Quick start tutorial

Get from zero to a running Actor on the hosted Bytewells platform. You do not need to install or run the Bytewells stack yourself.

PrerequisitesCopy Anchor Link

• A Bytewells account
• Node.js 20 or later (to develop and push an Actor)
• Optional: the CLI (npm install -g @bytewells/cli)

Step 1: Create an account and API keyCopy Anchor Link

1. Open bytewells.com/dashboard and sign up.
2. Go to Settings → API Keys and create a key (shown once; it starts with cp_).

export BYTEWELLS_TOKEN=cp_...
export APIFY_TOKEN=$BYTEWELLS_TOKEN
export APIFY_API_BASE_URL=https://bytewells.com/api/v2

Or with the CLI:

npm install -g @bytewells/cli
bw login --url https://bytewells.com/api
# paste your API key when prompted

Step 2: Create an Actor projectCopy Anchor Link

mkdir my-scraper && cd my-scraper

package.json:

{
  "name": "my-scraper",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "type": "module",
  "dependencies": {
    "apify": "^3.1.0",
    "crawlee": "^3.5.0"
  }
}

src/main.js:

import { Actor } from 'apify';
import { CheerioCrawler } from 'crawlee';

await Actor.init();

const crawler = new CheerioCrawler({
  maxRequestsPerCrawl: 5,
  async requestHandler({ request, $ }) {
    const title = $('title').text().trim();
    console.log(`Scraped: ${request.url} → ${title}`);
    await Actor.pushData({ url: request.url, title });
  },
});

await crawler.run(['https://crawlee.dev']);
await Actor.exit();

Dockerfile:

FROM node:20-alpine
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm install --production
COPY . .
CMD ["node", "src/main.js"]

.actor/actor.json:

{
  "actorSpecification": 1,
  "name": "my-scraper",
  "version": "1.0.0"
}

Optionally add .actor/input_schema.json and a README.md — the console builds an input form from the schema, and the Store shows the README.

The Apify SDK talks to whatever APIFY_API_BASE_URL points at. On Bytewells runs, the platform sets that for you — the same Actor code works on Apify and Bytewells.

Step 3: Push and buildCopy Anchor Link

bw push

This uploads the source; Bytewells builds the image. You do not need Docker on your laptop for the cloud build.

Step 4: Run itCopy Anchor Link

bw call my-scraper --wait
bw logs <run-id> --follow

Or from the console: open the Actor → Run. Or via the API:

curl -X POST https://bytewells.com/api/v2/acts/my-scraper/runs \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BYTEWELLS_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{}'

When the run succeeds, fetch results:

curl "https://bytewells.com/api/v2/datasets/<datasetId>/items" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BYTEWELLS_TOKEN"

Runs debit prepaid compute credits. Top up under Billing if needed. Store Actors you do not own also need a rental or pass — see Billing and Passes.

Step 5: Publish to the Store (optional)Copy Anchor Link

bw publish my-scraper --price 29 --trial-days 7   # or --free

Or use Publish in the console: set price, trial, optional Flash/Burst/Sprint passes, then complete Stripe Connect for paid listings. Details: Publishing.

What's nextCopy Anchor Link

• Import from Apify — console OAuth or bw import apify
• CLI — push, publish, rent, import from Apify
• API reference — runs, storage, marketplace
• Billing — credits, rentals, passes
• Apify compatibility — point existing clients at Bytewells

Questions? [email protected].