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Ideas page and its use

So you want to build an Actor and publish it on Apify Store. Where should you start? How can you make people want to use it?

To generate new Actor ideas, you can draw from your experience. You can also use SEO tools to discover relevant search terms and explore sites related to web scraping, automation, or integrations. But for direct inspiration straight from Apify, check out our Actor Ideas page to see what data extraction tools are trending in the Apify community. Let's see how you can both use and contribute to this valuable resource.

What's the Ideas page?​

The Ideas page is where users can submit and explore potential projects for Actors, including scrapers, integrations, and automations. It serves as a collaborative space for proposing new tool ideas and finding inspiration for building and developing web scraping and automation solutions.

How you, as a developer, can use the Ideas page​

Got an innovative Actor idea or unsure what to build next? The Apify Ideas page is your go-to destination for submitting, developing, and claiming Actor concepts. If you're a developer ready to build an Actor using the Apify Ideas page, here’s how you can get involved:

  1. Browse the Ideas page
    Check out the Ideas page to find ideas that interest you. Look for ideas that align with your skills and the kind of Actor you want to build.
  2. Select an idea
    Once you’ve found a promising idea, review the details and requirements provided. If you see an idea you want to develop, make sure to check its current status. If it’s marked as Open to develop, you’re good to go.
  3. Develop your Actor
    Start building your Actor based on the idea. You don’t need to notify Apify about your development process. Focus on creating a functional and well-documented tool.
  4. Prepare for launch
    Once your Actor is ready, ensure it meets all quality standards and has a comprehensive README. This documentation should include installation instructions, usage details, and any other relevant information.
  5. Publish your Actor
    Deploy your Actor on Apify Store. Make sure it’s live and accessible for users.
  6. Claim your idea
    After your Actor is published, email ideas@apify.com with the URL of your Actor and the original idea. This will allow us to tag the idea as Completed and link it to your new Actor, giving you credit and visibility.
  7. Monitor and optimize
    Make sure to monitor your Actor’s performance and user feedback. Use this information to make improvements and keep your Actor up to date.

By following these steps, you’ll be able to contribute to the community while also gaining recognition for your work.

Criteria for claiming an idea​

To claim an idea, ensure that:

  1. Your Actor is functional.
  2. Your README contains relevant information.
  3. Your Actor closely aligns with the original idea.

Giving back to the Ideas page​

The Ideas page at Apify offers a variety of concepts for scrapers, integrations, and automations, and is a great place to find inspiration or solutions. It’s also a platform where you can contribute your own ideas to drive innovation and growth in our community.

  1. Submit your Ideas
    Got a great Actor concept? Share it with us through the Ideas form. Provide clear details about what your tool should do and how it should work.
  2. Engage with the community
    Upvote ideas you find intriguing. The more support an idea receives, the more likely it is to catch a developer’s eye and move forward.
  3. Don’t forget to claim your idea
    Once your Actor is up and running, claim your idea by emailing ideas@apify.com with your Actor's URL and the original idea. We’ll mark your idea as Completed and link it to your Actor - a signal to the other developers that this tool already exists on Apify Store.

Multiple developers for one idea​

No problem! Apify Store can host multiple Actors with similar functions. However, we go by the “first come - first served” rule, so the first developer to claim an idea will receive the Completed tag and a link from the Ideas page.

Remember that Apify Store is just like any other marketplace. We believe that competition helps developers thrive and improve upon their code, especially when there are similar scrapers on the horizon! You can still build the Actor, but try to be imaginative when it comes to its set of features.