# Circle.so Community Scraper — Public Community Metadata (`vsekar91/circle-community-scraper`) Actor Extract publicly visible metadata from Circle.so community landing pages — community name, description, member count, pricing tiers, tags, and creator info. Targets public-facing landing pages only; no login required. - **URL**: https://apify.com/vsekar91/circle-community-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Venkatesh Sekar](https://apify.com/vsekar91) (community) - **Categories:** E-commerce - **Stats:** 3 total users, 2 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN 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 ## Circle Community Scraper Extract publicly visible metadata from [Circle.so](https://circle.so) community landing pages — community name, description, member count, pricing tiers, tags, and creator info. ### How it works Circle communities are hosted at `.circle.so` or on custom domains. The public landing page renders community metadata server-side in a mix of OG/meta tags, `__NEXT_DATA__` JSON (where present), and visible HTML. The actor: 1. Normalises each input URL. 2. Fetches the landing page using a full Chrome browser fingerprint (User-Agent + Sec-Fetch-* headers). 3. Detects Cloudflare challenge pages and retries up to 3× with a fresh proxy IP. 4. Parses community data from `__NEXT_DATA__`, OG tags, JSON-LD, and visible HTML — in that priority order. #### Cloudflare bypass Circle community subdomains are served behind Cloudflare bot management. Plain datacenter IPs will hit a Turnstile/JS-challenge page. **Apify Residential proxies are required for reliable scraping.** The actor detects CF challenge pages and rotates to a fresh residential IP on each retry. ### Input | Field | Type | Default | Description | |---|---|---|---| | `communityUrls` | stringList | — | Public Circle community URLs (required) | | `maxConcurrency` | integer | 3 | Parallel fetches | | `proxyConfiguration` | proxy | Residential | Proxy — residential strongly recommended | **Accepted URL formats:** - `https://myslug.circle.so` — Circle-hosted subdomain - `https://community.mysite.com` — Custom domain pointing to Circle The community must have a public-facing landing page. Private communities (login-only) will return a `403` or redirect to a login page. ### Output schema (per community) ```json { "url": "https://ship30for30.circle.so", "slug": "ship30for30", "name": "Ship 30 for 30", "description": "A community for writers who want to publish every day for 30 days.", "cover_image_url": "https://...", "member_count": 4200, "pricing": [ { "raw_price_text": "$29/month", "price_usd": 29.0, "interval": "month", "name": null }, { "raw_price_text": "$199/year", "price_usd": 199.0, "interval": "year", "name": null } ], "is_free": false, "tags": ["Writing", "Accountability"], "creator_name": "Dickie Bush", "creator_url": null, "og_title": "Ship 30 for 30", "og_description": "...", "og_image": "https://..." } ```` Communities that fail after all retries are still pushed with an `"error"` field: ```json { "url": "https://private.circle.so", "error": "http_403" } { "url": "https://blocked.circle.so", "error": "max_retries_exceeded" } ``` ### Notes - **No explore/directory page:** Circle.so does not provide a public community directory. You must supply individual community URLs. Known communities can be found via web search (`site:*.circle.so`). - **Private communities:** Most Circle content is private. Only communities with a public landing page are scrapeable. If a community requires login to view *any* content, it will return `error: "http_403"`. - **Cloudflare protection:** Circle's CDN applies bot scoring to community subdomains. Apify Residential proxies bypass this; datacenter proxies may not. - **Pricing detection:** Pricing is extracted from visible HTML via regex patterns. Circle does not consistently embed pricing in machine-readable form, so detection is best-effort. Always verify against the actual page. - **Member count:** Available only if the community displays it publicly on the landing page. # Actor input Schema ## `communityUrls` (type: `array`): Public Circle.so community landing page URLs. Accepted formats: https://myslug.circle.so or a custom domain like https://community.mysite.com (if it is Circle-powered). Each URL must resolve to a public Circle community landing page — private communities will return a 403/login-wall. ## `maxConcurrency` (type: `integer`): How many community pages to fetch in parallel. ## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`): Proxy for outbound requests. Circle.so community subdomains are served behind Cloudflare bot protection. Apify Residential proxies are strongly recommended to avoid CAPTCHAs. ## Actor input object example ```json { "communityUrls": [ "https://ship30for30.circle.so" ], "maxConcurrency": 3, "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": [ "RESIDENTIAL" ] } } ``` # 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 '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "communityUrls": [ "https://ship30for30.circle.so" ] }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("vsekar91/circle-community-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 '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "communityUrls": ["https://ship30for30.circle.so"] } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("vsekar91/circle-community-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 '{ "communityUrls": [ "https://ship30for30.circle.so" ] }' | apify call vsekar91/circle-community-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=vsekar91/circle-community-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Circle.so Community Scraper — Public Community Metadata", "description": "Extract publicly visible metadata from Circle.so community landing pages — community name, description, member count, pricing tiers, tags, and creator info. Targets public-facing landing pages only; no login required.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "aQ3vGX6Q9tHoUAQ7m" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/vsekar91~circle-community-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-vsekar91-circle-community-scraper", "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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/vsekar91~circle-community-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-vsekar91-circle-community-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/vsekar91~circle-community-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-vsekar91-circle-community-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": [ "communityUrls" ], "properties": { "communityUrls": { "title": "Community URLs", "type": "array", "description": "Public Circle.so community landing page URLs. Accepted formats: https://myslug.circle.so or a custom domain like https://community.mysite.com (if it is Circle-powered). Each URL must resolve to a public Circle community landing page — private communities will return a 403/login-wall.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "maxConcurrency": { "title": "Max concurrent fetches", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 10, "type": "integer", "description": "How many community pages to fetch in parallel.", "default": 3 }, "proxyConfiguration": { "title": "Proxy configuration", "type": "object", "description": "Proxy for outbound requests. Circle.so community subdomains are served behind Cloudflare bot protection. Apify Residential proxies are strongly recommended to avoid CAPTCHAs.", "default": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": [ "RESIDENTIAL" ] } } } }, "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 } } } } } } } } } } ```