# DramaBox Video Downloader - Free Episodes to MP4 (`spider_studio/dramabox-chapter-download`) Actor

Download available free DramaBox episodes as MP4 files in bulk. Enter book IDs to get saved videos, episode details and download status for each drama. Pay only for successfully saved episode videos; Apify platform usage is charged separately.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/spider\_studio/dramabox-chapter-download.md
- **Developed by:** [Tarique](https://apify.com/spider_studio) (community)
- **Stats:** 13 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.50 / 1,000 successfully saved episode videos

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

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

## DramaBox Video Downloader

Download available free **DramaBox episodes as MP4 files** from a list of book IDs. DramaBox Video Downloader saves the videos and returns episode details, file links and download status for each drama, ready for review or your next workflow.

### What can you download?

- Available free episode videos for each requested DramaBox drama.
- Episode IDs, titles, ordering and download status.
- Saved MP4 files with download links in the run results.
- A per-drama download report, including skipped and failed episodes.

The Actor downloads episodes that DramaBox makes available. Locked or paid episodes are skipped. Availability varies by title and can change over time.

### How to download DramaBox episodes

1. Open the **Input** tab and enter your drama IDs in **Book Ids**. The form includes an example ID to get started.
2. Click **Start** and wait for the run to finish.
3. Open **Results** to review each drama and its episode download statuses.
4. Use the `video_url` links to download saved MP4 files. You can also open **Video files and manifests** to browse the files and download reports.

For one drama, enter a list containing one ID. For bulk downloads, enter up to 1,000 IDs. Duplicate IDs are processed once per run.

### Input example

```json
{
  "book_ids": ["42000004343"]
}
```

| Input | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `book_ids` | Required list of 1–1,000 DramaBox book IDs. Each ID must be a string containing 1–20 digits. |

A book ID is the numeric drama identifier in a DramaBox video page URL. You can also collect book IDs with [DramaBox Search Scraper](https://apify.com/spider_studio/dramabox-drama-search).

### Output example

Each requested book ID produces one result containing the drama, its episode list and download counts. This shortened example shows one saved episode:

```json
{
  "book_id": "42000004343",
  "book_name": "Example drama",
  "chapter_count": 3,
  "downloaded_count": 1,
  "failed_download_count": 0,
  "skipped_count": 2,
  "manifest_key": "manifest-42000004343",
  "chapters": [
    {
      "chapter_id": "700278553",
      "chapter_index": 0,
      "chapter_name": "Episode 1",
      "download_status": "downloaded",
      "video_key": "video-42000004343-700278553",
      "video_url": "https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/STORE_ID/records/video-42000004343-700278553",
      "file_size": 18366455
    }
  ],
  "success": true,
  "error": null
}
```

| Field | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `book_id`, `book_name` | Requested drama ID and title. |
| `chapter_count` | Number of episodes reported for the drama. |
| `downloaded_count` | Number of episode videos saved successfully. |
| `failed_download_count` | Number of episode videos that could not be saved. |
| `skipped_count` | Number of episodes without an available download. |
| `chapters` | Episode details, download status and saved file links when available. |
| `manifest_key` | Download report for this drama. |
| `success`, `error` | Whether at least one video was saved with no failed episode downloads, and the error message if unsuccessful. |

Download statuses are `downloaded`, `skipped` or `failed`. Completed videos remain available if another episode fails. The run summary reports saved episode videos, charged episode videos, failed book requests and whether the result spending limit was reached. Episodes skipped because the limit was reached include `skip_reason: "spending_limit"` and are not charged.

Export episode data as JSON, CSV or Excel. MP4 videos are separate files accessed through their download links.

### Pricing

The result fee is charged **per episode video successfully downloaded and saved**. A drama with ten saved episode videos incurs ten result charges.

| Apify account plan | Per saved episode video | Per 1,000 saved episode videos |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free | $0.0035 | $3.50 |
| Any paid plan | $0.0025 | $2.50 |

A billable result is one episode with a successfully saved MP4 video and `download_status: "downloaded"`. Returning an episode list or a source video URL alone does not incur a result fee.

Failed or skipped episodes and dramas with no downloadable videos have **no result fee**. If some episodes fail, you pay only for the episodes that were saved successfully. Duplicate book IDs within the same run do not add fees. There is no Actor start fee or additional per-drama fee.

**Apify platform usage is charged separately to the user**, including compute, proxy traffic, data transfer and storage according to Apify's applicable rates. Platform usage can still apply when a download fails. For example, ten saved episodes from one drama cost $0.035 on a Free plan or $0.025 on a paid plan, plus platform usage. Check the run's usage before scheduling large batches.

### Related DramaBox Actors

Use these Actors for other parts of your DramaBox workflow:

| Actor | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| [DramaBox Search Scraper](https://apify.com/spider_studio/dramabox-drama-search) | Find dramas by keyword and collect IDs, titles and listing metadata. |
| [DramaBox Rankings Scraper](https://apify.com/spider_studio/dramabox-drama-rank) | Discover titles from the Most Watched, Most Searched and New Dramas rankings. |
| [DramaBox Actor Profile Scraper](https://apify.com/spider_studio/dramabox-performer-detail) | Collect performer profiles, biographies and drama credits. |
| [DramaBox Drama Details Scraper](https://apify.com/spider_studio/dramabox-drama-detail) | Retrieve drama metadata, cast information and episode indexes by Book ID. |
| [DramaBox Episodes Scraper](https://apify.com/spider_studio/dramabox-drama-chapters) | Collect chapter lists and temporary playback URLs for available free episodes. |

### Common questions

#### Can this Actor download every episode of a DramaBox drama?

It attempts every episode with an available free video. It does not unlock paid episodes. The number of saved videos depends on what is available for that title.

#### Is the fee per episode or per drama?

Per successfully saved episode video. A drama with ten saved videos incurs ten result fees: $0.035 on a Free plan or $0.025 on a paid plan, plus platform usage.

#### What happens if a download fails?

The result includes the failure and episode statuses. Videos that were already saved remain available and count toward the result fee. Failed and skipped episodes have no result fee; other book IDs continue.

#### Can I automate bulk downloads?

Use the **API** tab to call the Actor from your application, or save the input as an Apify task and schedule runs. Each run processes duplicate IDs once; the same ID in a later run is a new request.

#### Where can I get help?

Use the **Issues** tab and include the affected book ID and run link.

# Actor input Schema

## `book_ids` (type: `array`):

DramaBox book IDs to collect. Enter one ID per item; duplicate IDs are processed once.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "book_ids": [
    "42000004343"
  ]
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `dataset` (type: `string`):

No description

## `summary` (type: `string`):

No description

## `files` (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 = {
    "book_ids": [
        "42000004343"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("spider_studio/dramabox-chapter-download").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 = { "book_ids": ["42000004343"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("spider_studio/dramabox-chapter-download").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 '{
  "book_ids": [
    "42000004343"
  ]
}' |
apify call spider_studio/dramabox-chapter-download --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,spider_studio/dramabox-chapter-download"
        }
    }
}
```

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/eVvzo2tmvjJedxE8x/builds/kC9Ana4hlgxHLH41R/openapi.json