Website Tech Stack Scanner

Identify technologies used on any website - Fast, efficient tech stack detection with smart fallback mechanisms. Detect frameworks, libraries, CMS, WAFs, APIs, and more.

📋 What This Actor Does

Website Tech Stack Scanner efficiently identifies technologies powering any website. Using a smart multi-tier approach, it prioritizes fast, resource-light methods before resorting to browser rendering. Perfect for:

• Technology Research - Discover what technologies competitors use
• Lead Generation - Find websites built with specific tech stacks
• Security Analysis - Identify WAFs and security layers
• Development Planning - Research technology choices for projects
• Market Intelligence - Track technology adoption trends

✨ Key Features

• Smart Detection Strategy - HTTP headers → Static HTML → API probes → Browser rendering
• Comprehensive Analysis - Frameworks, CMS, libraries, WAFs, analytics, hosting
• WAF Detection - Identifies Cloudflare, Akamai, PerimeterX, Imperva, and more
• API Endpoint Probing - Discovers backend APIs and frameworks
• Fast & Efficient - Lightweight analysis before browser usage
• Structured Data - Extracts JSON-LD and Open Graph metadata

🚀 Quick Start

Basic Usage - Single Website

{
  "urls": ["https://example.com"],
  "maxConcurrency": 5
}

Advanced Usage - Multiple Sites with Deep Analysis

{
  "urls": [
    "https://example.com",
    "https://another-site.com"
  ],
  "maxConcurrency": 3,
  "usePlaywrightFallback": true,
  "probeApiEndpoints": true
}

Batch Analysis

{
  "urls": [
    "https://site1.com",
    "https://site2.com",
    "https://site3.com"
  ],
  "maxConcurrency": 5,
  "probeApiEndpoints": true
}

📊 Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description	Default
urls	array	Website URLs to analyze (required)	[]
maxConcurrency	integer	Concurrent requests (1-20)	5
usePlaywrightFallback	boolean	Use browser for client-side apps	true
probeApiEndpoints	boolean	Check common API endpoints	true
timeout	integer	Request timeout in seconds	30
proxyConfiguration	object	Proxy settings	{"useApifyProxy": true}

📈 Output Data Structure

Each website analysis includes:

{
  "url": "https://example.com",
  "status": "success",
  "technologies": {
    "frontend": ["React 18.2.0", "Next.js 13.4.0"],
    "backend": ["Node.js", "Express"],
    "cms": ["WordPress 6.3"],
    "analytics": ["Google Analytics", "Hotjar"],
    "hosting": ["Vercel"],
    "cdn": ["Cloudflare"],
    "libraries": ["jQuery 3.6.0", "Bootstrap 5.2"]
  },
  "waf": {
    "detected": true,
    "provider": "Cloudflare",
    "confidence": "high"
  },
  "apis": {
    "graphql": true,
    "rest": true,
    "endpoints": ["/api/v1", "/graphql"]
  },
  "metadata": {
    "title": "Example Website",
    "description": "Example description",
    "structuredData": {...}
  },
  "server": {
    "software": "nginx/1.21.0",
    "headers": {...}
  },
  "detectionMethod": "static",
  "scannedAt": "2024-12-11T10:30:00.000Z"
}

Output Fields

• url - Analyzed website URL
• status - Analysis status (success/failed/partial)
• technologies - Categorized tech stack
• waf - Web Application Firewall details
• apis - Discovered API endpoints
• metadata - Page metadata and structured data
• server - Server and hosting information
• detectionMethod - How technologies were detected (static/browser/mixed)
• scannedAt - Analysis timestamp

🎯 Detection Methods

1. HTTP Headers Analysis (Fastest)

• Server headers
• X-Powered-By headers
• Set-Cookie patterns
• Security headers

2. Static HTML Parsing

• Meta tags
• Script src attributes
• Link tags (stylesheets, fonts)
• HTML comments and patterns

3. API Endpoint Probing

• Common API paths: /api, /graphql, /_next/static
• CMS endpoints: /wp-json, /admin
• Framework-specific paths: /_nuxt/, /__nextjs_

4. Browser Rendering (Fallback)

• Window object inspection
• Dynamic content loading
• Client-side frameworks (React, Vue, Angular)
• JavaScript libraries

🔍 Detected Technologies

Frameworks & Libraries

• Frontend: React, Vue, Angular, Svelte, Next.js, Nuxt.js, Gatsby
• Backend: Express, Django, Laravel, Ruby on Rails, ASP.NET
• UI: Bootstrap, Tailwind CSS, Material-UI, Ant Design

CMS & Platforms

• WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, Shopify, Magento, Wix, Squarespace

WAFs & Security

• Cloudflare, Akamai, PerimeterX, Imperva, Kasada, Datadome

Analytics & Marketing

• Google Analytics, Tag Manager, Facebook Pixel, Hotjar, Mixpanel

Hosting & CDN

• Vercel, Netlify, AWS, GCP, Azure, Cloudflare, Fastly

⚡ Performance Tips

Recommended Settings

Use Case	URLs	Concurrency	Playwright	API Probe	Est. Time
Quick Check	1-5	5	false	false	~5-10s
Standard Analysis	5-20	3-5	true	true	~30-60s
Batch Processing	20-100	5-10	true	true	~2-5m

Cost Optimization

1. Disable Playwright for static sites (faster, cheaper)
2. Reduce concurrency to avoid rate limits
3. Use proxies for large batches
4. Filter URLs to analyze only relevant pages

🔧 Configuration Examples

Security Audit

{
  "urls": ["https://target-site.com"],
  "usePlaywrightFallback": false,
  "probeApiEndpoints": true,
  "maxConcurrency": 1
}

Competitor Analysis

{
  "urls": [
    "https://competitor1.com",
    "https://competitor2.com",
    "https://competitor3.com"
  ],
  "maxConcurrency": 5,
  "usePlaywrightFallback": true,
  "probeApiEndpoints": true
}

Lead Generation (Find WordPress Sites)

{
  "urls": ["https://site1.com", "https://site2.com"],
  "probeApiEndpoints": true,
  "usePlaywrightFallback": false
}

🆘 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Detection Incomplete

• Enable usePlaywrightFallback: true for SPA sites
• Some sites may block automated detection
• Try enabling proxy configuration

Timeout Errors

• Increase timeout value
• Reduce maxConcurrency
• Check if site is accessible

WAF Blocking

• Enable Apify Proxy
• Reduce request frequency
• Some WAFs may block all automated access

📄 License & Terms

This actor analyzes publicly accessible website information in accordance with ethical web scraping practices and applicable regulations.

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Keywords: tech stack detection, technology scanner, framework detection, CMS detection, WAF detection, website analysis, technology research, competitor analysis