# Actors | Apify Documentation

> One section of the Apify documentation. The main index is at https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt

## actors

- [Actors](https://docs.apify.com/actors.md): Learn how to develop, run and share serverless cloud programs. Create your own web scraping and automation tools and publish them on the Apify platform.
  - [Develop Actors](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development.md): Read about the technical part of building Apify Actors. Learn to define Actor inputs, build new versions, persist Actor state, and choose base Docker images.
    - [Actor definition](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/actor-definition.md): Learn how to define an Actor by adding a .actor directory with actor.json, a Dockerfile, README, and input schema files to your source code.
      - [Actor definition file (actor.json)](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/actor-definition/actor-json.md): Configure your Actor using the .actor/actor.json file to define its name, version number, build tag, and links to input and output schema files.
      - [Actor Dockerfile and base images](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/actor-definition/dockerfile.md): Learn about Docker base images for Apify Actors and how to choose the right image based on your Actor's requirements and programming language.
      - [Dynamic Actor memory](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/actor-definition/dynamic-actor-memory.md): Automatically adjust your Actor memory allocation based on input size and run options to optimize performance and reduce costs on every run.
      - [Actor input schema](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/actor-definition/input-schema.md): Learn how to define and validate a schema for your Actor's input with code examples. Provide an autogenerated input UI for your Actor's users.
        - [Custom error messages for Actor input](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/actor-definition/input-schema/custom-error-messages.md): Learn how to define custom error messages for input validation in your Actor's input schema. Make validation feedback clearer and more user-friendly.
        - [Actor secret input](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/actor-definition/input-schema/secret-input.md): Mark Actor input fields as secret so their values are encrypted at rest and only decrypted inside the Actor run, protecting passwords and API tokens.
        - [Actor input schema specification](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/actor-definition/input-schema/specification/v1.md): Learn how to define and validate a schema for your Actor's input with code examples. Provide an autogenerated input UI for your Actor's users.
      - [Actor output schema](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/actor-definition/output-schema.md): Define an output schema to specify where your Actor stores its results and how Apify Console and the Actor run API endpoint display them to users.
      - [Actor source code](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/actor-definition/source-code.md): Learn how to organize and structure your Actor source code, including directory placement conventions, programming language choice, and Dockerfile setup.
      - [Actor web server schema](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/actor-definition/web-server-schema.md): Attach an OpenAPI specification to your Actor to enable the interactive Endpoints tab in Apify Console and Apify Store, where you can browse and test endpoints.
    - [Automated tests for Actors](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/automated-tests.md): Learn how to automate ongoing testing and make sure your Actors perform over time. See code examples for configuring the Actor Testing Actor.
    - [Actor builds and runs](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/builds-and-runs.md): Learn about Actor builds and runs, including how Docker images are created, how runs are executed, and their lifecycle on the Apify platform.
      - [Actor builds](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/builds-and-runs/builds.md): Learn about Actor build numbers, versioning, and how to use specific Actor version in runs. Understand an Actor's lifecycle and manage its cache.
      - [Actor runs](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/builds-and-runs/runs.md): Learn about Actor runs, how to start them via the console, API, or scheduler, and how to configure input, timeouts, and manage their lifecycle.
      - [Actor state persistence](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/builds-and-runs/state-persistence.md): Learn how to maintain an Actor's state to prevent data loss during unexpected restarts. Includes code examples for handling server migrations.
    - [Debug Actors on the Apify platform](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/debugging.md): Learn how to attach a debugger to an Actor run on the Apify platform, so you can set breakpoints and inspect variables in a run as it executes.
    - [Actor deployment](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/deployment.md): Learn how Actor deployment works. Keep your code on the Apify platform and deploy with the Apify CLI, or host it in Git and build on every push.
      - [Continuous integration for Actors](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/deployment/continuous-integration.md): Learn how to automate your development process. Configure automated builds, CI pipelines, or webhooks to push code, build Actors, and run tests.
      - [Actor source types](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/deployment/source-types.md): Learn about Actor source types - Web IDE, Git repository, Zip file, and GitHub Gist - and how to configure each one as your deployment method.
    - [Actor performance](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/performance.md): Learn how to maximize Actor performance by running batch jobs, leveraging Docker layer caching, and optimizing resource usage to reduce costs.
    - [Actor permissions](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/permissions.md): Learn how to declare and manage permissions for your Actor, what access levels mean, and how to build secure, trusted Actors for Apify users.
      - [Migrate to limited Actor permissions](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/permissions/migration-guide.md): Migrate your Actor to limited permissions using the latest Apify SDK, with step-by-step migration paths, code examples, and fixes for common issues.
    - [Actor programming interface](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/programming-interface.md): Learn about the programming interface of Apify Actors, important commands and features provided by the Apify SDK, and how to use them in your Actors.
      - [Basic Actor commands](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/programming-interface/basic-commands.md): Use the core Apify SDK commands in JavaScript and Python to initialize your Actor, read and write storage, and exit cleanly after execution.
      - [Actor container web server](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/programming-interface/container-web-server.md): Run a web server inside your Actor to expose a unique URL for external HTTP access, enabling both UI interaction and programmatic API calls.
      - [Actor environment variables](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/programming-interface/environment-variables.md): Learn how Actors receive runtime context from system environment variables set by the Apify platform and custom variables you define.
      - [Metamorph](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/programming-interface/metamorph.md): Use metamorph to transform an Actor run into another Actor with new input, preserving default storages and enabling seamless Actor chaining.
      - [Develop Actors in Standby mode](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/programming-interface/standby.md): Develop Actors that run a persistent HTTP server in Standby mode, enabling fast real-time API responses without restarting the Actor each time.
      - [Actor status messages](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/programming-interface/status-messages.md): Learn how to set custom status messages in your Actor to clearly inform users about its current progress and activity during an ongoing run.
      - [System events in Apify Actors](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/programming-interface/system-events.md): Learn how the Apify platform notifies Actors about system events such as migration, abort, and CPU overload, and how to handle them in your code.
    - [Actor development quick start](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/quick-start.md): Choose how to build your first Actor on Apify - local development with the CLI, the web IDE, AI-assisted coding, or building an AI agent on the platform.
      - [Build Actors with AI](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/quick-start/build-with-ai.md): Build new Actors or improve existing ones using AI coding tools by providing the right context, prompts, Agent Skills, and the Apify MCP server.
      - [Develop AI agents on Apify](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/quick-start/develop-ai-agents.md): Build and deploy AI agents on Apify with framework templates, sandboxes, OpenRouter for LLM access, and pay-per-event pricing.
      - [Develop Actors locally](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/quick-start/locally.md): Get started with the Apify CLI to develop Actors locally.
      - [Develop Actors in the web IDE](https://docs.apify.com/actors/development/quick-start/web-ide.md): Create and run your first Actor using the web IDE in Apify Console, from writing your first lines of code to deploying it live in the cloud.
  - [Monetize Actors](https://docs.apify.com/actors/monetize.md): Monetize your Actors on Apify Store and earn regular passive income.
    - [Handle compensation requests](https://docs.apify.com/actors/monetize/compensation-requests.md): Compensate users for Actor runs that failed or returned incorrect results. Learn how to evaluate requests, submit them to Apify support, and talk to users.
    - [Manage payouts](https://docs.apify.com/actors/monetize/monthly-payouts.md): Learn about the monthly payouts and how to become eligible for them.
    - [Pay-per-event pricing model](https://docs.apify.com/actors/monetize/pay-per-event.md): Learn how to monetize your Actor with pay-per-event (PPE) pricing, charging users for specific actions like Actor starts, dataset items, or API calls.
    - [Actor pricing and costs](https://docs.apify.com/actors/monetize/pricing-and-costs.md): Learn how to set Actor pricing and calculate your costs, including platform usage rates, discount tiers, and profit formulas for the PPE model.
    - [Tips for defining the Actor price](https://docs.apify.com/actors/monetize/pricing-tips.md): Learn how to price your Actor by comparing competing tools, accounting for the platform features, and adjusting the pricing based on conversion rates.
    - [Set up Actor monetization](https://docs.apify.com/actors/monetize/set-up-monetization.md): Learn how to set up and change monetization for your Actor in Apify Console.
  - [Publish Actors](https://docs.apify.com/actors/publishing.md): Learn the stages involved in publishing and monetizing Actors on the Apify platform, from development and testing to promotion in Apify Store.
    - [Monitor your Actor's rating](https://docs.apify.com/actors/publishing/actor-rating.md): Learn how to monitor your Actor's rating and reviews in Apify Store.
    - [Create an Actor README](https://docs.apify.com/actors/publishing/actor-readme.md): Create a README that attracts new users and supports existing ones. Optimize for search engines and AI assistants, document usage, and cover common issues.
    - [Display Actor status](https://docs.apify.com/actors/publishing/actor-status.md): Learn how to add a status badge to your Actor's page in Apify Store.
    - [Publish your Actor](https://docs.apify.com/actors/publishing/publish.md): Publish your Actor on Apify Store, where anyone can discover and use it. Learn about the publishing requirements and choose whether to share its source code.
    - [Publish your Actor task](https://docs.apify.com/actors/publishing/publish-task.md): Publish a saved Actor task as a landing page on Apify Store. Each published task is discoverable by search engines and AI agents.
    - [Actor quality score](https://docs.apify.com/actors/publishing/quality-score.md): The Actor quality score reflects reliability, ease of use, and popularity on a scale of 0 to 100, and directly influences your visibility in Apify Store.
    - [Actor status badge](https://docs.apify.com/actors/publishing/status-badge.md): Learn how to use the Actor status badge to show users the current status and usage information of your Actor on the Apify platform.
    - [Actor testing in Apify Store](https://docs.apify.com/actors/publishing/test.md): Learn how the Apify QA system tests Actors, what causes an Actor to be flagged as under maintenance or deprecated, and how to restore a healthy status.
  - [Run Actors](https://docs.apify.com/actors/running.md): Start an Actor from Apify Console or via API. Learn about Actor lifecycles, how to specify settings and version, provide input, and resurrect finished runs.
    - [Actors in Store](https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md): Browse Apify Store to discover thousands of public Actors, understand their pricing models, and choose the right one for your automation needs.
    - [Actor input and output](https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/input-and-output.md): Learn how Actors receive input and where they store their output, including the Actor output object and how to access run results from Apify Console or the API.
    - [Actor and task monitoring](https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/monitoring.md): Learn how to make sure your Actors and tasks perform as expected and retrieve correct results. Get alerts when jobs or their metrics fall short.
    - [Actor permissions](https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/permissions.md): Learn how Actor permissions work for running and building Actors: available permission levels, requesting and granting permissions, and security best practices.
    - [Actor reviews](https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/reviews.md): Learn how to review and rate Actors in Apify Store.
    - [Actor runs and builds](https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/runs-and-builds.md): Learn about Actor builds and runs, including their lifecycle, version tagging, storage assignment, sharing options, and data retention policy.
    - [Actor and task schedules](https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/schedules.md): Learn how to automatically start your Actor and task runs and the basics of cron expressions. Set up and manage your schedules from Apify Console or via API.
    - [Actor Standby mode](https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/standby.md): Use Actor Standby mode to keep an Actor ready in the background and serve real-time HTTP requests without waiting for a cold start each time.
      - [Actor developers](https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/store/actor-developers.md): Learn about Apify-maintained and community-maintained Actors in Apify Store.
    - [Actor tasks](https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/tasks.md): Create and save reusable configurations of Apify Actors for specific use cases, then run them on a schedule, via the API, or from the console.
    - [Actor usage and resources](https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/usage-and-resources.md): Learn about memory and processing power requirements for Apify Actors, their relationship with Docker resources, and how resource allocation affects cost.