# iQIYI Search Scraper (`dtrungtin/iqiyi-search-scraper`) Actor
Extracts every video result from an iQIYI search query on www.iq.com. Give it a search term like `my journey` — or paste a full search URL such as `https://www.iq.com/search?query=my%20journey` — and it returns all matching dramas, movies, anime, variety shows and documentaries.
- **URL**: https://apify.com/dtrungtin/iqiyi-search-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Tin](https://apify.com/dtrungtin) (community)
- **Categories:** Videos
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet
## Pricing
from $2.00 / 1,000 results
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/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.
In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md):
```bash
npm install apify-client
```
In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.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/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
## iQIYI (iq.com) Search Scraper
### What does iQIYI Search Scraper do?
This Actor **extracts every video result from an iQIYI search query** on [iq.com](https://www.iq.com), iQIYI's international streaming site. Give it a search term like `my journey` — or paste a full search URL such as `https://www.iq.com/search?query=my%20journey` — and it returns **all matching dramas, movies, anime, variety shows and documentaries**, not just the first page.
For every title you get the **name, type, release year, poster image, rating, genres, duration, cast, directors and a complete episode list with direct play links**. A single query typically yields **250–400 unique videos and several thousand episode links** in under 30 seconds.
The scraper talks directly to iQIYI's search API over plain HTTP instead of driving a headless browser, which makes it fast and cheap to run. On the Apify platform you also get scheduling, a REST API, webhooks, proxy rotation, monitoring and integrations with Make, Zapier, Google Drive and Slack.
### Why use iQIYI Search Scraper?
- **Catalogue research** — build a dataset of what is available on iQIYI for a topic, franchise or keyword.
- **Content tracking** — schedule the Actor and detect new titles, new episodes or removed shows over time.
- **Competitive and market analysis** — compare catalogue depth across regions, genres and release years.
- **Recommendation and metadata enrichment** — pull cast, genre, rating and episode data to enrich your own database.
- **Media monitoring** — track how many titles match an actor's name or a keyword and how they are rated.
### How to use iQIYI Search Scraper
1. Click **Try for free** / **Start** on the Actor page.
2. Enter one or more **search queries** — plain terms (`my journey`) or full iq.com search URLs. The search term is read out of the URL for you.
3. Optionally pick a **language** and a **region mode**, and set **Max items per query** if you only want a sample.
4. Click **Save & Start** and wait for the run to finish.
5. Preview the results in the **Output** tab, then download them as **JSON, CSV, Excel, HTML or XML** — or fetch them from the API.
### Input
Configure the run in the **Input** tab or pass a JSON object via the API. All fields except `searchQueries` are optional and have sensible defaults.
| Field | Type | Default | Description |
| -------------------- | ------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| `searchQueries` | array | `["https://www.iq.com/search?query=my%20journey..."]` | Search terms or full iq.com search URLs. |
| `maxItems` | integer | `0` | Max videos per query. `0` means no limit. |
| `languageCode` | string | `en_us` | Language for titles and metadata. |
| `modeCode` | string | `intl` | Region catalogue to search (see note below). |
| `includeEpisodes` | boolean | `true` | Include the nested episode list. Costs no extra requests. |
| `includeCast` | boolean | `true` | Include the detailed per-role cast breakdown. |
> **Apify Proxy is required.** This Actor always routes its requests through Apify Proxy, which needs a paid Apify plan — there is no proxy option in the input and no unproxied fallback. iQIYI serves a region-specific catalogue and rate-limits by IP, so proxying keeps results consistent. A run without proxy access fails immediately with a clear error.
Example input:
```json
{
"searchQueries": ["my journey", "https://www.iq.com/search?query=hero"],
"maxItems": 0,
"languageCode": "en_us",
"modeCode": "intl",
"includeEpisodes": true,
"includeCast": true
}
````
#### A note on the region mode
iQIYI serves a **different catalogue per region**, so `modeCode` changes both how many results come back and their order. The same `my journey` query returns roughly **283 titles** in `intl` (global) mode and around **364** in `vn` (Vietnam) mode. If you need to match exactly what you see in your own browser, pick the region you are browsing from.
### Output
Each dataset row is one video (a series, movie, anime or documentary) with its episodes nested inside. You can download the dataset in various formats such as JSON, HTML, CSV, or Excel.
```json
{
"query": "my journey",
"id": "8181790834459001",
"name": "My Journey to You",
"type": "TV series",
"isSeries": true,
"albumUrl": "https://www.iq.com/album/my-journey-to-you-2023-29gizl2g5jp?lang=en_us",
"playUrl": "https://www.iq.com/play/my-journey-to-you-episode-1-2d9r925j7po?lang=en_us",
"thumbnailUrl": "http://pic1.iqiyipic.com/image/20250416/4c/66/a_100535292_m_601_en_m4.jpg",
"year": 2023,
"publishDate": "2023-09-02",
"badge": "24 Episodes",
"episodeCount": 37,
"maxOrder": 24,
"episodes": [
{
"order": 1,
"name": "云之羽 第1集",
"episodeId": "8639025369386400",
"url": "https://www.iq.com/play/my-journey-to-you-episode-1-2d9r925j7po?lang=en_us",
"publishDate": "2023-08-24"
}
],
"actors": ["Esther", "Zhang Linghe", "Ryan"],
"directors": ["Ji Tian Yi"],
"source": "iqiyi"
}
```
#### Data fields
| Field | Description |
| ---------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `query` | The search term this row came from. |
| `id` / `albumId` / `qipuId` | iQIYI identifiers. `id` is the stable key for deduplication. |
| `name` | Title, with iQIYI's search-highlight markup removed. |
| `alternativeNames`, `subtitle` | Alternate titles, when iQIYI provides them. |
| `type` / `channelId` | `Movie`, `TV series`, `Anime`, `Documentary`, `Variety show`, … |
| `isSeries` | Whether the title has episodes. |
| `albumUrl` | Series landing page. `null` for standalone movies. |
| `playUrl` | Direct link to the first/only playable video. Always present. |
| `thumbnailUrl`, `posterUrl` | Artwork URLs. |
| `year`, `publishDate` | Release year and date. |
| `durationSeconds` | Runtime, for movies and standalone videos. |
| `score` | User rating out of 10, when rated. |
| `contentRating` | Age rating such as `13+`. |
| `badge` | The poster badge text, e.g. `24 Episodes`. |
| `episodeCount` | **How many episodes iQIYI actually lists.** |
| `maxOrder` | iQIYI's own episode counter — see the caveat below. |
| `episodes[]` | `order`, `name`, `episodeId`, `url`, `publishDate` per episode. |
| `genres`, `regions`, `languages` | Category tags. |
| `actors`, `directors` | Name lists, lead cast first. |
| `cast` | Full per-role breakdown with profile images and links. |
| `isExclusive`, `is1080p`, `source` | Extra flags from iQIYI. |
| `scrapedAt` | ISO timestamp of extraction. |
### How much does it cost to scrape iQIYI?
Because this Actor hits a JSON API rather than rendering pages in a browser, it is very cheap to run. A full query — around **283 videos and roughly 2,900 episode links** — takes about **18 seconds and 18 HTTP requests**, comfortably within the **free Apify tier**. Scraping several hundred queries per month costs only a few compute units.
### Tips and advanced options
- **Sampling** — set `maxItems` to a small number while you experiment; the run stops as soon as the limit is hit.
- **Slimmer output** — set `includeCast` to `false` and `includeEpisodes` to `false` for compact rows. The `actors` and `directors` name lists are kept either way.
- **Episodes as rows** — switch the Output tab to the **Episodes** view, or use the dataset API with `unwind=episodes`, to get one row per episode instead of one per title.
- **Multiple queries** — pass several queries at once; they run in parallel and each row records its own `query`.
- **Proxies** — nothing to configure: every request goes through Apify Proxy automatically, with a fresh IP per page.
### FAQ, disclaimers and support
**Is scraping iQIYI legal?** This Actor collects only publicly available metadata already served by iQIYI's own search, and it does not download, decrypt or redistribute any video streams or DRM-protected content. Scraping public data is generally legal, but you are responsible for how you use the output — review iQIYI's Terms of Service, respect copyright, and consult a lawyer if you plan to publish or commercialise the data.
**Why does `episodeCount` differ from `maxOrder`?** These come from two different upstream counters and iQIYI does not always keep them in sync — `My Journey to You`, for example, lists 37 episode entries while `maxOrder` says 24 (extra entries include previews and specials). Both values are reported rather than silently reconciled, so you can pick whichever suits your use case. `episodeCount` is the length of the `episodes` array you actually receive.
**Why are some episode names in Chinese?** iQIYI returns original-language episode titles even when `languageCode` is `en_us`. The episode `url` slug is still localised.
**Why do movies have no `albumUrl` or `episodes`?** Standalone videos have no series page on iQIYI. Use `playUrl`, which is populated for every row.
**Why is the result count lower than the total shown on the site?** iQIYI's search reports an inflated total (around 690 for `my journey`) but only ever serves a few hundred distinct titles, repeating some across pages. This Actor pages until the API stops returning results and deduplicates, so you get every title iQIYI will actually serve.
**Found a bug or need a change?** Open an issue on the Actor's **Issues** tab. If you need a custom or larger-scale iQIYI integration, mention it there.
# Actor input Schema
## `searchQueries` (type: `array`):
What to search for on iq.com. Accepts plain search terms (for example my journey) or full iq.com search URLs (for example https://www.iq.com/search?query=my%20journey) - the search term is read out of the URL automatically.
## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):
Maximum number of videos to scrape per query. Set to 0 for no limit (scrapes every result iQIYI returns, typically a few hundred).
## `languageCode` (type: `string`):
Language used for titles and metadata returned by iQIYI.
## `modeCode` (type: `string`):
iQIYI serves a different catalogue per region, so this changes both the number of results and their order. intl is the global catalogue; the others are region-specific.
## `includeEpisodes` (type: `boolean`):
Include the nested list of episodes for each series. Episodes come back in the same API response, so this costs no extra requests.
## `includeCast` (type: `boolean`):
Include the detailed cast breakdown (per-role lists with profile images and links). Director and actor name lists are always included.
## Actor input object example
```json
{
"searchQueries": [
"https://www.iq.com/search?query=my%20journey&originInput=my%20journey"
],
"maxItems": 0,
"languageCode": "en_us",
"modeCode": "intl",
"includeEpisodes": true,
"includeCast": true
}
```
# Actor output Schema
## `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 '' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
token: '',
});
// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
"searchQueries": [
"https://www.iq.com/search?query=my%20journey&originInput=my%20journey"
]
};
// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("dtrungtin/iqiyi-search-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 = { "searchQueries": ["https://www.iq.com/search?query=my%20journey&originInput=my%20journey"] }
# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("dtrungtin/iqiyi-search-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 '{
"searchQueries": [
"https://www.iq.com/search?query=my%20journey&originInput=my%20journey"
]
}' |
apify call dtrungtin/iqiyi-search-scraper --silent --output-dataset
```
## MCP server setup
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"apify": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"mcp-remote",
"https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=dtrungtin/iqiyi-search-scraper",
"--header",
"Authorization: Bearer "
]
}
}
}
```
## OpenAPI specification
```json
{
"openapi": "3.0.1",
"info": {
"title": "iQIYI Search Scraper",
"description": "Extracts every video result from an iQIYI search query on www.iq.com. Give it a search term like `my journey` — or paste a full search URL such as `https://www.iq.com/search?query=my%20journey` — and it returns all matching dramas, movies, anime, variety shows and documentaries.",
"version": "0.0",
"x-build-id": "Pgf4qq4iOkiB2dhd9"
},
"servers": [
{
"url": "https://api.apify.com/v2"
}
],
"paths": {
"/acts/dtrungtin~iqiyi-search-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": {
"post": {
"operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-dtrungtin-iqiyi-search-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": {
"$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
}
}
}
},
"parameters": [
{
"name": "token",
"in": "query",
"required": true,
"schema": {
"type": "string"
},
"description": "Enter your Apify token here"
}
],
"responses": {
"200": {
"description": "OK"
}
}
}
},
"/acts/dtrungtin~iqiyi-search-scraper/runs": {
"post": {
"operationId": "runs-sync-dtrungtin-iqiyi-search-scraper",
"x-openai-isConsequential": false,
"summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.",
"tags": [
"Run Actor"
],
"requestBody": {
"required": true,
"content": {
"application/json": {
"schema": {
"$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": {
"$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema"
}
}
}
}
}
}
},
"/acts/dtrungtin~iqiyi-search-scraper/run-sync": {
"post": {
"operationId": "run-sync-dtrungtin-iqiyi-search-scraper",
"x-openai-isConsequential": false,
"summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.",
"tags": [
"Run Actor"
],
"requestBody": {
"required": true,
"content": {
"application/json": {
"schema": {
"$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": [
"searchQueries"
],
"properties": {
"searchQueries": {
"title": "Search queries or URLs",
"type": "array",
"description": "What to search for on iq.com. Accepts plain search terms (for example my journey) or full iq.com search URLs (for example https://www.iq.com/search?query=my%20journey) - the search term is read out of the URL automatically.",
"default": [
"https://www.iq.com/search?query=my%20journey&originInput=my%20journey"
],
"items": {
"type": "string"
}
},
"maxItems": {
"title": "Max items per query",
"minimum": 0,
"type": "integer",
"description": "Maximum number of videos to scrape per query. Set to 0 for no limit (scrapes every result iQIYI returns, typically a few hundred).",
"default": 0
},
"languageCode": {
"title": "Language",
"enum": [
"en_us",
"zh_cn",
"zh_tw",
"id_id",
"ms_my",
"th_th",
"vi_vn",
"ko_kr",
"ja_jp",
"es_es",
"ar_sa"
],
"type": "string",
"description": "Language used for titles and metadata returned by iQIYI.",
"default": "en_us"
},
"modeCode": {
"title": "Region mode",
"enum": [
"intl",
"vn",
"th",
"id",
"my",
"tw",
"ph",
"sg",
"kr",
"jp"
],
"type": "string",
"description": "iQIYI serves a different catalogue per region, so this changes both the number of results and their order. intl is the global catalogue; the others are region-specific.",
"default": "intl"
},
"includeEpisodes": {
"title": "Include episode list",
"type": "boolean",
"description": "Include the nested list of episodes for each series. Episodes come back in the same API response, so this costs no extra requests.",
"default": true
},
"includeCast": {
"title": "Include full cast details",
"type": "boolean",
"description": "Include the detailed cast breakdown (per-role lists with profile images and links). Director and actor name lists are always included.",
"default": true
}
}
},
"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
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
```