# Batch Link Preview with Field Sources (`datalantern/link-preview-evidence`) Actor

Export publisher-provided link previews with original field provenance, deduplication and optional conditional revalidation.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/datalantern/link-preview-evidence.md
- **Developed by:** [Data Lantern](https://apify.com/datalantern) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools
- **Security:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$0.80 / 1,000 completed source pages

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

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

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
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.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## 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.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Batch Link Preview with Field Sources

Supply 1–25 final public URLs that you have permission to inspect; set authorized to true. The Actor reads each distinct URL once per run. Duplicate inputs (including fragment variants) share one output and retain all original inputIndexes. It does not execute site scripts, follow redirects or fetch any preview image, and ignores credentials and non-public addresses.

Each successful row gives the publisher's title, description and/or public image URL. Fields are chosen independently in this order: Open Graph, Twitter card, then HTML title or description if present. The sources object records the original tag, raw attribute/text and, for metadata, its one-based position among head meta tags. Relative image URLs resolve against the page base. Null means that no supported field was found. No screenshot or image licence is supplied.

Use the CACHE record from a previous run as previousEtags if you want conditional requests. Robots permissions are checked again before the page request. If the source replies 304, the unchanged row tells you to retain your earlier card and has no result event. The cache stores URL-to-ETag validators only, not HTML. No-store/private responses and Vary:\* do not produce stored validators. Sites without validators are read normally.

Source limits: 64 KiB robots, 256 KiB HTML, 8 seconds per URL, sequential, 2-minute batch admission window. Rights gates and non-HTML responses are skipped. Pay-per-event pricing: $0.80 per 1,000 returned previews; one preview-page event per distinct successful source, no start, duplicate, unchanged, skip or automatic dataset-item fee.

The prefilled single https://example.com/ URL can be tried directly. This performs a real public page read and a successful result is billable at the listed rate. Any other URL or a mixed list requires an explicit permission confirmation. You can set a lower maximum charge when starting a run.

# Actor input Schema

## `authorized` (type: `boolean`):

Confirm permission for custom URLs. The single prefilled https://example.com/ demo works without checking this box.

## `urls` (type: `array`):

1–25 final public HTTP(S) page URLs.

## `previousEtags` (type: `object`):

Optional URL-to-ETag map returned in CACHE. Source permissions are checked again.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "authorized": false,
  "urls": [
    "https://example.com/"
  ]
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `rows` (type: `string`):

No description

## `summary` (type: `string`):

No description

## `cache` (type: `string`):

No description

# 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 = {
    "urls": [
        "https://example.com/"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("datalantern/link-preview-evidence").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 = { "urls": ["https://example.com/"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("datalantern/link-preview-evidence").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 '{
  "urls": [
    "https://example.com/"
  ]
}' |
apify call datalantern/link-preview-evidence --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,datalantern/link-preview-evidence"
        }
    }
}
```

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/Ulx4uR4RZnL0BNg95/builds/TsA2de64ehdsBck4q/openapi.json