Just trying things out?
Not ready to commit to a full dev setup? Start with our built-in web code editor. No installation, no configuration - just create an Actor and start typing.
This works great if you're vibe coding with AI - copy, paste, test, repeat. No need for a specialized setup.
Tip: If you're iterating with AI, use the Fork button next to Version to save different working versions. Since AI can't access your previous code, forking lets you roll back to any version that worked.
See our documentation to learn more about working in the web code editor.
Ready to go local?
The web editor is great for exploring, but once you're building something real, you'll want your own environment. Getting Apify running locally takes four commands:
npm i -g apify-cli
apify create my-actor
cd my-actor
apify run
This installs Apify CLI, creates an Actor, and runs it on your machine. From there, use whatever editor and workflow you prefer. If you don't use npm , check out the alternatives.
You can also visit our Academy for more detailed steps.
Tip: Working with ChatGPT or Claude? Feed them our
llms.txt file or link specific doc pages in your prompts. AI knows JavaScript and Python, but it doesn't know Apify patterns - this helps it give you better suggestions. Learn more about building with AI.