# HTTP Status Batch Checker (`stellar_ballet_0bu/http-status-batch`) Actor

Check the status of many public URLs in parallel via HEAD (with GET fallback). Records the final status, the redirect chain, response time, and content type. Useful for link-rot audits and sitemap URL validation.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/stellar\_ballet\_0bu/http-status-batch.md
- **Developed by:** [Nikita S](https://apify.com/stellar_ballet_0bu) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, Other
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

Pay per usage

This Actor is paid per platform usage. The Actor is free to use, and you only pay for the Apify platform usage, which gets cheaper the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-usage

## 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

## HTTP Status Batch Checker

Bulk-check the status of many public URLs in parallel. Records the final status, full redirect chain, response time, and `Content-Type`. Useful for link-rot audits, sitemap URL validation, and SEO migration QA.

### What it does

- Hits a list of public HTTP(S) URLs in parallel (default 16, configurable up to 64).
- Uses HEAD by default with a GET fallback when the server rejects HEAD.
- Walks the redirect chain (`301 / 302 / 303 / 307 / 308`) up to `maxRedirects` hops and records every hop with its status and `Location` header.
- Records `elapsedMs`, final URL after redirects, `contentType`, and `hops` count.
- Returns `ok: true` for `200 ≤ status < 400`, `ok: false` for everything else.
- Pure data utility. Public URLs only — no auth, no anti-bot bypass, no JS rendering.

### Who it is for

- **SEO teams** running link-rot audits on large sitemaps or content inventories.
- **Migration / launch QA** — confirm every old URL still resolves and doesn't loop.
- **Web agencies** that need a fast bulk status check for a client handover.
- **Backlink / partner audits** that need a quick pass/fail check on hundreds of URLs.
- **DevOps / SRE** smoke-checks after DNS or CDN changes.

### Quick start

```json
{
  "urls": [
    "https://apify.com",
    "https://example.com",
    "https://this-domain-definitely-does-not-exist-12345.example/"
  ]
}
````

Each input URL produces one dataset row:

```json
{
  "url": "https://apify.com",
  "finalUrl": "https://apify.com/",
  "status": 200,
  "ok": true,
  "contentType": "text/html; charset=utf-8",
  "elapsedMs": 423,
  "hops": 0,
  "redirectChain": [
    { "url": "https://apify.com", "status": 200, "location": null }
  ],
  "error": null
}
```

### Input

| Field | Type | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| `urls` | string\[] (required) | — | Public HTTP(S) URLs to check. |
| `method` | string | `HEAD` | `HEAD` or `GET`. Some servers reject HEAD; switch to `GET` for them. |
| `timeoutSec` | int | `15` | Per-URL timeout in seconds. |
| `userAgent` | string | `ApifyHttpStatusBatch/0.2` | Override the User-Agent header. |
| `maxRedirects` | int | `5` | Cap on redirect hops to follow. |
| `concurrency` | int | `16` | Number of URLs to check in parallel. |

### Output

Dataset rows: one per input URL with `finalUrl`, `status`, `ok`, `contentType`, `elapsedMs`, `hops`, `redirectChain[]`, and `error` (if any).

`SUMMARY` KV record: `{ urls, method, concurrency }`.

### Pricing

This Actor is **Pay Per Event** on the Apify Store:

- `apify-actor-start` — flat per run.
- `url_checked` — charged once per input URL.

For local tests, `Actor.charge` is a no-op (no usage billed, no payout).

### Limits

- Designed for **public** HTTP(S) URLs. Login-walled, cookie-walled, or anti-bot endpoints are out of scope.
- Does not execute JavaScript — only what the HTTP server returns in the response.
- Per-URL timeouts are absolute; an unreachable URL still consumes its slot for `timeoutSec` seconds.
- `maxRedirects` defaults to 5 to avoid being trapped by redirect loops.

### FAQ

**Q: Why does my URL return 405 / 403 with HEAD?**
A: Some servers reject HEAD. Switch `method` to `GET` for those URLs.

**Q: Can I check 10,000 URLs at once?**
A: Yes — bump `concurrency` to 32 or 64. The Actor does not impose a hard input limit, but memory and platform usage will scale with input size.

**Q: How does this differ from `url-redirect-loop-detector`?**
A: `url-redirect-loop-detector` is focused on detecting redirect loops and chain length on a small list. `http-status-batch` is a broad pass/fail link-rot check that records the full chain for every URL.

**Q: Can I check a private/intranet URL?**
A: Only if the Actor host can reach it over plain HTTP(S) without auth.

### Related Actors

- [`url-redirect-loop-detector`](https://apify.com/stellar_ballet_0bu/url-redirect-loop-detector) — focused loop detection for individual URLs.
- [`url-safety-prober`](https://apify.com/stellar_ballet_0bu/url-safety-prober) — TLS / protocol / redirect-target safety probe.
- [`sitemap-delta-monitor`](https://apify.com/stellar_ballet_0bu/sitemap-delta-monitor) — feed discovered URLs into this Actor for bulk status check.
- [`security-headers-validator`](https://apify.com/stellar_ballet_0bu/security-headers-validator) — once a URL is confirmed up, validate its security headers.

### Support

Open an issue on the Actor's Apify Store page (`Report an issue` link on the right rail) or contact the developer through the Store profile.

### License

MIT — see Apify Store page for the canonical text.

# Actor input Schema

## `urls` (type: `array`):

Public HTTP(S) URLs to check.

## `concurrency` (type: `integer`):

How many URLs to check in parallel.

## `method` (type: `string`):

HTTP method. GET is heavier on the target but more universally supported.

## `timeoutSec` (type: `integer`):

Abort a fetch after this many seconds.

## `userAgent` (type: `string`):

User-Agent header to send.

## `maxRedirects` (type: `integer`):

Follow up to this many redirects. The chain is recorded in the output.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "urls": [],
  "concurrency": 16,
  "method": "HEAD",
  "timeoutSec": 15,
  "userAgent": "ApifyHttpStatusBatch/0.1",
  "maxRedirects": 5
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `rows` (type: `string`):

One row per input URL with finalUrl, status, ok (200<=status<400), contentType, elapsedMs, hops, redirectChain\[{url,status,location}], error.

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

Run summary with urls count, HTTP method, and concurrency used.

# 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("stellar_ballet_0bu/http-status-batch").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("stellar_ballet_0bu/http-status-batch").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 '{}' |
apify call stellar_ballet_0bu/http-status-batch --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=stellar_ballet_0bu/http-status-batch",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

```json
{
    "openapi": "3.0.1",
    "info": {
        "title": "HTTP Status Batch Checker",
        "description": "Check the status of many public URLs in parallel via HEAD (with GET fallback). Records the final status, the redirect chain, response time, and content type. Useful for link-rot audits and sitemap URL validation.",
        "version": "0.2",
        "x-build-id": "QWtqr1LGTNfEfFkmy"
    },
    "servers": [
        {
            "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2"
        }
    ],
    "paths": {
        "/acts/stellar_ballet_0bu~http-status-batch/run-sync-get-dataset-items": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-stellar_ballet_0bu-http-status-batch",
                "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": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/stellar_ballet_0bu~http-status-batch/runs": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "runs-sync-stellar_ballet_0bu-http-status-batch",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$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": {
                                    "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema"
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/stellar_ballet_0bu~http-status-batch/run-sync": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-stellar_ballet_0bu-http-status-batch",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$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",
                "required": [
                    "urls"
                ],
                "properties": {
                    "urls": {
                        "title": "URLs",
                        "type": "array",
                        "description": "Public HTTP(S) URLs to check.",
                        "default": [],
                        "items": {
                            "type": "string"
                        }
                    },
                    "concurrency": {
                        "title": "Concurrency",
                        "type": "integer",
                        "description": "How many URLs to check in parallel.",
                        "default": 16
                    },
                    "method": {
                        "title": "Method",
                        "enum": [
                            "HEAD",
                            "GET"
                        ],
                        "type": "string",
                        "description": "HTTP method. GET is heavier on the target but more universally supported.",
                        "default": "HEAD"
                    },
                    "timeoutSec": {
                        "title": "Per-request timeout (seconds)",
                        "type": "integer",
                        "description": "Abort a fetch after this many seconds.",
                        "default": 15
                    },
                    "userAgent": {
                        "title": "User-Agent",
                        "type": "string",
                        "description": "User-Agent header to send.",
                        "default": "ApifyHttpStatusBatch/0.1"
                    },
                    "maxRedirects": {
                        "title": "Max redirects",
                        "type": "integer",
                        "description": "Follow up to this many redirects. The chain is recorded in the output.",
                        "default": 5
                    }
                }
            },
            "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
                                    }
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}
```