# Browser Storage Footprint & Change Monitor (`produkdigitalali/browser-storage-footprint-change-monitor`) Actor

Detect localStorage and sessionStorage key changes across fresh Playwright visits. Persistent baselines, hashed key IDs, added/removed reports, and no storage values.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/produkdigitalali/browser-storage-footprint-change-monitor.md
- **Developed by:** [ProdukDigitalAli](https://apify.com/produkdigitalali) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, Automation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$10.00 / 1,000 browser storage footprint checkeds

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

### What does Browser Storage Footprint & Change Monitor do?

**Monitor browser storage changes after website releases.** This Actor renders supplied public pages in Playwright Chromium and compares hashed localStorage and sessionStorage key sets with the last complete observation. Try the prefilled https://example.com/ input to establish a harmless baseline.

It complements browser network and cookie diagnostics when a new application release, analytics integration or tag manager starts creating new storage keys. Apify provides API access, scheduled runs, dataset exports and integrations, so you can add these observations to a release checklist.

### Why use this browser storage monitor?

- Detect new or removed storage-key identifiers after deployments.
- Keep separate monitors for production, staging and individual release-critical pages.
- Observe what scripts create during a fresh visit.
- Keep storage values and raw key names out of reports.

A CHANGED result is a change signal for investigation. It is not a compliance verdict or evidence of malicious behavior.

### How to use it

1. Enter one to three public HTTP(S) page URLs.
2. Choose a stable monitorKey such as homepage-daily.
3. Run once to create the baseline.
4. Run again with the same URL and observation settings.
5. Read changeStatus and localChanges/sessionChanges. Schedule serial runs for recurring checks.

The Actor visits each page in a fresh context with no supplied login, consent or session. The page's own scripts may create storage normally. No consent buttons are clicked.

### Input

| Field | Default | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| urls | example.com | Up to 3 public pages |
| monitorKey | default | 1-64 letters, digits, underscores or hyphens |
| settleMs | 1500 | Delay after DOM readiness, up to 5000 ms |
| navigationTimeoutSeconds | 25 | Per-page navigation limit, 5-45 seconds |
| maxKeysPerStorage | 100 | Key cap per area, 1-200 |

Example:

```json
{"urls":["https://example.com/"],"monitorKey":"homepage-daily","settleMs":1500}
```

Changing the exact URL, query string or observation settings creates a separate baseline. Credentials in URLs and destinations on private networks are rejected.

### Output

Each page produces a dataset row. Complete observations use status CHECKED and changeStatus BASELINE_CREATED, UNCHANGED or CHANGED. Over-cap or inaccessible storage uses INCOMPLETE and does not replace its previous baseline. Navigation failures use ERROR.

```json
{"status":"CHECKED","changeStatus":"UNCHANGED","page":"https://example.com/[path:8a5edab282632443]","local":{"accessible":true,"observedCount":0,"keyIds":[],"truncated":false},"localChanges":{"added":[],"removed":[]},"sessionChanges":{"added":[],"removed":[]},"chargeEligible":true}
```

Key IDs are deterministic SHA-256 identifiers. They do not reveal raw names directly, but hashing is not encryption: known names can be matched by hashing guesses. No storage values are read or returned. Page paths are hashed and queries omitted from reports.

You can download the dataset in formats such as JSON, CSV, HTML and Excel. OUTPUT contains requested, succeeded, incomplete, failed and charged counts. The persistent baseline resides in the separate Actor-specific named key-value store.

### Price and operating limits

Proposed price: USD 0.010 per complete stored page check. Initial baseline and unchanged complete checks are useful observations and are billable. Error and incomplete reports are free. Actual pricing is displayed in the Pricing tab after monetization is configured. Platform charges depend on your plan.

The browser makes only GET/HEAD requests, blocks images/fonts/media and limits network transfer. A complete empty footprint is expected on the prefilled example page.

### Limitations and support

Only the main frame's localStorage/sessionStorage key sets are observed. No cookie, IndexedDB, cross-origin iframe, value-change or logged-in-session audit is performed. Late writes after settle time are not observed. Region, browser state, experiments and nondeterministic key names can cause changes between visits. Storage-disabled pages are incomplete rather than empty.

Run one monitor at a time to avoid competing baseline writes. Reuse stable settings for comparable observations. Contact the developer through the Issues tab with sanitized details if an audit fails.

# Changelog

This Actor's version history is a separate document: https://apify.com/produkdigitalali/browser-storage-footprint-change-monitor/changelog.md

# Actor input Schema

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

One to three pages to visit in fresh Chromium contexts.

## `monitorKey` (type: `string`):

Reuse this label for comparisons; 1-64 letters, numbers, underscores or hyphens.

## `settleMs` (type: `integer`):

Wait after DOM readiness before observing storage keys.

## `navigationTimeoutSeconds` (type: `integer`):

Maximum time for initial navigation.

## `maxKeysPerStorage` (type: `integer`):

Over-cap results are incomplete and free, and preserve baselines.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "urls": [
    "https://example.com/"
  ],
  "monitorKey": "default",
  "settleMs": 1500,
  "navigationTimeoutSeconds": 25,
  "maxKeysPerStorage": 100
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `summary` (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://example.com/"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("produkdigitalali/browser-storage-footprint-change-monitor").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("produkdigitalali/browser-storage-footprint-change-monitor").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 produkdigitalali/browser-storage-footprint-change-monitor --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,produkdigitalali/browser-storage-footprint-change-monitor"
        }
    }
}
```

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/PejVFM1xHTuLfhD9J/builds/gOvnvXuIaBJXwGNtP/openapi.json