# Stack Overflow Questions Scraper - Scores, Tags & Answers (`scrapers_lat/stackexchange-scraper`) Actor
Scrape Stack Overflow and Stack Exchange questions by keyword with score, view count, answer count, tags, owner and links. Export to JSON, CSV or Excel.
- **URL**: https://apify.com/scrapers\_lat/stackexchange-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Scrapers Lat](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, Business, Social media
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet
## Pricing
from $2.55 / 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.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.
Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event
## What's an Apify Actor?
Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases.
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.md):
```bash
npm install apify-client
```
In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.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/platform/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
## Stack Overflow Questions Scraper
> Search Stack Overflow and Stack Exchange questions by keyword and export clean structured data: score, views, answers, tags, author and links. Ideal for developer research, content ideas and trend tracking.
**๐ฅ [Input](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/stackexchange-scraper/input-schema) ยท ๐ค [Output](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/stackexchange-scraper/output-schema) ยท ๐ฐ [Pricing](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/stackexchange-scraper/pricing) ยท โถ๏ธ [Examples](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/stackexchange-scraper/examples)**
Score & views popularity signals
Answers & tags plus author
JSON / CSV / Excel output formats
### What you get
Each record is one question, ready for a spreadsheet, a dashboard or a research dataset:
- **title** and **link**: the question and a direct link
- **score**: the net vote score
- **viewCount**: how many times it was viewed
- **answerCount** and **isAnswered**: answer activity
- **hasAcceptedAnswer**: whether an answer was accepted
- **tags**: the question tags
- **owner**, **ownerReputation**, **ownerLink**: who asked it
- **creationDate**, **lastActivityDate**: timestamps
- **observedAt**: when the record was captured
### Who is it for
| Use case | Who benefits |
|---|---|
| Developer research | Teams studying common problems and pain points |
| Content ideas | Writers and educators finding high-demand topics |
| Trend tracking | Analysts watching tag activity over time |
| Dashboards | Builders feeding question stats into their own apps |
### How to use it
1. Enter a **search keyword** (for example `python async await`).
2. Optionally pick a **site** (Stack Overflow, Server Fault, Super User and more) and a **sort** order.
3. Set **Max Items** and run. Export as JSON, CSV or Excel, or pull it through the Apify API.
### Frequently Asked Questions
**Can I search sites other than Stack Overflow?**
Yes. Set the site field to any Stack Exchange site such as `serverfault`, `superuser` or `askubuntu`.
**Can I sort by votes or by newest?**
Yes. Choose votes, recent activity, newest or relevance.
**Which fields are numeric?**
Score, view count, answer count and owner reputation are parsed as numbers so you can sort and filter directly.
**How fresh is the data?**
Scores and view counts are read live at run time, so each record reflects the moment of the run (see observedAt).
### Example use cases
Ready-to-run example tasks, each preconfigured for a common scenario. Open one and press run, or use it as a template:
- [Python Async Await questions and answers from Stack Overflow](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/stackexchange-scraper/examples/sx-python-async-await-votes): Search Stack Overflow for python async await questions and answers with vote counts, tags, answer counts, and accepted answer details.
- [Docker Compose Networking questions and answers from Stack Overflow](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/stackexchange-scraper/examples/sx-docker-compose-networking-activity): Search Stack Overflow for docker compose networking questions and answers with vote counts, tags, answer counts, and accepted answer details.
- [Kubernetes Ingress questions and answers from Stack Overflow](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/stackexchange-scraper/examples/sx-kubernetes-ingress-votes): Search Stack Overflow for kubernetes ingress questions and answers with vote counts, tags, answer counts, and accepted answer details.
- [SQL Window Functions questions and answers from Stack Overflow](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/stackexchange-scraper/examples/sx-sql-window-functions-relevance): Search Stack Overflow for sql window functions questions and answers with vote counts, tags, answer counts, and accepted answer details.
- [React Hooks questions and answers from Stack Overflow](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/stackexchange-scraper/examples/sx-react-hooks-votes): Search Stack Overflow for react hooks questions and answers with vote counts, tags, answer counts, and accepted answer details.
- [Rust Ownership questions and answers from Stack Overflow](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/stackexchange-scraper/examples/sx-rust-ownership-creation): Search Stack Overflow for rust ownership questions and answers with vote counts, tags, answer counts, and accepted answer details.
- [Linux Permissions questions and answers from Unix Stack Exchange](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/stackexchange-scraper/examples/sx-linux-permissions-unix-votes): Search Unix Stack Exchange for linux permissions questions and answers with vote counts, tags, answer counts, and accepted answer details.
- [Nginx Configuration questions and answers from Server Fault](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/stackexchange-scraper/examples/sx-nginx-config-serverfault-activity): Search Server Fault for nginx configuration questions and answers with vote counts, tags, answer counts, and accepted answer details.
- [Regression Analysis questions and answers from Cross Validated](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/stackexchange-scraper/examples/sx-regression-analysis-stats-votes): Search Cross Validated for regression analysis questions and answers with vote counts, tags, answer counts, and accepted answer details.
- [Linear Algebra questions and answers from Math Stack Exchange](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/stackexchange-scraper/examples/sx-linear-algebra-math-relevance): Search Math Stack Exchange for linear algebra questions and answers with vote counts, tags, answer counts, and accepted answer details.
### Related scrapers
- [GitHub Repositories Scraper](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/github-repositories-scraper)
- [NPM Packages Scraper](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/npm-packages-scraper)
- [Hacker News Scraper](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/hacker-news-scraper)
### More scrapers at scrapers.lat
This actor is built and maintained by [scrapers.lat](https://scrapers.lat), where we publish scrapers for public platforms: finance, news, real estate, jobs, e-commerce and government data. Browse the full catalog or ask us for a custom scraper at [scrapers.lat](https://scrapers.lat).
---
> This actor is an independent tool and has no affiliation with Stack Overflow or Stack Exchange. It only accesses publicly available question data. Use the results in accordance with the source's terms.
# Actor input Schema
## `searchQuery` (type: `string`):
Keyword to search questions (for example 'python async await', 'react hooks').
## `site` (type: `string`):
Which Stack Exchange site to search (for example 'stackoverflow', 'serverfault', 'superuser', 'askubuntu').
## `sortBy` (type: `string`):
Order the questions by votes, recent activity, creation date or relevance.
## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):
Maximum number of questions to collect.
## Actor input object example
```json
{
"searchQuery": "python async await",
"site": "stackoverflow",
"sortBy": "votes",
"maxItems": 50
}
````
# 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 = {
"searchQuery": "python async await",
"maxItems": 50
};
// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("scrapers_lat/stackexchange-scraper").call(input);
// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`๐พ 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);
});
// ๐ Want to learn more ๐? Go to โ 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 = {
"searchQuery": "python async await",
"maxItems": 50,
}
# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("scrapers_lat/stackexchange-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)
# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("๐พ Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
print(item)
# ๐ Want to learn more ๐? Go to โ https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start
```
## CLI example
```bash
echo '{
"searchQuery": "python async await",
"maxItems": 50
}' |
apify call scrapers_lat/stackexchange-scraper --silent --output-dataset
```
## MCP server setup
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"apify": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"mcp-remote",
"https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=scrapers_lat/stackexchange-scraper",
"--header",
"Authorization: Bearer "
]
}
}
}
```
## OpenAPI specification
```json
{
"openapi": "3.0.1",
"info": {
"title": "Stack Overflow Questions Scraper - Scores, Tags & Answers",
"description": "Scrape Stack Overflow and Stack Exchange questions by keyword with score, view count, answer count, tags, owner and links. Export to JSON, CSV or Excel.",
"version": "0.1",
"x-build-id": "c7aWVnm68jkzOGTek"
},
"servers": [
{
"url": "https://api.apify.com/v2"
}
],
"paths": {
"/acts/scrapers_lat~stackexchange-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": {
"post": {
"operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-scrapers_lat-stackexchange-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": {
"$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
}
}
}
},
"parameters": [
{
"name": "token",
"in": "query",
"required": true,
"schema": {
"type": "string"
},
"description": "Enter your Apify token here"
}
],
"responses": {
"200": {
"description": "OK"
}
}
}
},
"/acts/scrapers_lat~stackexchange-scraper/runs": {
"post": {
"operationId": "runs-sync-scrapers_lat-stackexchange-scraper",
"x-openai-isConsequential": false,
"summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.",
"tags": [
"Run Actor"
],
"requestBody": {
"required": true,
"content": {
"application/json": {
"schema": {
"$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": {
"$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema"
}
}
}
}
}
}
},
"/acts/scrapers_lat~stackexchange-scraper/run-sync": {
"post": {
"operationId": "run-sync-scrapers_lat-stackexchange-scraper",
"x-openai-isConsequential": false,
"summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.",
"tags": [
"Run Actor"
],
"requestBody": {
"required": true,
"content": {
"application/json": {
"schema": {
"$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",
"properties": {
"searchQuery": {
"title": "Search keyword",
"type": "string",
"description": "Keyword to search questions (for example 'python async await', 'react hooks')."
},
"site": {
"title": "Site",
"type": "string",
"description": "Which Stack Exchange site to search (for example 'stackoverflow', 'serverfault', 'superuser', 'askubuntu').",
"default": "stackoverflow"
},
"sortBy": {
"title": "Sort by",
"enum": [
"votes",
"activity",
"creation",
"relevance"
],
"type": "string",
"description": "Order the questions by votes, recent activity, creation date or relevance.",
"default": "votes"
},
"maxItems": {
"title": "Max Items",
"minimum": 1,
"maximum": 10000,
"type": "integer",
"description": "Maximum number of questions to collect."
}
}
},
"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
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
```