anything that operates on its own is not a desecration of Shabbat.

[In cases where something operates with a lot of noise, there are instances where it is forbidden even though it operates on its own, because it appears as work done on Shabbat. However, something that operates quietly is not prohibited.

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