# Website Change Detector (`technicaldost/website-change-detector`) Actor Monitor websites for content changes with visual comparison. Get alerts when pages update. - **URL**: https://apify.com/technicaldost/website-change-detector.md - **Developed by:** [Technical Dost Solutions](https://apify.com/technicaldost) (community) - **Categories:** E-commerce, News, Automation - **Stats:** 2 total users, 0 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing $15.00/month + usage To use this Actor, you pay a monthly rental fee to the developer. The rent is subtracted from your prepaid usage every month after the free trial period.You also pay for the Apify platform usage, which gets cheaper the higher Apify subscription plan you have. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#rental-actors ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Website Change Detector Monitor any website for content changes with automatic comparison between runs. Perfect for tracking price changes, content updates, stock availability, and more. ### 🎯 Features - **Multiple Comparison Modes**: Text, HTML, or visual comparison - **CSS Selector Support**: Monitor specific page sections - **Ignore Patterns**: Filter out timestamps, ads, or dynamic content - **Diff Reports**: Get detailed change summaries - **Automatic Snapshots**: State persists between runs - **Proxy Support**: Built-in Apify Proxy integration ### 📥 Input | Field | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | `urls` | array | URLs to monitor with optional selectors | | `compareMode` | string | `text`, `html`, or `visual` | | `ignorePatterns` | array | Regex patterns to ignore | | `saveSnapshots` | boolean | Save state for next run | #### Example Input ```json { "urls": [ { "url": "https://example.com/pricing", "selector": ".price-table", "name": "Pricing Page" }, { "url": "https://example.com/blog", "selector": "article", "name": "Latest Blog Post" } ], "compareMode": "text", "ignorePatterns": ["\\d{4}-\\d{2}-\\d{2}", "Copyright \\d{4}"], "saveSnapshots": true } ```` ### 📤 Output Each monitored URL produces a result object: ```json { "url": "https://example.com/pricing", "name": "Pricing Page", "selector": ".price-table", "changed": true, "changeType": "modified", "diffSummary": "+3 -2 lines", "addedContent": "New pricing: $99/month", "removedContent": "Old pricing: $79/month", "currentHash": "abc123...", "previousHash": "def456...", "checkedAt": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z", "previousCheck": "2024-01-14T10:30:00Z" } ``` ### 🔄 Use Cases 1. **Price Monitoring**: Track competitor pricing changes 2. **Content Alerts**: Get notified when blog posts update 3. **Stock Tracking**: Monitor product availability 4. **Compliance**: Track terms of service changes 5. **News Monitoring**: Detect breaking news updates ### ⚡ Scheduled Runs Set up scheduled runs to continuously monitor: 1. Go to Actor settings → Schedules 2. Create a new schedule (e.g., every hour) 3. The actor automatically compares with previous runs ### 💡 Tips - Use specific CSS selectors to avoid false positives - Add timestamps and ads to ignore patterns - Start with `text` mode for best performance - Use `html` mode to detect structural changes ### 🔧 Proxy Configuration Uses Apify Proxy by default. For residential proxies: ```json { "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"] } } ``` ### 📊 Pricing **Suggested**: $19/month flat rental for unlimited monitoring # Actor input Schema ## `startUrls` (type: `array`): List of URLs to check for changes ## `selector` (type: `string`): CSS selector to monitor specific content (default: body) ## `compareMode` (type: `string`): How to compare content between runs ## `saveSnapshots` (type: `boolean`): Save current state as snapshot for next comparison ## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`): Proxy settings for requests ## Actor input object example ```json { "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://example.com" } ], "selector": "body", "compareMode": "text", "saveSnapshots": true } ``` # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://example.com" } ] }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("technicaldost/website-change-detector").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "startUrls": [{ "url": "https://example.com" }] } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("technicaldost/website-change-detector").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://example.com" } ] }' | apify call technicaldost/website-change-detector --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=technicaldost/website-change-detector", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Website Change Detector", "description": "Monitor websites for content changes with visual comparison. Get alerts when pages update.", "version": "1.0", "x-build-id": "gnba5bikUaKhh8LYG" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/technicaldost~website-change-detector/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-technicaldost-website-change-detector", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/technicaldost~website-change-detector/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-technicaldost-website-change-detector", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/technicaldost~website-change-detector/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-technicaldost-website-change-detector", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "required": [ "startUrls" ], "properties": { "startUrls": { "title": "URLs to Monitor", "type": "array", "description": "List of URLs to check for changes", "items": { "type": "object", "required": [ "url" ], "properties": { "url": { "type": "string", "title": "URL of a web page", "format": "uri" } } } }, "selector": { "title": "CSS Selector", "type": "string", "description": "CSS selector to monitor specific content (default: body)", "default": "body" }, "compareMode": { "title": "Comparison Mode", "enum": [ "text", "html" ], "type": "string", "description": "How to compare content between runs", "default": "text" }, "saveSnapshots": { "title": "Save Snapshots", "type": "boolean", "description": "Save current state as snapshot for next comparison", "default": true }, "proxyConfiguration": { "title": "Proxy Configuration", "type": "object", "description": "Proxy settings for requests" } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```