# W3C Standards Catalog Scraper (`parseforge/w3c-standards-catalog-scraper`) Actor

Scrapes W3C specifications and working groups from the public catalog. Returns each record as a flat row with title, URL, maturity status, and group shortname.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/parseforge/w3c-standards-catalog-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [ParseForge](https://apify.com/parseforge) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, Other
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 89.7% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $13.00 / 1,000 result items

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)

### W3C Standards Catalog Scraper

**Scrape the W3C standards catalog, every specification, draft, note, and working group, up to a million per run.** Each record comes with its title, URL, maturity status, and group shortname. No login or API key. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

W3C publishes the web standards that browsers implement, but the official catalog has no bulk export and the API is limited. This reads the public W3C pages directly, filtered by maturity status or group shortname, and returns each match in one fixed schema.

| Who uses it | What they scrape W3C for |
|---|---|
| Web developers | Which CSS or HTML features are stable enough to ship |
| Standards engineers | The full list of active working groups and their deliverables |
| Compliance teams | Which W3C recommendations apply to a product |
| Researchers | How web standards evolve over time |

### What it does

This Actor collects W3C specifications and working groups from the public catalog and returns each one as a flat row.

- 📋 **Specifications mode:** enumerate every W3C standard, draft, note, and retired spec.
- 👥 **Groups mode:** enumerate every W3C working group and community group.
- 🔍 **Status filter:** keep only Recommendations, Working Drafts, Group Notes, or any maturity level.
- 🏷️ **Group shortname filter:** narrow to one group like css, webapps, or html.
- 🕒 **Version history:** optionally pull the full per-spec version history for change tracking.

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

### What you can do with W3C data

**📈 Track standards maturity.**

A web developer runs the Actor weekly with the status filter set to Candidate Recommendation to see which CSS features are close to shipping.

**🗂️ Build a standards inventory.**

A compliance team collects all W3C Recommendations and exports them to Excel to map against their product requirements.

**👥 Monitor working groups.**

A standards engineer pulls the groups directory to find every active group and its shortname for internal tooling.

**🕒 Audit version history.**

A researcher enables includeVersions to get the full change log for a specification and study how it evolved.

### Why choose this scraper

|  | What you get |
|---|---|
| **No API key** | Reads the public W3C pages directly, no registration or rate limits. |
| **One fixed schema** | Every record has the same fields, ready for CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML. |
| **Up to a million records** | Collect the entire catalog in a single run. |
| **Filtered before export** | Status and group filters run during collection, so your dataset stays clean. |

### How it compares

No other Store actor targets W3C the same way, so the honest comparison is with the alternatives teams actually weigh.

| | W3C Standards Catalog Scraper | Build it in-house | By hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup | Run it now, zero config | Days of engineering | None, but hours per pull |
| When W3C 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 from the W3C catalog, choose specifications or groups, and filters run as each record is read so only matches reach your dataset. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

```json
{
  "maxItems": 10,
  "mode": "specifications"
}
```

A larger pull:

```json
{
  "maxItems": 200,
  "mode": "specifications"
}
```

### Pricing

Pay-per-result: **$0.01733 per result** collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

| Results collected | Approximate cost |
|---|---|
| 100 results | $1.73 |
| 1,000 results | $17.33 |
| 10,000 results | $173.30 |

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 [W3C Standards Catalog Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/w3c-standards-catalog-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 W3C 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/w3c-standards-catalog-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 filters. If you set a status or group shortname that does not match any record, the dataset will be empty. Try clearing the filters and running again.

**The run is slow when I enable version history.**

Version history adds an extra lookup per specification, which can significantly slow down the run. Disable it if you do not need the full change log.

**I got fewer records than maxItems.**

The Actor stops when it has collected the requested number of records or when it reaches the end of the catalog. If the catalog has fewer records than maxItems, you will get all of them.

**Some fields are empty in the output.**

Not every W3C page has the same metadata. For example, a specification may not have a version history or a group shortname. Empty fields are expected for some records.

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

No, this Actor enumerates the catalog and does not accept direct URLs. Use the filters to narrow down to the specifications you need.

### FAQ

| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What does this Actor scrape? | It scrapes the W3C standards catalog, including specifications, drafts, notes, and working groups, from the public W3C website. |
| Do I need a W3C account or API key? | No. The Actor reads the public W3C pages directly, so no login or API key is required. |
| Can I filter by maturity status? | Yes. Use the status filter to keep only Recommendations, Working Drafts, Group Notes, or any of the other maturity levels. |
| Can I filter by working group? | Yes. Set the group shortname filter to a value like css, webapps, or html to collect only that group's specifications. |
| What is the difference between specifications and groups mode? | Specifications mode returns individual standards, drafts, and notes. Groups mode returns the W3C working groups and community groups themselves. |
| Does it include version history? | By default, no. Enable the includeVersions option to pull the per-spec version history, which adds an extra lookup per record and makes the run slower. |
| How many records can I collect? | You can set maxItems up to 1,000,000 records per run, which is more than the entire W3C catalog. |
| What export formats are supported? | You can export the results to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML from the Apify dataset. |
| Is this the official W3C API? | No, this is an independent scraper that reads the public W3C pages. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by W3C. |
| Can I schedule this Actor to run automatically? | Yes, you can set up a schedule in Apify to run it daily, weekly, or at any interval you need. |

### 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 World Wide Web Consortium. 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`):

Maximum number of standards to collect per run.

## `mode` (type: `string`):

What to collect: specifications catalog or W3C working groups directory.

## `status` (type: `string`):

Filter specifications by maturity level. Leave blank for all.

## `groupShortname` (type: `string`):

Filter to one W3C group by shortname (e.g. css, webapps, html). Leave blank for all groups.

## `includeVersions` (type: `boolean`):

Pull the per-spec version history. Slower, adds an extra lookup per record.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "maxItems": 10,
  "mode": "specifications",
  "includeVersions": false
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `overview` (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,
    "mode": "specifications",
    "status": "",
    "groupShortname": ""
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("parseforge/w3c-standards-catalog-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,
    "mode": "specifications",
    "status": "",
    "groupShortname": "",
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("parseforge/w3c-standards-catalog-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,
  "mode": "specifications",
  "status": "",
  "groupShortname": ""
}' |
apify call parseforge/w3c-standards-catalog-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,parseforge/w3c-standards-catalog-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/7s0GPXFbO6VQgSWLK/builds/2jbsHRMUtesjIhAAl/openapi.json