Guide

Scheduler

Automate recurring scrapes with cron expressions. AlterLab runs your schedules, collects results, and delivers them via webhook.

AlterLab Schedules dashboard showing active schedules, cron timing, and execution history — Create and manage recurring scrape schedules from the dashboard. View execution history and results for each schedule.

Balance-Based Access

The number of schedules and minimum interval you can use depends on your account balance. See the Balance-Based Limits section below.

How It Works

Create

Define a schedule with one or more URLs, a cron expression, and optional output formats and webhook URL.

Run

At each scheduled time, AlterLab submits a batch scrape for all URLs in the schedule. Cost is debited per run.

Deliver

Results are available via the execution history endpoint or delivered to your webhook URL when the run completes.

Create a Schedule

POST

/api/v1/schedules

Bash

curl -X POST https://api.alterlab.io/api/v1/schedules \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer your_jwt_token" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Daily product prices",
    "urls": [
      "https://store.example.com/product-1",
      "https://store.example.com/product-2"
    ],
    "cron": "0 9 * * *",
    "timezone": "America/New_York",
    "formats": ["json", "markdown"],
    "options": {
      "wait_for": ".price-tag",
      "timeout": 30
    },
    "webhook_url": "https://your-server.com/schedule-webhook"
  }'

Request Body

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
name	string	Yes	Human-readable name (1–255 chars)
urls	string[]	Yes	URLs to scrape each run (1–100)
cron	string	Yes	Standard 5-field cron expression (minute hour day month weekday)
timezone	string	No	IANA timezone (default: `UTC`)
formats	string[]	No	text, markdown, json, html, rag
options	object	No	wait_for, timeout, headers, cookies, proxy_country
webhook_url	string	No	URL to receive results after each run

Cron Syntax

Standard 5-field cron expressions. Only minute-level granularity (no seconds).

Expression	Schedule
0 9 * * *	Every day at 9:00 AM
/15 * * *	Every 15 minutes
0 /6 * *	Every 6 hours
0 8 * * 1-5	Weekdays at 8:00 AM
30 2 1 * *	1st of each month at 2:30 AM

Balance-Based Limits

Schedule limits scale with your account balance. Add more funds to unlock more schedules and shorter intervals.

Balance	Max Active Schedules	Min Interval
$0 – $50	3	60 minutes
$50 – $200	10	15 minutes
$200 – $500	25	5 minutes
$500+	100	1 minute

Manage Schedules

List Schedules

GET

/api/v1/schedules

Query parameters: limit (1–100, default 20), offset (default 0), active_only (default false).

Bash

curl https://api.alterlab.io/api/v1/schedules?active_only=true \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer your_jwt_token"

Update a Schedule

PATCH

/api/v1/schedules/{schedule_id}

Send only the fields you want to change. Changing cron or timezone recomputes next_run_at.

Bash

curl -X PATCH https://api.alterlab.io/api/v1/schedules/{schedule_id} \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer your_jwt_token" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ "cron": "0 */2 * * *", "name": "Every 2 hours" }'

Pause & Resume

Bash

# Pause
curl -X POST https://api.alterlab.io/api/v1/schedules/{schedule_id}/pause \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer your_jwt_token"

# Resume (recomputes next_run_at, re-checks balance limits)
curl -X POST https://api.alterlab.io/api/v1/schedules/{schedule_id}/resume \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer your_jwt_token"

Delete a Schedule

DELETE

/api/v1/schedules/{schedule_id}

Soft-deletes the schedule (deactivates it). Returns 204 No Content.

Execution History

GET

/api/v1/schedules/{schedule_id}/runs

Returns a paginated list of past executions for a schedule.

JSON

{
  "runs": [
    {
      "id": "run-uuid-...",
      "schedule_id": "schedule-uuid-...",
      "status": "completed",
      "job_ids": ["job-1-...", "job-2-..."],
      "batch_id": "batch-...",
      "urls_total": 2,
      "urls_completed": 2,
      "urls_failed": 0,
      "credits_used": 30000,
      "started_at": "2026-03-03T09:00:01Z",
      "completed_at": "2026-03-03T09:00:14Z",
      "created_at": "2026-03-03T09:00:00Z"
    }
  ],
  "total": 42
}

Webhook Delivery

If your schedule has a webhook_url, results are delivered after each run completes. The webhook payload follows the same format as batch webhooks.

Tip

Combine schedules with webhooks for fully automated data pipelines. Schedule the scrape, receive results at your endpoint, and process them without any polling.

Python Example

Python

import requests

API_URL = "https://api.alterlab.io/api/v1"
HEADERS = {
    "Authorization": "Bearer your_jwt_token",
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
}

# Create a schedule
schedule = requests.post(
    f"{API_URL}/schedules",
    headers=HEADERS,
    json={
        "name": "Competitor prices - daily",
        "urls": [
            "https://competitor-a.com/product",
            "https://competitor-b.com/product",
        ],
        "cron": "0 9 * * *",
        "timezone": "America/New_York",
        "formats": ["json"],
        "webhook_url": "https://your-server.com/prices",
    },
).json()

print(f"Schedule created: {schedule['id']}")
print(f"Next run: {schedule['next_run_at']}")

# List active schedules
schedules = requests.get(
    f"{API_URL}/schedules?active_only=true",
    headers=HEADERS,
).json()

for s in schedules["schedules"]:
    print(f"  {s['name']} — next: {s['next_run_at']}, runs: {s['run_count']}")

# Check execution history
runs = requests.get(
    f"{API_URL}/schedules/{schedule['id']}/runs",
    headers=HEADERS,
).json()

for run in runs["runs"]:
    print(f"  Run {run['id']}: {run['status']} — {run['urls_completed']}/{run['urls_total']}")

Node.js Example

TYPESCRIPT

const API_URL = "https://api.alterlab.io/api/v1";
const headers = {
  Authorization: "Bearer your_jwt_token",
  "Content-Type": "application/json",
};

// Create a schedule
const schedule = await fetch(`${API_URL}/schedules`, {
  method: "POST",
  headers,
  body: JSON.stringify({
    name: "Competitor prices - daily",
    urls: [
      "https://competitor-a.com/product",
      "https://competitor-b.com/product",
    ],
    cron: "0 9 * * *",
    timezone: "America/New_York",
    formats: ["json"],
    webhook_url: "https://your-server.com/prices",
  }),
}).then((r) => r.json());

console.log(`Schedule: ${schedule.id}, next run: ${schedule.next_run_at}`);

// List active schedules
const list = await fetch(`${API_URL}/schedules?active_only=true`, {
  headers,
}).then((r) => r.json());

for (const s of list.schedules) {
  console.log(`  ${s.name} — runs: ${s.run_count}`);
}

// Check runs
const runs = await fetch(`${API_URL}/schedules/${schedule.id}/runs`, {
  headers,
}).then((r) => r.json());

for (const run of runs.runs) {
  console.log(`  ${run.status}: ${run.urls_completed}/${run.urls_total}`);
}

Batch Scraping Change Detection

Last updated: March 2026

Guide

Scheduler

Automate recurring scrapes with cron expressions. AlterLab runs your schedules, collects results, and delivers them via webhook.

Balance-Based Access

The number of schedules and minimum interval you can use depends on your account balance. See the Balance-Based Limits section below.

How It Works

Create

Define a schedule with one or more URLs, a cron expression, and optional output formats and webhook URL.

Run

At each scheduled time, AlterLab submits a batch scrape for all URLs in the schedule. Cost is debited per run.

Deliver

Results are available via the execution history endpoint or delivered to your webhook URL when the run completes.

Create a Schedule

POST

/api/v1/schedules

Bash

curl -X POST https://api.alterlab.io/api/v1/schedules \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer your_jwt_token" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Daily product prices",
    "urls": [
      "https://store.example.com/product-1",
      "https://store.example.com/product-2"
    ],
    "cron": "0 9 * * *",
    "timezone": "America/New_York",
    "formats": ["json", "markdown"],
    "options": {
      "wait_for": ".price-tag",
      "timeout": 30
    },
    "webhook_url": "https://your-server.com/schedule-webhook"
  }'

Request Body

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
name	string	Yes	Human-readable name (1–255 chars)
urls	string[]	Yes	URLs to scrape each run (1–100)
cron	string	Yes	Standard 5-field cron expression (minute hour day month weekday)
timezone	string	No	IANA timezone (default: `UTC`)
formats	string[]	No	text, markdown, json, html, rag
options	object	No	wait_for, timeout, headers, cookies, proxy_country
webhook_url	string	No	URL to receive results after each run

Cron Syntax

Standard 5-field cron expressions. Only minute-level granularity (no seconds).

Expression	Schedule
0 9 * * *	Every day at 9:00 AM
/15 * * *	Every 15 minutes
0 /6 * *	Every 6 hours
0 8 * * 1-5	Weekdays at 8:00 AM
30 2 1 * *	1st of each month at 2:30 AM

Balance-Based Limits

Schedule limits scale with your account balance. Add more funds to unlock more schedules and shorter intervals.

Balance	Max Active Schedules	Min Interval
$0 – $50	3	60 minutes
$50 – $200	10	15 minutes
$200 – $500	25	5 minutes
$500+	100	1 minute

Manage Schedules

List Schedules

GET

/api/v1/schedules

Query parameters: limit (1–100, default 20), offset (default 0), active_only (default false).

Bash

curl https://api.alterlab.io/api/v1/schedules?active_only=true \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer your_jwt_token"

Update a Schedule

PATCH

/api/v1/schedules/{schedule_id}

Send only the fields you want to change. Changing cron or timezone recomputes next_run_at.

Bash

curl -X PATCH https://api.alterlab.io/api/v1/schedules/{schedule_id} \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer your_jwt_token" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ "cron": "0 */2 * * *", "name": "Every 2 hours" }'

Pause & Resume

Bash

# Pause
curl -X POST https://api.alterlab.io/api/v1/schedules/{schedule_id}/pause \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer your_jwt_token"

# Resume (recomputes next_run_at, re-checks balance limits)
curl -X POST https://api.alterlab.io/api/v1/schedules/{schedule_id}/resume \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer your_jwt_token"

Delete a Schedule

DELETE

/api/v1/schedules/{schedule_id}

Soft-deletes the schedule (deactivates it). Returns 204 No Content.

Execution History

GET

/api/v1/schedules/{schedule_id}/runs

Returns a paginated list of past executions for a schedule.

JSON

{
  "runs": [
    {
      "id": "run-uuid-...",
      "schedule_id": "schedule-uuid-...",
      "status": "completed",
      "job_ids": ["job-1-...", "job-2-..."],
      "batch_id": "batch-...",
      "urls_total": 2,
      "urls_completed": 2,
      "urls_failed": 0,
      "credits_used": 30000,
      "started_at": "2026-03-03T09:00:01Z",
      "completed_at": "2026-03-03T09:00:14Z",
      "created_at": "2026-03-03T09:00:00Z"
    }
  ],
  "total": 42
}

Webhook Delivery

If your schedule has a webhook_url, results are delivered after each run completes. The webhook payload follows the same format as batch webhooks.

Tip

Combine schedules with webhooks for fully automated data pipelines. Schedule the scrape, receive results at your endpoint, and process them without any polling.

Python Example

Python

import requests

API_URL = "https://api.alterlab.io/api/v1"
HEADERS = {
    "Authorization": "Bearer your_jwt_token",
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
}

# Create a schedule
schedule = requests.post(
    f"{API_URL}/schedules",
    headers=HEADERS,
    json={
        "name": "Competitor prices - daily",
        "urls": [
            "https://competitor-a.com/product",
            "https://competitor-b.com/product",
        ],
        "cron": "0 9 * * *",
        "timezone": "America/New_York",
        "formats": ["json"],
        "webhook_url": "https://your-server.com/prices",
    },
).json()

print(f"Schedule created: {schedule['id']}")
print(f"Next run: {schedule['next_run_at']}")

# List active schedules
schedules = requests.get(
    f"{API_URL}/schedules?active_only=true",
    headers=HEADERS,
).json()

for s in schedules["schedules"]:
    print(f"  {s['name']} — next: {s['next_run_at']}, runs: {s['run_count']}")

# Check execution history
runs = requests.get(
    f"{API_URL}/schedules/{schedule['id']}/runs",
    headers=HEADERS,
).json()

for run in runs["runs"]:
    print(f"  Run {run['id']}: {run['status']} — {run['urls_completed']}/{run['urls_total']}")

Node.js Example

TYPESCRIPT

const API_URL = "https://api.alterlab.io/api/v1";
const headers = {
  Authorization: "Bearer your_jwt_token",
  "Content-Type": "application/json",
};

// Create a schedule
const schedule = await fetch(`${API_URL}/schedules`, {
  method: "POST",
  headers,
  body: JSON.stringify({
    name: "Competitor prices - daily",
    urls: [
      "https://competitor-a.com/product",
      "https://competitor-b.com/product",
    ],
    cron: "0 9 * * *",
    timezone: "America/New_York",
    formats: ["json"],
    webhook_url: "https://your-server.com/prices",
  }),
}).then((r) => r.json());

console.log(`Schedule: ${schedule.id}, next run: ${schedule.next_run_at}`);

// List active schedules
const list = await fetch(`${API_URL}/schedules?active_only=true`, {
  headers,
}).then((r) => r.json());

for (const s of list.schedules) {
  console.log(`  ${s.name} — runs: ${s.run_count}`);
}

// Check runs
const runs = await fetch(`${API_URL}/schedules/${schedule.id}/runs`, {
  headers,
}).then((r) => r.json());

for (const run of runs.runs) {
  console.log(`  ${run.status}: ${run.urls_completed}/${run.urls_total}`);
}

Batch Scraping Change Detection

Last updated: March 2026