Standby mode solves this. It keeps your Actor running in the background, ready to respond immediately. Like turning your Actor into a live API service.
When you need Standby mode
Most Actors don't need Standby mode. If your Actor scrapes data once a day or processes batches occasionally, regular mode works fine.
Standby mode makes sense for specific use cases:
Frequent requests throughout the day: Chatbot responses, real-time data lookups, on-demand processing
Response time matters: Users can't wait 10-30 seconds for your Actor to start up
API-like behavior needed: Send request, get immediate response, no startup delay
The trade-off: Standby mode is more expensive because your Actor stays running. Only use it when the instant response time justifies the cost.
How it works
Your Actor runs as an HTTP server instead of a one-time job. It stays alive in the background, waiting for incoming requests. Users send HTTP requests (GET, POST, whatever you support) and get responses immediately.
No startup time between requests. The Actor is already running.
Templates are available to help you get started with the HTTP server setup. And if you need to, the same Actor can run in both Standby mode and regular mode depending on how it's triggered.
Monetization note
Standby Actors use pay-per-event pricing. Instead of charging for run time, you charge per request. Users pay Apify for platform usage and pay you per event.
Always-on when you need it
Standby mode transforms your Actor from a batch job into a live service. It's not for every Actor, but when someone needs instant responses at scale, this is how you deliver.