diff --git a/apify-docs-theme/src/config.js b/apify-docs-theme/src/config.js index 5cb7c0b85e..7b6104f382 100644 --- a/apify-docs-theme/src/config.js +++ b/apify-docs-theme/src/config.js @@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ const themeConfig = { href: 'https://github.com/apify', }, { - label: 'Actor Whitepaper', + label: 'Actor whitepaper', href: 'https://whitepaper.actor', }, ], diff --git a/sources/platform/actors/images/apify-actor-drawing.png b/sources/platform/actors/images/apify-actor-drawing.png new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..1e57b23cef Binary files /dev/null and b/sources/platform/actors/images/apify-actor-drawing.png differ diff --git a/sources/platform/actors/index.mdx b/sources/platform/actors/index.mdx index 69cbb6c0c3..6052ef6a52 100644 --- a/sources/platform/actors/index.mdx +++ b/sources/platform/actors/index.mdx @@ -31,20 +31,50 @@ import CardGrid from "@site/src/components/CardGrid"; /> -## What is an Actor? +## Actors overview -Actors are serverless programs running in the cloud. They can perform anything from simple actions (such as filling out a web form or sending an email) to complex operations (such as crawling an entire website or removing duplicates from a large dataset). Actor runs can be as short or as long as necessary. They could last seconds, hours, or even infinitely. +Actors are serverless cloud programs that can perform anything from a simple action, like filling out a web form, to a complex operation, like crawling an entire website or removing duplicates from a large dataset. Because Actors can persist their state and be restarted, their runs can be as short or as long as necessary, from seconds to hours, or even indefinitely. -> **To get better idea of what Apify Actors are, visit [Apify Store](https://apify.com/store), and try out some of them!** -> ![Apify Store](./running/images/store-google-maps-scraper.png) +Basically, Actors are programs packaged as Docker images, which accept a well-defined JSON input, perform an action, and optionally produce a well-defined JSON output. -You can use Actors [manually in Apify Console](https://console.apify.com/actors), by using the [API](/api/v2) or [scheduler](../schedules.md). You can easily [integrate them with other apps](../integrations/index.mdx) and share your Actors with other Apify users via [Apify Store](https://apify.com/store) or [access rights](./collaboration/access-rights) system. +:::info Additional context -## Actors are containers +For more context, read the [Actor whitepaper](https://whitepaper.actor/). -A single isolated Actor consists of source code and various settings. You can think of an Actor as a cloud app or service that runs on the Apify platform. The run of an Actor is not limited to the lifetime of a single HTTP transaction. It can run for as long as necessary, even forever. +::: + +## Actor components + +Actors consist of these elements: + +- _Dockerfile_ which specifies where the Actor's source code is, how to build it, and run it. +- _Documentation_ in a form of a README.md file. +- _Input and output schemas_ that describe what input the Actor requires, and what results it produces. +- Access to an out-of-the-box _storage system_ for Actor data, results, and files. +- _Metadata_ such as the Actor name, description, author, and version. + +The documentation and input/output schemas help people understand what the Actor does, enter required inputs in the user interface or API, and integrate results into other workflows. Actors can call and interact with each other to build more complex systems from simple ones. + +![Apify Actor diagram](./images/apify-actor-drawing.png) + +## Build Actors + +Build Actors to automate tasks, scrape data, or create custom workflows. The Apify platform gives you everything you need to develop, test, and deploy your code. + +Ready to start? Check out the [Actor development documentation](/platform/actors/development). + +## Running Actors + +You can run Actors manually in [Apify Console](https://console.apify.com/actors), using the [API](/api), [CLI](/cli), or [scheduler](../schedules.md). You can easily [integrate Actors](../integrations/index.mdx) with other apps, [share](../collaboration/access_rights.md) them with other people, [publish](./publishing/index.mdx) them in [Apify Store](https://apify.com/store), and even [monetize](./publishing/monetize.mdx). + +:::tip Try Actors + +To get a better idea of what Apify Actors are, visit [Apify Store](https://apify.com/store) and try out some of them! + +![Apify Store](./running/images/store-google-maps-scraper.png) + +::: -Basically, Actors are programs packaged as [Docker images](https://hub.docker.com/), which accept a well-defined JSON input, perform an action, and optionally produce an output. ## Public and private Actors diff --git a/sources/platform/storage/dataset.md b/sources/platform/storage/dataset.md index 15e6ba1cca..e4ce472499 100644 --- a/sources/platform/storage/dataset.md +++ b/sources/platform/storage/dataset.md @@ -19,8 +19,8 @@ Dataset storage enables you to sequentially save and retrieve data. A unique dat Typically, datasets comprise results from web scraping, crawling, and data processing jobs. You can visualize this data in a table, where each object is forming a row and its attributes are represented as columns. You have the option to export data in various formats, including JSON, CSV, XML, Excel, HTML Table, RSS or JSONL. -> Named datasets are retained indefinitely.
-> Unnamed datasets expire after 7 days unless otherwise specified.
> [Learn more](/platform/storage/usage#named-and-unnamed-storages) +> Named datasets are retained indefinitely. +> Unnamed datasets expire after 7 days unless otherwise specified. [Learn more](/platform/storage/usage#named-and-unnamed-storages) Dataset storage is _append-only_ - data can only be added and cannot be modified or deleted once stored.