# R Documentation Scraper (`crawlerbros/rdocumentation-scraper`) Actor Scrape R package metadata from CRAN via the public crandb API. Search packages by keyword or fetch specific packages by name - returns version, title, description, author, maintainer, license, dependencies, and rdocumentation.org links. - **URL**: https://apify.com/crawlerbros/rdocumentation-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Crawler Bros](https://apify.com/crawlerbros) (community) - **Categories:** Developer tools, Automation - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN 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 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 ## R Documentation Scraper Scrape R package metadata from [RDocumentation.org](https://www.rdocumentation.org) / CRAN using the public [crandb](https://crandb.r-pkg.org) API. No authentication or proxies required. ### What it does - **Search packages** by keyword — finds all CRAN packages matching your query - **Fetch specific packages** by exact CRAN package name - Returns rich metadata: version, title, description, author, maintainer, license, dependencies, imports, and canonical RDocumentation links ### Input | Field | Type | Description | Default | |-------|------|-------------|---------| | `mode` | string | `searchPackages` or `getByName` | `searchPackages` | | `searchQuery` | string | Keyword to search (mode=searchPackages) | `ggplot` | | `packageNames` | string[] | Exact package names (mode=getByName) | `[]` | | `maxItems` | integer | Max records to return (1–500) | `50` | #### Example: search packages ```json { "mode": "searchPackages", "searchQuery": "ggplot", "maxItems": 20 } ```` #### Example: get by name ```json { "mode": "getByName", "packageNames": ["ggplot2", "dplyr", "tidyr", "data.table"], "maxItems": 10 } ``` ### Output Each record contains: | Field | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | `packageName` | string | CRAN package name | | `version` | string | Latest version | | `title` | string | Short one-line title | | `description` | string | Full description | | `author` | string | Package authors | | `maintainer` | string | Current maintainer with email | | `license` | string | License string (e.g. MIT, GPL-2) | | `type` | string | Repository type (CRAN, Bioconductor) | | `depends` | string\[] | Packages listed in Depends (R excluded) | | `imports` | string\[] | Packages listed in Imports | | `repositoryUrl` | string | First URL from URL field | | `bugReportsUrl` | string | Bug tracker URL | | `sourceUrl` | string | `https://www.rdocumentation.org/packages/{name}` | | `publishedAt` | string | Publication date if available | | `recordType` | string | Always `"package"` | | `scrapedAt` | string | ISO 8601 timestamp of scrape | #### Sample output record ```json { "packageName": "ggplot2", "version": "4.0.3", "title": "Create Elegant Data Visualisations Using the Grammar of Graphics", "description": "A system for 'declaratively' creating graphics, based on The Grammar of Graphics...", "author": "Hadley Wickham [aut], Winston Chang [aut], Thomas Lin Pedersen [aut, cre]...", "maintainer": "Thomas Lin Pedersen ", "license": "MIT + file LICENSE", "type": "CRAN", "imports": ["cli", "grDevices", "grid", "gtable", "isoband", "lifecycle", "rlang", "scales"], "repositoryUrl": "https://ggplot2.tidyverse.org", "bugReportsUrl": "https://github.com/tidyverse/ggplot2/issues", "sourceUrl": "https://www.rdocumentation.org/packages/ggplot2", "recordType": "package", "scrapedAt": "2026-05-30T10:00:00+00:00" } ``` ### FAQs **Q: Does this require an API key or proxy?** No. The scraper uses the public crandb.r-pkg.org API, which is free and open. **Q: Does this return ALL versions of a package?** No. It returns metadata for the latest published version only. **Q: How does search work?** The scraper performs a prefix-range query on the crandb API, returning all packages whose names start with your search term. It also falls back to a substring match across all CRAN package names. **Q: How many packages are on CRAN?** As of 2026, CRAN hosts over 20,000 packages. **Q: Can I fetch Bioconductor packages?** Currently the scraper covers CRAN only (via crandb). Bioconductor packages may not appear. **Q: What is the rate limit?** The crandb API is generous for public usage. The scraper adds small delays between requests to be polite. # Actor input Schema ## `mode` (type: `string`): Operation mode: search packages by keyword, or fetch specific packages by name. ## `searchQuery` (type: `string`): Keyword to search for in package names (mode=searchPackages). Example: ggplot, dplyr, tidyr. ## `packageNames` (type: `array`): Exact CRAN package names to fetch (e.g. ggplot2, dplyr, data.table). ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of package records to return. ## Actor input object example ```json { "mode": "searchPackages", "searchQuery": "ggplot", "maxItems": 10 } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `packages` (type: `string`): Dataset containing all scraped R package metadata. # 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 = { "mode": "searchPackages", "searchQuery": "ggplot", "maxItems": 10 }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("crawlerbros/rdocumentation-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 '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "mode": "searchPackages", "searchQuery": "ggplot", "maxItems": 10, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("crawlerbros/rdocumentation-scraper").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 '{ "mode": "searchPackages", "searchQuery": "ggplot", "maxItems": 10 }' | apify call crawlerbros/rdocumentation-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=crawlerbros/rdocumentation-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "R Documentation Scraper", "description": "Scrape R package metadata from CRAN via the public crandb API. Search packages by keyword or fetch specific packages by name - returns version, title, description, author, maintainer, license, dependencies, and rdocumentation.org links.", "version": "1.0", "x-build-id": "ArViy4dB4RYcBZd4w" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/crawlerbros~rdocumentation-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-crawlerbros-rdocumentation-scraper", "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/crawlerbros~rdocumentation-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-crawlerbros-rdocumentation-scraper", "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/crawlerbros~rdocumentation-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-crawlerbros-rdocumentation-scraper", "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": [ "mode" ], "properties": { "mode": { "title": "Mode", "enum": [ "searchPackages", "getByName" ], "type": "string", "description": "Operation mode: search packages by keyword, or fetch specific packages by name.", "default": "searchPackages" }, "searchQuery": { "title": "Search query", "type": "string", "description": "Keyword to search for in package names (mode=searchPackages). Example: ggplot, dplyr, tidyr." }, "packageNames": { "title": "Package names (mode=getByName)", "type": "array", "description": "Exact CRAN package names to fetch (e.g. ggplot2, dplyr, data.table).", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "maxItems": { "title": "Max items", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 500, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of package records to return.", "default": 50 } } }, "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 } } } } } } } } } } ```