# Product Hunt Daily Scraper (`smorgi_apps/product-hunt-daily-scraper`) Actor

- **URL**: https://apify.com/smorgi\_apps/product-hunt-daily-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Smorgi Apps](https://apify.com/smorgi_apps) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, News, AI
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.00 / 1,000 product hunt launches

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

## Product Hunt Daily Scraper — Pay Per Result

Scrape **Product Hunt daily launch leaderboards** — product name, tagline, votes, rank, topics, and links.

Two data paths:

1. **Public SSR (no token)** — fetches the daily leaderboard page and parses embedded Apollo SSR JSON (~20 featured launches per day).
2. **Official API v2 (optional token)** — GraphQL with pagination for full daily archives.

**Store search keywords:** Product Hunt scraper · PH daily launches · product hunt leaderboard · startup launches · PH API

***

### Why this Actor

| Need | What you get |
|------|----------------|
| Daily launch monitoring | Ranked products with votes, comments, topics |
| Historical days | `dates` array or `daysBack` for batch pulls |
| Failures that shouldn’t bill | Empty days / HTTP errors → **not charged** |
| Reliability wedge | HTTP-only (no browser); backoff + clear rate-limit docs |

***

### Input

```json
{
  "dates": ["2025-08-01"],
  "maxItems": 100,
  "topics": ["artificial-intelligence"],
  "category": "all",
  "requestDelayMs": 500
}
```

For full pagination beyond ~20 launches/day, add a free developer token:

```json
{
  "dates": ["2025-08-01"],
  "apiToken": "YOUR_PH_TOKEN",
  "maxItems": 500
}
```

Register at [Product Hunt API v2 docs](https://api.producthunt.com/v2/docs). You can also set `PH_API_TOKEN` as an environment variable.

***

### Endpoints used

| Mode | Endpoint | Auth |
|------|----------|------|
| SSR (default) | `GET https://www.producthunt.com/leaderboard/daily/{year}/{month}/{day}/{category}` | None (public page HTML) |
| API (optional) | `POST https://api.producthunt.com/v2/api/graphql` | Bearer token (`apiToken` or `PH_API_TOKEN`) |

The SSR path reads `ApolloSSRDataTransport` JSON embedded in the public leaderboard HTML (same data the website renders). The site’s internal `/frontend/graphql` endpoint is **not** used — it rejects unauthenticated client calls.

***

### Output fields

| Field | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| `postId` | Product Hunt post ID |
| `name` | Product / launch name |
| `slug` | Post slug |
| `tagline` | One-line description |
| `productSlug` | Parent product slug when available |
| `launchDate` | Leaderboard date (YYYY-MM-DD) |
| `dailyRank` | Daily leaderboard rank |
| `weeklyRank` | Weekly rank when exposed |
| `monthlyRank` | Monthly rank when exposed |
| `votesCount` | Upvote count (`latestScore` in SSR, `votesCount` in API) |
| `launchDayScore` | Launch-day score (SSR only) |
| `commentsCount` | Comment count |
| `websiteUrl` | Product website (API mode) |
| `productHuntUrl` | Canonical Product Hunt post URL |
| `thumbnailUrl` | Thumbnail image URL |
| `featuredAt` | Feature timestamp |
| `createdAt` | Post creation timestamp |
| `topics` | Array of `{ id, name, slug }` |
| `makers` | Array of `{ id, name, username }` when present |
| `source` | `ssr` or `api` |
| `scrapedAt` | ISO timestamp of this run |

***

### Pricing

Pay-per-event for each **delivered** launch row (`apify-default-dataset-item`).

- Empty result days and HTTP failures → **not charged**

**~$0.50 / 1,000 launches** on the Store pricing tab (HTTP-only; empty pages free).

***

### Limitations (honest)

- **Terms of Service:** Product Hunt’s [Terms](https://www.producthunt.com/legal) apply. This Actor reads public leaderboard pages and/or the official documented API. Respect rate limits and do not hammer the site.
- **SSR cap:** Without `apiToken`, each day returns roughly the first ~20 featured launches embedded in the page (ads are skipped). Logs warn when more pages exist.
- **Rate limits:** Cloudflare and Product Hunt may return 403/429 under heavy traffic — use `requestDelayMs` (default 500 ms) and optional Apify Proxy.
- **Official API:** ~450 requests / 15 min and query complexity limits apply per [API docs](https://api.producthunt.com/v2/docs). Token required for API mode.
- **Topic filter:** `topics` filters client-side after fetch (both SSR and API modes).
- **Historical depth:** Very old dates may 404 on leaderboard URLs; API mode may work better for deep history.

***

Issues / feature requests: use the Actor **Issues** tab.

# Actor input Schema

## `dates` (type: `array`):

Optional explicit dates (YYYY-MM-DD). Overrides daysBack when provided.

## `daysBack` (type: `integer`):

When dates is empty, scrape today and the previous N-1 calendar days (UTC).

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Cap total launches across all dates (after filters).

## `topics` (type: `array`):

Optional topic slugs to keep (client-side filter), e.g. artificial-intelligence, developer-tools.

## `category` (type: `string`):

Leaderboard path segment for SSR mode. Use "all" for the full daily board, or a PH topic slug when supported.

## `apiToken` (type: `string`):

Optional Bearer token for official API v2 GraphQL (enables pagination beyond ~20/day). Free developer token: https://api.producthunt.com/v2/docs. Can also set PH\_API\_TOKEN env var.

## `preferApi` (type: `boolean`):

When apiToken is set, use official GraphQL (recommended). Set false to force public SSR scrape.

## `requestDelayMs` (type: `integer`):

Throttle between HTTP/API calls. Product Hunt may rate-limit aggressive traffic.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Residential proxy recommended — Product Hunt rate-limits Apify datacenter IPs (HTTP 429).

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "dates": [
    "2026-08-01"
  ],
  "daysBack": 1,
  "maxItems": 10,
  "topics": [],
  "category": "all",
  "preferApi": true,
  "requestDelayMs": 500,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `launches` (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 = {
    "dates": [
        "2026-08-01"
    ],
    "daysBack": 1,
    "maxItems": 10,
    "topics": [],
    "category": "all"
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("smorgi_apps/product-hunt-daily-scraper").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 = {
    "dates": ["2026-08-01"],
    "daysBack": 1,
    "maxItems": 10,
    "topics": [],
    "category": "all",
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("smorgi_apps/product-hunt-daily-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "dates": [
    "2026-08-01"
  ],
  "daysBack": 1,
  "maxItems": 10,
  "topics": [],
  "category": "all"
}' |
apify call smorgi_apps/product-hunt-daily-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=smorgi_apps/product-hunt-daily-scraper",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/FQssVyMJ0Eo9eyKhx/builds/tvpdSCobFUExVgYjc/openapi.json