# Alison Courses Scraper (`crawlerbros/alison-courses-scraper`) Actor

Scrape Alison's free online course catalog - 5,800+ Certificate and Diploma courses across IT, business, health, and more. Search or browse by category/level/environment, or fetch a course's full detail and syllabus by ID.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/crawlerbros/alison-courses-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Crawler Bros](https://apify.com/crawlerbros) (community)
- **Categories:** Automation, Developer tools, Other
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $3.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
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.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — 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

## Alison Courses Scraper

Scrape [Alison.com](https://alison.com) — a global platform offering 5,800+ free online Certificate and Diploma courses across IT, business, health, personal development, engineering, and more. Search or browse by category, difficulty level, and learning environment, or pull a course's full detail and ordered syllabus by ID. No login, no API key, no cookies required.

### What this actor does

- **Two modes:** `search` (full-text search / catalog browse) and `byIds` (full course detail + syllabus lookup)
- **Browse axes:** category, difficulty level, learning environment, content language (6 locales)
- **Filters:** minimum rating, minimum enrolled learners, course type (Certificate/Diploma), tag
- **Full syllabi:** `byIds` mode returns the ordered module/topic breakdown for each course
- **Publisher/instructor bios:** `byIds` mode can optionally attach the course publisher's profile (bio, expertise, avatar, aggregate stats)
- **Multi-market:** content language selectable across English, Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese (Brazil + Portugal)
- **Empty fields are omitted** — every record only contains data Alison actually returned

### Output fields

#### Search / browse mode (`mode=search`)

- `courseId`, `title`, `slug`, `sourceUrl`, `headline`
- `category`, `categorySlug`
- `level`, `levelName` — Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced
- `environment` — human-readable learning-environment label
- `courseType` — Certificate or Diploma
- `duration`, `language`, `contentLocale`, `translations[]`
- `rating`, `enrolled`, `certified`, `liked`, `loved`, `disliked`, `points`
- `hasVideo`, `hasAudio`, `enrollable`, `trending`, `published`, `active`, `mobileAppSupported`
- `tags[]`
- `imageUrl`
- `publisherName`, `publisherSlug`
- `recordType`, `scrapedAt`

#### Course lookup mode (`mode=byIds`)

- `courseId`, `title`, `slug`, `sourceUrl`, `headline`
- `summary`, `shortSummary`, `outcomes`
- `level`, `levelName`, `duration`, `imageUrl`, `courseType`
- `publisherId`
- `enrolled`, `liked`, `loved`, `disliked`
- `enrollable`, `active`, `hasVideo`
- `createdAt`, `updatedAt`
- `supportedLanguages[]`, `tags[]`
- `modules[]` — ordered syllabus: `{ title, headline, topicCount, topics[], assessmentCount }`
- `moduleCount`, `topicCount`, `assessmentCount`
- `publisherName`, `publisherImageUrl`, `publisherShortBio`, `publisherServices`, `publisherExpertise`, `publisherBackground`, `publisherCourseCount`, `publisherTotalEnrollments`, `publisherTotalLikes`, `publisherTotalLoves`, `publisherRegisteredAt`, `publisherTopics[]` — only when `includePublisherInfo: true`
- `recordType`, `scrapedAt`

### Input

| Field | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `mode` | string | `search` | `search` / `byIds` |
| `searchQuery` | string | `python` | Free-text query (mode=search) |
| `category` | string | – | One of 9 top-level categories |
| `level` | integer | – | 1 (Beginner) / 2 (Intermediate) / 3 (Advanced) |
| `environment` | string | – | One of 7 learning-environment segments |
| `locale` | string | `en` | Content language: `en`/`es`/`fr`/`it`/`pt`/`pt-BR` |
| `minRating` | number | – | Drop courses rated below this (0-5) |
| `minEnrolled` | integer | – | Drop courses with fewer enrolled learners |
| `courseType` | string | – | `Certificate` / `Diploma` |
| `tag` | string | – | Filter by tag keyword |
| `courseIds` | array | – | Numeric course IDs (mode=byIds) |
| `includeModules` | boolean | `true` | Attach full syllabus (mode=byIds) |
| `includePublisherInfo` | boolean | `false` | Attach publisher/instructor bio + aggregate stats (mode=byIds) |
| `maxItems` | integer | `30` | Hard cap on emitted records (1-500) |
| `proxyConfiguration` | object | Apify Proxy (residential) | Used automatically for pure catalog-browse requests (see note below); leave as default |

#### Example: search for highly-rated Python courses

```json
{
  "mode": "search",
  "searchQuery": "python",
  "minRating": 4,
  "maxItems": 30
}
```

#### Example: browse the IT category for advanced Diploma courses

```json
{
  "mode": "search",
  "searchQuery": "",
  "category": "it",
  "level": 3,
  "courseType": "Diploma",
  "maxItems": 50
}
```

`searchQuery` must be explicitly set to an empty string to browse — omitting the field entirely falls back to its default text query (`python`) instead of a blank catalog browse.

#### Example: full detail and syllabus for specific courses

```json
{
  "mode": "byIds",
  "courseIds": ["3658", "3061"],
  "includeModules": true
}
```

#### Example: browse in Spanish

```json
{
  "mode": "search",
  "searchQuery": "excel",
  "locale": "es",
  "maxItems": 20
}
```

### Use cases

- **EdTech research** — track free-course availability and ratings across categories
- **Curriculum discovery** — find beginner-friendly certificate courses on a topic
- **Localization audits** — verify which courses are available in Spanish, French, Italian, or Portuguese
- **Content aggregation** — build a free-course directory or newsletter
- **Competitive analysis** — compare Alison's catalog breadth against other free-course platforms

### FAQ

**Do I need an Alison account?** No. Every mode uses Alison's own public, unauthenticated endpoints — the same ones the alison.com website itself calls from your browser.

**Are Alison courses really free?** Yes — every course is free to complete. Some certificates/diplomas offer an optional paid physical or premium digital copy, but course access itself has no cost.

**What's the difference between Certificate and Diploma courses?** Certificate courses are shorter, single-topic courses; Diploma courses are longer, multi-module programs covering a subject in depth. Filter with `courseType`.

**How do I get course IDs for `mode=byIds`?** Run `mode=search` first — every result includes a `courseId` field you can feed into a follow-up `byIds` run for full detail and syllabus.

**Why does `locale` change my result count slightly?** Not every course has been translated into every language. Switching `locale` returns the catalog as available in that language, which can be a handful of courses smaller than the English catalog.

**How fresh is the data?** Live — every request hits Alison's production API directly, so results reflect the catalog at the moment the actor runs.

**Why does a pure category/level/environment browse (no `searchQuery`) use a proxy?** Alison's catalog API silently returns a heavily truncated (sometimes empty) result set for query-less browsing when called from a non-residential IP, even though the request itself succeeds. The actor automatically routes that specific case through Apify's residential proxy pool to guarantee the full catalog is returned; plain keyword search never needs it.

**Why does `imageUrl` return a 403 in `curl`?** Alison's image CDN (`cdn01.alison-static.net`) blocks the raw `curl` TLS fingerprint specifically. The URLs load correctly in browsers and in any standard HTTP client library (Python `requests`/`httpx`, JavaScript `fetch`, etc.) — it's a curl-only quirk, not a broken link.

# Actor input Schema

## `mode` (type: `string`):

What to fetch.

## `searchQuery` (type: `string`):

Free-text query. Leave blank to browse a category/level/environment without a text query.

## `category` (type: `string`):

Restrict results to one top-level Alison category.

## `level` (type: `string`):

Restrict results to one difficulty level.

## `environment` (type: `string`):

Restrict results to one Alison learning-environment segment.

## `locale` (type: `string`):

Language Alison returns course titles/summaries in. Also affects which locale-specific courses are matched.

## `minRating` (type: `number`):

Drop courses rated below this (0-5 stars).

## `minEnrolled` (type: `integer`):

Drop courses with fewer enrolled learners than this.

## `courseType` (type: `string`):

Restrict to Certificate or Diploma courses.

## `tag` (type: `string`):

Restrict to courses tagged with this keyword, e.g. `python`, `machine_learning`, `excel`.

## `courseIds` (type: `array`):

Numeric Alison course IDs (from a prior search's `courseId` field).

## `includeModules` (type: `boolean`):

Fetch and attach the ordered module/topic syllabus for each course.

## `includePublisherInfo` (type: `boolean`):

Fetch and attach the course publisher's profile: name, avatar, bio, expertise, background, and aggregate stats across all their courses (course count, total enrollments/likes/loves). Adds one extra request per course.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Hard cap on emitted records.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Alison's catalog-browse endpoint (category/level/environment filters with no text `searchQuery`) silently returns a truncated or empty result set to non-residential (datacenter) IPs. A residential proxy is used automatically for that case to guarantee the full catalog is returned; plain keyword search does not need it.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "mode": "search",
  "searchQuery": "python",
  "category": "",
  "level": "",
  "environment": "",
  "locale": "en",
  "courseType": "",
  "courseIds": [],
  "includeModules": true,
  "includePublisherInfo": false,
  "maxItems": 30,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `courses` (type: `string`):

Dataset containing all scraped Alison courses.

# 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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "mode": "search",
    "searchQuery": "python",
    "category": "",
    "level": "",
    "environment": "",
    "locale": "en",
    "courseType": "",
    "courseIds": [],
    "includeModules": true,
    "includePublisherInfo": false,
    "maxItems": 30,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true,
        "apifyProxyGroups": [
            "RESIDENTIAL"
        ]
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("crawlerbros/alison-courses-scraper").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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "mode": "search",
    "searchQuery": "python",
    "category": "",
    "level": "",
    "environment": "",
    "locale": "en",
    "courseType": "",
    "courseIds": [],
    "includeModules": True,
    "includePublisherInfo": False,
    "maxItems": 30,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": True,
        "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"],
    },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("crawlerbros/alison-courses-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "mode": "search",
  "searchQuery": "python",
  "category": "",
  "level": "",
  "environment": "",
  "locale": "en",
  "courseType": "",
  "courseIds": [],
  "includeModules": true,
  "includePublisherInfo": false,
  "maxItems": 30,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  }
}' |
apify call crawlerbros/alison-courses-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,crawlerbros/alison-courses-scraper"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/fRUBKmcaJ2Hg5q8bd/builds/fyrykQogptaadQ905/openapi.json