# openHPI Courses Scraper (`parseforge/openhpi-courses-scraper`) Actor

Scrapes openHPI course metadata from the public catalog. Returns each course as a flat row with title, language, instructors, and description. Filter by language or keyword.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/parseforge/openhpi-courses-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [ParseForge](https://apify.com/parseforge) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, Other
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 86.2% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $4.52 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

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

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
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.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — 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

[![ParseForge](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ParseForge/apify-assets/main/banner.jpg)](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp)

### openHPI Courses Scraper

**Scrape openHPI courses from the public catalog, up to a million per run.** Each course comes with its title, language, instructors, and description. No login or API key. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

openHPI's course catalog is spread across paginated web pages that are tedious to collect by hand. This Actor reads the public course list directly, filters by language or a search term, and returns each match in one fixed schema. It is ideal for tracking new MOOCs from the Hasso Plattner Institute.

| Who uses it | What they scrape openHPI for |
|---|---|
| EdTech analysts | Monitor which topics the Hasso Plattner Institute is teaching this quarter |
| Content curators | Build a searchable index of openHPI courses for a learning portal |
| Researchers | Study the evolution of MOOC offerings in German and English |
| Marketing teams | Find openHPI courses that align with a product launch or campaign |

### What it does

This Actor collects openHPI courses from the public catalog and returns each one as a flat row.

- 🔍 **Search term filter:** keep only courses whose title, instructor, or description contains your keyword.
- 🌐 **Language filter:** restrict results to English or German courses.
- 📊 **Flat row output:** every course is returned as one record, ready for CSV or JSON export.
- ⚙️ **Max items control:** set a hard limit from 1 to 1,000,000 courses per run.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

### What you can do with openHPI data

**📚 Build a course directory.**

A learning platform scrapes all openHPI courses once a week and publishes a searchable catalog for its users.

**📈 Track MOOC trends.**

An analyst runs the Actor monthly with no filters to see which subjects the Hasso Plattner Institute is adding or retiring.

**🔎 Find courses by topic.**

A content marketer searches for 'Python' to list relevant openHPI courses in a newsletter.

**🌍 Compare language offerings.**

A researcher filters by German and English separately to compare course availability across languages.

### Why choose this scraper

| | What you get |
|---|---|
| **No API key** | Reads the public openHPI catalog directly, no registration or OAuth |
| **Fixed schema** | Every course returns the same fields, so downstream processing is predictable |
| **Language aware** | Filter to English or German courses with one dropdown |
| **Scalable** | Collect up to a million courses in a single run |

### How it compares

No other Store actor targets openHPI the same way, so the honest comparison is with the alternatives teams actually weigh.

| | openHPI Courses Scraper | Build it in-house | By hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup | Run it now, zero config | Days of engineering | None, but hours per pull |
| When openHPI changes | Maintained for you | You fix it | You re-learn the page |
| Proxies, retries, anti-bot | Built in | Your problem | Browser only |
| Output | Fixed JSON schema, CSV/Excel export | Whatever you build | Copy-paste |
| Cost | Pay per result | Engineering time | Analyst hours |

### Configure the run

Drive the Actor with an optional search term and language filter, and set a maximum number of courses to collect per run. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

```json
{
 "maxItems": 10
}
```

A larger pull:

```json
{
 "maxItems": 200
}
```

### Pricing

Pay-per-result: **$0.005 per result** collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

| Results collected | Approximate cost |
|---|---|
| 100 results | $0.50 |
| 1,000 results | $5.00 |
| 10,000 results | $50.00 |

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

### Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. [Upgrade your Apify plan](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp) to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

### Run it

1. [Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp).
2. Open the [openHPI Courses Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/openhpi-courses-scraper?fpr=vmoqkp).
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click **Start**.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the **Dataset** tab.

Run it programmatically through the [Apify API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2) (`run-sync-get-dataset-items`) or the [ApifyClient](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js) for JavaScript and Python.

### Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to openHPI through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=parseforge/openhpi-courses-scraper"
```

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

### Troubleshooting

**Why am I getting no results?**

Check your search term and language filter. If both are set, they are combined with AND, so a course must match both. Try clearing one filter.

**The Actor returns fewer courses than expected.**

Make sure maxItems is high enough. Also, the openHPI catalog may have fewer courses matching your filters.

**Can I scrape a specific course by URL?**

No, this Actor only reads the catalog list. It does not accept direct course URLs.

**The run takes a long time.**

If you set maxItems to a very large number, the Actor will paginate through the entire catalog. Lower maxItems or add filters to speed it up.

### FAQ

| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Does this Actor require an openHPI account or API key? | No. It reads the public course catalog directly, so no login or key is needed. |
| What data does each course row include? | Each row includes the course title, language, instructors, and description, along with other catalog fields. The exact fields are shown in the sample output. |
| Can I filter courses by language? | Yes. Use the language dropdown to select English, German, or any language. |
| Can I search for a specific topic? | Yes. Enter a keyword in the search term field, and only courses whose title, instructor, or description contains it will be returned. |
| How many courses can I collect in one run? | You can set the maximum from 1 to 1,000,000 courses per run. |
| What export formats are supported? | The Actor outputs data in CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, depending on your Apify dataset settings. |
| Does this Actor scrape course content or videos? | No. It only collects metadata from the course catalog, not the actual course materials. |
| How often should I run this Actor? | You can schedule it daily, weekly, or monthly. The openHPI catalog changes as new courses are added, so a weekly run is common. |
| Is this Actor affiliated with openHPI or the Hasso Plattner Institute? | No. This is an independent scraper built by the Apify community. |
| Can I get only German courses? | Yes. Set the language filter to German and leave the search term empty. |

### Related actors

Browse the full [ParseForge collection](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp) for more scrapers.

🆘 **Need help?** Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ **Disclaimer.** This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Hasso Plattner Institute. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.

# Actor input Schema

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

How many courses to collect per run.

## `language` (type: `string`):

Filter the openHPI catalog by course language.

## `query` (type: `string`):

Optional keyword. Keeps only courses whose title, instructor, or description contains it.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "maxItems": 10
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# 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 = {
    "maxItems": 10
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("parseforge/openhpi-courses-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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "maxItems": 10 }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("parseforge/openhpi-courses-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "maxItems": 10
}' |
apify call parseforge/openhpi-courses-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,parseforge/openhpi-courses-scraper"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/hgutRGsSXJcIcjXdM/builds/QAVCNSjysC630Abhy/openapi.json