# Sitemap URL Diff API (`soilair/sitemap-url-diff-api`) Actor

Expand public XML sitemaps and compare URLs with a previous snapshot. Return added and removed URLs with source sitemap and lastmod evidence; fail on incomplete crawls.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/soilair/sitemap-url-diff-api.md
- **Developed by:** [Salih Can Kurnaz](https://apify.com/soilair) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.30 / 1,000 sitemap url results

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

## Sitemap URL Diff API

Fetch a public XML sitemap or sitemap index, normalize its URLs, and compare them with a previous URL list. The dataset marks URLs as `ADDED`, `REMOVED`, or optionally `UNCHANGED`. Without a previous list, rows are marked `CURRENT` so you can save a baseline. Each row carries the source sitemap and any supplied `lastmod` value; `lastmod` is **not** treated as proof that a page changed.

### Input

| Field | Purpose |
| --- | --- |
| `sitemapUrl` | Public sitemap URL or site root. Root URLs use `robots.txt` declarations when available, otherwise `/sitemap.xml`. |
| `previousUrls` | Exact URL list from an earlier snapshot; omit it for a baseline. |
| `includeUnchanged` | Include unchanged URLs during comparison. |
| `maxUrls`, `maxSitemaps` | Safety caps. Exceeding either fails the run rather than producing false removal alerts. |

Example comparison input:

```json
{"sitemapUrl":"https://docs.apify.com/cli/sitemap.xml","previousUrls":["https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs"]}
```

For repeat monitoring, export the current URLs from one run and pass them as `previousUrls` on the next scheduled/API run. A baseline run does not silently claim changes. Results are available through Apify's dataset API in JSON, CSV, and Excel; counts and completeness are saved in the `OUTPUT` record.

### Limits and billing

Only public HTTP(S) hosts are fetched. XML, gzip, redirects, file size, URL count, and sitemap count are bounded. The Actor is billed per emitted result row; a run that exceeds a completeness limit fails before emitting or charging rows. The Actor does not crawl the pages listed in a sitemap. A missing URL can indicate a sitemap editorial change rather than a removed web page.

# Actor input Schema

## `sitemapUrl` (type: `string`):

Public http(s) URL of a sitemap XML, sitemap index, or website root. For a root, robots.txt sitemap declarations are checked first.

## `previousUrls` (type: `array`):

Optional list of URLs from an earlier snapshot. Additions and removals are computed against this exact list; leave empty to create a baseline.

## `includeUnchanged` (type: `boolean`):

When comparing, include unchanged URLs in the dataset as well as added and removed URLs.

## `maxUrls` (type: `integer`):

Fail without reporting removals if this limit is exceeded. Prevents false removal alerts from incomplete snapshots.

## `maxSitemaps` (type: `integer`):

Upper bound on nested sitemap files fetched. A run fails if a larger index cannot be fully examined.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "sitemapUrl": "https://docs.apify.com/cli/sitemap.xml",
  "previousUrls": [],
  "includeUnchanged": false,
  "maxUrls": 5000,
  "maxSitemaps": 25
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

## `summary` (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 = {};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("soilair/sitemap-url-diff-api").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 = {}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("soilair/sitemap-url-diff-api").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 '{}' |
apify call soilair/sitemap-url-diff-api --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,soilair/sitemap-url-diff-api"
        }
    }
}
```

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/PzcCQaFfBQDdFjg8c/builds/vfGuK80rQKsh6qC1m/openapi.json