Apify

Executes serverless microapps (Actors) optimized for extracting structured data from social platforms (TikTok, Instagram, Facebook) by automating browser interactions, handling anti-bot detection, and parsing dynamic content. Each Actor encapsulates platform-specific logic including authentication bypass, pagination, and rate-limit evasion, deployed on Apify's infrastructure with configurable RAM (1-256 GB) and concurrent execution limits based on plan tier.

Executes specialized Actors (Amazon Scraper, Google Maps Scraper, etc.) that extract product data, pricing, reviews, and availability from e-commerce and local business platforms using browser automation and DOM parsing. Actors handle pagination, dynamic content loading, and platform-specific data structures, outputting normalized JSON/CSV with fields like ASIN, price, rating, availability status, and review text for downstream analytics or inventory sync.

Crawlee is an open-source web scraping library (Node.js and Python) that provides high-level abstractions for browser automation, HTTP scraping, and data extraction. Crawlee handles autoscaling (adjusts concurrency based on system resources), proxy rotation, session management, and error recovery; it integrates with Apify infrastructure but can run standalone on any server. Crawlee supports both Playwright/Puppeteer (browser) and HTTP-based scraping with automatic fallback.

Fingerprint Suite is an open-source library (Node.js, Python, Rust) that generates and injects realistic browser fingerprints (user-agent, headers, canvas fingerprints, WebGL data) into Playwright and Puppeteer browsers. The library uses real browser data to generate fingerprints that evade bot detection; it integrates with Apify Actors and Crawlee for automatic fingerprint injection.

proxy-chain is an open-source Node.js proxy server that supports SSL/TLS termination, authentication, and upstream proxy chaining. It enables developers to route traffic through multiple proxies, handle authentication, and inject custom headers; it integrates with Apify's proxy services and can be deployed standalone for custom proxy infrastructure.

impit is an open-source HTTP client (Rust-based with Node.js and Python bindings) that impersonates real browsers by injecting realistic headers, TLS fingerprints, and HTTP/2 settings. It enables developers to make HTTP requests that appear to come from real browsers without browser automation overhead; it integrates with Apify and Crawlee for lightweight scraping.

Apify API provides REST endpoints for creating, configuring, running, and monitoring Actors programmatically. Developers can trigger Actor runs, query execution status, retrieve dataset results, and manage schedules via HTTP requests with API key authentication. The API supports both JavaScript and Python SDKs with higher-level abstractions; responses include execution logs, CU consumption, and dataset metadata.

Executes the Website Content Crawler Actor to recursively traverse websites, extract text content, and normalize output for ingestion into vector databases or LLM applications. The Crawler handles JavaScript rendering, sitemap parsing, URL filtering, and content deduplication, outputting markdown-formatted text with metadata (URL, title, headings) suitable for embedding and retrieval-augmented generation workflows.

Apify's billing and execution model allocates compute units (CUs) based on RAM usage and execution time (1 CU = 1 GB RAM/hour), with plan-based limits on concurrent Actor runs (1 concurrent run on free tier, up to 128 on Business tier). Developers configure Actor RAM allocation (1-256 GB) and Apify automatically scales execution across available infrastructure, with additional concurrent runs available as $5 add-ons; overage costs apply when CU consumption exceeds monthly prepaid balance.

Apify provides integrated proxy services (datacenter, residential, SERP proxies) with automatic rotation and browser fingerprinting via the Fingerprint Suite (generates realistic user-agent, headers, canvas fingerprints). Actors automatically rotate IPs across requests, inject fingerprints into Playwright/Puppeteer browsers, and handle proxy authentication; residential proxies ($7-8/GB) bypass IP-based blocking while datacenter proxies ($0.6-1/IP) are cheaper for non-sensitive targets.

Apify Schedules feature allows developers to trigger Actor runs on a recurring basis using cron expressions or predefined intervals (hourly, daily, weekly, monthly). Schedules are configured via UI or API, with support for multiple concurrent scheduled runs, error handling (retry on failure), and webhook notifications on completion. Scheduled runs consume compute units like on-demand runs and are billed identically.

Apify Datasets are cloud-hosted JSON/CSV stores for Actor output, with timed expiration (data deleted after retention period), read/write APIs, and integration with vector databases or data warehouses. Datasets support pagination, filtering, and export to CSV/JSON; storage is billed separately from compute ($0.80-1.00 per 1,000 GB-hours, $0.00032-0.0004 per 1,000 reads, $0.0045-0.005 per 1,000 writes depending on plan).

Apify provides an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that exposes Actors as tools for AI agents and LLMs, enabling agents to discover, configure, and execute Actors directly from LLM prompts. The MCP server implements the MCP protocol, allowing Claude, other LLMs, and AI frameworks (LangChain, AutoGPT) to call Actors with natural language instructions; the mcpc CLI tool provides local exploration and testing of the MCP server.

Apify CLI provides command-line tools for creating, testing, and deploying custom Actors (serverless microapps) to Apify infrastructure. Developers scaffold new Actors with templates (Node.js, Python), run Actors locally with apify run, and deploy to Apify cloud with apify push; the CLI handles authentication, dependency management, and version control integration.

Apify Store is a marketplace of 2,000+ pre-built Actors with community ratings, usage metrics, and pricing information. Developers browse Actors by category (social media, e-commerce, search engines), view ratings (e.g., TikTok Scraper: 4.7★, 169K uses), and run Actors directly from the Store UI or API. Store Actors are maintained by Apify and community contributors; pricing varies (some free, some paid via Apify Store credits).