# Universal News Scraper (`xtracto/smart-news-loader`) Actor Fetch any news article URL and extract its full content - **URL**: https://apify.com/xtracto/smart-news-loader.md - **Developed by:** [Farhan Febrian Nauval](https://apify.com/xtracto) (community) - **Categories:** News - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $10.00 / 1,000 results 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/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## 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 ## Smart News Loader Fetch any news article URL and extract its full content using **adaptive, rotating HTTP methods**. Automatically escalates from lightweight standard requests to advanced TLS impersonation, then reports exactly why a page failed if it cannot be loaded. ### How It Works For each URL, the actor tries HTTP methods in order from fastest/lightest to most capable The first method that returns HTTP 200 with usable content wins. Once HTML is retrieved, content is extracted using **trafilatura** (best-in-class article extractor) with an HTML fallback using Open Graph tags and `

` text. If all methods fail, the actor reports the exact reason - anti-bot protection, authentication, rate limits, network errors, and more. ### Input ```json { "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2026/...", "urls": [ "https://apnews.com/article/...", "https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/..." ], "timeout": 20 } ```` | Parameter | Type | Default | Description | |-----------|------|---------|-------------| | `url` | string | - | Single article URL to fetch. | | `urls` | array | `[]` | Multiple article URLs to process in sequence. | | `timeout` | integer | `20` | Per-method request timeout in seconds (5–60). | ### Output #### Successful extraction ```json { "url": "https://apnews.com/article/...", "status": "ok", "method_used": "httpx", "http_status": 200, "title": "Pope Leo XIV holds first public Mass at St. Peter's Square", "author": "Nicole Winfield", "date": "2026-04-19", "description": "Thousands gathered in St. Peter's Square...", "content": "VATICAN CITY (AP) - Thousands of faithful gathered...", "word_count": 742, "error": null } ``` #### Blocked / protected page ```json { "url": "https://www.ft.com/content/...", "status": "blocked", "method_used": null, "http_status": 403, "title": "", "author": "", "date": "", "description": "", "content": "", "word_count": 0, "error": "Access blocked (HTTP 403) - anti-bot protection active (e.g. Cloudflare, DataDome, PerimeterX). All HTTP methods exhausted; browser automation (Playwright/Camoufox) may be required." } ``` #### Other error states | `status` | Cause | Example `error` | |----------|-------|-----------------| | `ok` | Successfully fetched and extracted | `null` | | `blocked` | Anti-bot / auth protection on all methods | `"Access blocked (HTTP 403) - ..."` | | `error` | URL gone, network failure, timeout | `"Not found (HTTP 404) - URL may be invalid..."` | ### Supported Failure Reasons The actor identifies and explains these failure modes: - **HTTP 403** - Cloudflare, DataDome, PerimeterX, or other WAF; browser required - **HTTP 401** - Login / subscription paywall - **HTTP 429** - Rate limiting; back off before retrying - **HTTP 404** - Article deleted or URL invalid - **HTTP 410** - Article permanently removed - **SSL/TLS error** - Certificate failure or TLS handshake rejection - **Timeout** - Server unresponsive within the timeout window - **Connection failed** - DNS failure, network unreachable, or domain offline ### Notes - Works on any publicly accessible news URL - For hard-paywalled or JS-rendered sites, consider using a dedicated scraper with browser support - `word_count` reflects the extracted article body, not the full page HTML # Actor input Schema ## `url` (type: `string`): Single news article URL to fetch and extract. ## `urls` (type: `array`): List of news article URLs to fetch and extract in sequence. ## `timeout` (type: `integer`): HTTP request timeout per method attempt. Default 20s. ## Actor input object example ```json { "url": "", "urls": [], "timeout": 20 } ``` # 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 = {}; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("xtracto/smart-news-loader").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/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = {} # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("xtracto/smart-news-loader").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{}' | apify call xtracto/smart-news-loader --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=xtracto/smart-news-loader", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Universal News Scraper", "description": "Fetch any news article URL and extract its full content", "version": "1.0", "x-build-id": "sfqGivD05pPehm6tv" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/xtracto~smart-news-loader/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-xtracto-smart-news-loader", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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/xtracto~smart-news-loader/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-xtracto-smart-news-loader", "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/xtracto~smart-news-loader/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-xtracto-smart-news-loader", "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", "properties": { "url": { "title": "Article URL", "type": "string", "description": "Single news article URL to fetch and extract.", "default": "" }, "urls": { "title": "Article URLs", "type": "array", "description": "List of news article URLs to fetch and extract in sequence.", "items": { "type": "string" }, "default": [] }, "timeout": { "title": "Timeout (seconds)", "minimum": 5, "maximum": 60, "type": "integer", "description": "HTTP request timeout per method attempt. Default 20s.", "default": 20 } } }, "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 } } } } } } } } } } ```