# Alibaba Image Reverse Search (`netdev/alibaba-image-reverse-search`) Actor Search for any product from Alibaba. Supply your product image url and get up to 60 matching supplier listings with prices, images, min\_order\_quantity, total sold and direct links. - **URL**: https://apify.com/netdev/alibaba-image-reverse-search.md - **Developed by:** [Net Dev](https://apify.com/netdev) (community) - **Categories:** Automation, E-commerce, Developer tools - **Stats:** 4 total users, 0 monthly users, 15.9% runs succeeded, 1 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing $4.00 / 1,000 search 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. - **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 ### What does Alibaba Image Reverse Search do? **Alibaba Image Reverse Search** finds Alibaba product listings that visually match a product image you provide. Paste a public image link, run the Actor, and receive product names, listing links, suppliers, images, prices, minimum-order quantities, and sales signals from [Alibaba.com](https://www.alibaba.com/). Running it on Apify gives you API access, scheduling, integrations, proxy-backed infrastructure, and run monitoring in one place. ### Why use Alibaba Image Reverse Search? Use it to identify suppliers for an existing product photo, compare similar listings, research wholesale pricing, or enrich a sourcing workflow. It is useful for product teams, ecommerce sellers, purchasing teams, and analysts who have an image but do not know the right search keywords. The output is structured, so it can feed spreadsheets, databases, alerts, and automation tools without manual copying. ### How to use Alibaba reverse image search 1. Copy a publicly accessible HTTP or HTTPS URL for the product image. 2. Open the Actor's **Input** tab and paste it into **Product image URL**. 3. Start the Actor and wait for Alibaba image-search results to be processed. 4. Open the Dataset tab to inspect matched products or download the result. 5. Use the product URL to review an individual listing on Alibaba. The image must be publicly reachable. The Actor downloads it, registers it with Alibaba's image-search service, and searches using Alibaba's returned hosted image and detected product region. The Actor validates images up to 10 MB and sends their original bytes to Alibaba, which creates the searchable hosted representation. Private, expired, oversized, or login-protected links cannot be searched reliably. ### Input The Actor accepts one required field in the Input tab: | Field | Description | | ---------- | --------------------------------------------------------- | | `imageUrl` | Public HTTP or HTTPS link to the product image to search. | Example: ```json { "imageUrl": "https://icbu-picture.oss-us-west-1.aliyuncs.com/icbuimgsearch/imageBase64_2cc8e0488e69459fbc72ca22b6a810e3.jpeg" } ``` ### Output Each dataset record represents a matched Alibaba listing. You can download the dataset in various formats such as JSON, HTML, CSV, or Excel. ```json { "name": "Auriculares TWS Ligeros De Oido Abierto", "product_url": "https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Auriculares-TWS-Ligeros-De-Oido-Abierto_1601724911174.html", "price": "$4.61-4.65", "price_min": 4.61, "price_max": 4.65, "currency": "USD", "min_order": "1000 pieces", "supplier": "Guangzhou Veaqee Electronic Co., Ltd.", "imageUrl": "https://example.com/product-image.jpg" } ``` ### Data table | Field | Description | | --------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | | `name` | Alibaba listing title. | | `product_url` | Canonical Alibaba product page. | | `image_url` | Listing product image. | | `price`, `price_min`, `price_max`, `currency` | Displayed price and normalized numeric values. | | `min_order`, `min_order_quantity`, `min_order_unit` | Supplier minimum-order requirement. | | `supplier`, `units_sold`, `product_id` | Supplier name, displayed sales count, and Alibaba ID. | | `imageUrl` | The source image submitted for this lookup. | ### Pricing / Cost estimation #### How much does it cost to scrape Alibaba image-search results? This Actor charges for a completed lookup according to its Apify pricing configuration, plus any applicable platform usage. Start with a single image to estimate the current cost for your account and plan. Free-tier availability and final charges depend on your Apify subscription and the Actor's published pricing. ### Tips and advanced options Use a high-resolution, tightly cropped image with the product centered. Search one product per run so the source-image provenance remains clear. Results and price displays depend on Alibaba's current locale, catalog, and layout; use numeric price fields for comparisons and preserve the original price text for auditing. ### FAQ, disclaimers, and support This Actor accesses publicly available search-result content. You are responsible for ensuring that your use complies with Alibaba's terms, applicable law, intellectual-property rights, and your organization's policies. Alibaba can change search results, page structure, availability, or prices at any time, so output is not a guarantee of supplier terms. For questions or feedback, use the Actor's **Issues** tab. Custom sourcing and data-collection solutions can be arranged when a standard run does not meet your workflow. # Actor input Schema ## `imageUrl` (type: `string`): A publicly accessible HTTP or HTTPS link to the product image to search for on Alibaba. ## Actor input object example ```json { "imageUrl": "https://icbu-picture.oss-us-west-1.aliyuncs.com/icbuimgsearch/imageBase64_2cc8e0488e69459fbc72ca22b6a810e3.jpeg" } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `dataset` (type: `string`): No description ## `rawMarkdown` (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 = { "imageUrl": "https://icbu-picture.oss-us-west-1.aliyuncs.com/icbuimgsearch/imageBase64_2cc8e0488e69459fbc72ca22b6a810e3.jpeg" }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("netdev/alibaba-image-reverse-search").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 = { "imageUrl": "https://icbu-picture.oss-us-west-1.aliyuncs.com/icbuimgsearch/imageBase64_2cc8e0488e69459fbc72ca22b6a810e3.jpeg" } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("netdev/alibaba-image-reverse-search").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 '{ "imageUrl": "https://icbu-picture.oss-us-west-1.aliyuncs.com/icbuimgsearch/imageBase64_2cc8e0488e69459fbc72ca22b6a810e3.jpeg" }' | apify call netdev/alibaba-image-reverse-search --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "type": "http", "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,netdev/alibaba-image-reverse-search" } } } ``` 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 ` 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/ay3UlDtq7wmF69fki/builds/wR00tGpHntnmIogoa/openapi.json