Send HTTP requests

An Apify actor that allows you to send HTTP requests to any endpoint and view the results.

Overview

This actor provides a simple way to make HTTP requests to any API endpoint without writing code. It supports all common HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE), custom headers, URL parameters, and request body data.

Perfect for:

• Clay users who need API integration without upgrading to the Explorer plan
• Testing API endpoints quickly
• One-off HTTP requests for data retrieval or actions
• Debugging web services and APIs
• Clay users who want the response data forwarded to another Clay table via webhook

Features

• Support for all major HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE)
• Custom header configuration
• URL parameter support
• Request body data (for POST, PUT, PATCH methods)
• Detailed response data including status code, headers, and body
• Simple JSON configuration
• Optional callback URL support to send the response to another endpoint (e.g., a Clay webhook)
• Optional lookupKey field to help match the response to the original row in a Clay table

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description	Required
method	String	HTTP method to use (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE)	Yes
url	String	The URL to make the request to	Yes
headers	Object	Custom headers to be sent with the request	No
params	Object	URL parameters to be sent with the request	No
data	Object	Data to be sent as the request body (for POST, PUT, PATCH)	No
callbackUrl	String	A URL to which the full API response will be forwarded as a new POST request	No
lookupKey	String	Optional identifier for matching response to input row in a Clay workflow	No

Example Input

{
  "method": "GET",
  "url": "https://api.example.com/data",
  "headers": {
    "Authorization": "Bearer your-token-here",
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
  },
  "params": {
    "limit": 10,
    "offset": 0
  },
  "callbackUrl": "https://webhook.site/your-webhook-url",
  "callbackHeaders": {
    "x-source": "apify-actor"
  }
}

Output

The actor returns an object with the following structure:

{
  "data": {}, // The response body
  "status": 200, // HTTP status code
  "statusText": "OK", // HTTP status text
  "headers": {} // Response headers
}

If callbackUrl is provided, this same object will be sent via POST to that URL.

The lookupKey will also be included in the callback payload to help with row matching.

Usage with Clay

Clay users can integrate this actor into their tables to make API calls without upgrading to the Explorer plan. Here's how:

1. Create an Apify account and set up your API token
2. In Clay, use the Apify integration and select this actor
3. Configure the HTTP request parameters in the Clay interface
4. Map the response data to your Clay table columns
5. Use the callbackUrl input to send the full API response to a different Clay table via webhook — useful for large responses that can't be displayed in a single cell

This provides significant cost savings over upgrading to the Explorer plan ($200 difference) while still enabling API functionality.

Limitations

• The actor has a timeout limit based on your Apify plan
• The callbackUrl must accept a standard JSON POST request

Example Use Cases

1. Fetch data from a public API

   {
     "method": "GET",
     "url": "https://api.publicapis.org/entries",
     "params": {
       "category": "animals",
       "https": true
     }
   }
   

2. Post data to an API endpoint

   {
     "method": "POST",
     "url": "https://api.example.com/users",
     "headers": {
       "Content-Type": "application/json",
       "Authorization": "Bearer your-token"
     },
     "data": {
       "name": "John Doe",
       "email": "john@example.com"
     }
   }
   

3. Update existing data

   {
     "method": "PATCH",
     "url": "https://api.example.com/users/123",
     "headers": {
       "Content-Type": "application/json",
       "Authorization": "Bearer your-token"
     },
     "data": {
       "email": "newemail@example.com"
     }
   }
   

License

ISC

Author

Mohd Rizuan