# Broken Link Checker (`dodge_bot/broken-link-checker`) Actor

Find broken links (404s, dead domains, server errors) on any list of pages. Checks every link on each page, follows redirects, retries temporary errors, and can include images, scripts and stylesheets. One row per link with status code and link text.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/dodge\_bot/broken-link-checker.md
- **Developed by:** [Dodge Sucharda](https://apify.com/dodge_bot) (community)
- **Categories:** SEO tools, Developer tools
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

Pay per event

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

## Broken Link Checker

Find broken links on any list of pages. It checks every link on each page, follows redirects, retries temporary errors, and reports one row per link with the HTTP status, the link text and whether it is broken. Optionally it also checks images, scripts and stylesheets.

**$0.50 per 1,000 links checked.** Links skipped because of robots.txt and pages that fail to load are free.

### Good for

- **SEO and site maintenance**: broken links hurt users and rankings
- **Agencies**: a quick broken-link report for a client or prospect
- **After a migration or redesign**: find links to pages that moved
- **Scheduled checks**: run weekly and get only the broken ones (`Only return broken links`)

### Output (one row per link)

```json
{
  "page": "https://www.python.org/",
  "status": "ok",
  "link": "https://www.python.org/jobs/",
  "linkText": "Jobs",
  "kind": "link",
  "internal": true,
  "httpStatus": 200,
  "finalUrl": "https://www.python.org/jobs/",
  "redirected": false,
  "broken": false,
  "error": null
}
```

`broken` is true for HTTP 400 and above, and for links that can't be reached at all (the reason is in `error`, for example `ENOTFOUND` for a dead domain or `timed out`).

### How it checks

- A `HEAD` request first; if the server refuses HEAD it retries with `GET`, as many servers mishandle HEAD.
- Temporary errors (429, 502, 503, 504, network hiccups) are retried before a link is called broken.
- At most 2 requests at a time to any one site, so it never hammers a server.
- A link that appears on many pages is fetched once per run.

### Limits

- It checks the pages you list; it does not crawl the site. Feed it a sitemap's URLs to cover everything.
- Some sites block automated requests (for example LinkedIn or some shops return 999 or 403). Those show as broken with their status code; check them by hand before removing them.
- Links added by JavaScript after the page loads are not seen.

# Actor input Schema

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

Pages whose links should be checked (up to 1,000 per run). Tip: use a sitemap extractor's output to check a whole site.

## `onlyBroken` (type: `boolean`):

Hide working links from the results (they are still checked and counted).

## `includeAssets` (type: `boolean`):

Also check the page's images, scripts and stylesheets, not just links.

## `maxLinksPerPage` (type: `integer`):

Check at most this many unique links on each page.

## `respectRobotsTxt` (type: `boolean`):

Skip pages and links the site asks bots not to fetch. Turn off only for your own sites.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "urls": [
    "https://www.python.org"
  ],
  "onlyBroken": false,
  "includeAssets": false,
  "maxLinksPerPage": 300,
  "respectRobotsTxt": true
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `overview` (type: `string`):

No description

## `results` (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://www.python.org"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("dodge_bot/broken-link-checker").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://www.python.org"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("dodge_bot/broken-link-checker").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://www.python.org"
  ]
}' |
apify call dodge_bot/broken-link-checker --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

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/TmZqdw4laJ9EJ4vt7/builds/0IcyPjsB9WaZwzshO/openapi.json