API Response Watcher – Automatically Monitor and Validate API Changes
2 min read
Intro:
The API Response Watcher is a powerful tool that allows users to monitor API endpoints for changes in their responses. This tool is particularly useful for developers, web scrapers, or data analysts who need to keep track of updates in data available through APIs.
🔍 What Is API Response Watcher?
The API Response Watcher is a utility designed to check if the responses from specified API endpoints have changed over time. By storing previous responses, it enables validation against new responses, making it indispensable for professionals who rely on consistent data from APIs for scraping, integration, or analysis. Whether you’re managing a web scraping project or need to monitor critical APIs for updates, this actor can help you maintain data integrity and timeliness.
✨ Features
- Response Validation: Compares new API responses with previously stored ones.
- JSON Schema Management: Automatically generates and merges JSON schemas for easier tracking of changes.
- Alerts: Notifies you via email and Slack when changes are detected.
- Supporting Multiple Endpoints: Monitors several API endpoints simultaneously.
- Scheduled Monitoring: Set up periodic checks and automate your monitoring process.
🛠️ How to Use It
Step-by-step tutorial:
- Go to the tool’s page: API Response Watcher
- Click “Try for free” or “Run actor”.
- Fill in the required input fields:
- endpoints: A list of APIs to monitor (e.g.,
["https://dummyjson.com/products", "curl 'https://dummyjson.com/carts' -H 'Accept: application/json'"]
) - prevKvsName: The ID of the previous Key-value store for validation.
- nextKvsName: The name of the Key-value store to save new schemas.
- noRequired: Set to
false
to treat all fields as required. - doMergeSchemas: Set to
true
to merge schemas. - reportEmail: Email address to send notifications.
- reportSlackChannel: Slack channel for notifications.
- reportSlackToken: Token for Slack notifications.
- endpoints: A list of APIs to monitor (e.g.,
- Click “Run” and wait for results.
- Download results or send to a webhook.
🧪 Sample Input (JSON)
json { "endpoints": [ "https://dummyjson.com/products", "curl 'https://dummyjson.com/carts' -H 'Accept: application/json'" ], "prevKvsName": "abcde12345", "nextKvsName": "schemas", "noRequired": false, "doMergeSchemas": true, "reportEmail": "my.email@apify.com", "reportSlackChannel": "#api-watcher", "reportSlackToken": "*" }
📤 Output Data (Fields)
url
data
prevSchema
nextSchema
mergedSchema
validationErrors
💰 Pricing This actor is priced at $0.001/1 execution. It offers a free tier or trial for new users.
👨💻 Built By Marco Gullo — from Apify.com
✅ Final Thoughts The API Response Watcher is excellent for developers, data analysts, and anyone needing to monitor APIs for changes. Its ability to alert users upon detecting modifications ensures you’re always informed of relevant updates, making it a must-try for those who rely on reliable API data.
🔗 Try the Actor Now 👉 API Response Watcher