Use Human-Like Website Pageview Traffic Simulator with Python

Send simulated visits to any website, YouTube video, Etsy shop, or Behance profile with human-like scrolling, dwell time, and optional link-following, and get a detailed per-visit metrics log.

1. Choose the data you need

Review the published README for supported collection modes, examples, and limits. The recipe below uses the current published input definition.

2. Prepare a source-based input

This JSON contains published prefills and required-field defaults. Review every value for your task before running it; it is not a promise of successful collection.

{
  "blockAds": false,
  "blockImages": false,
  "clickInternalLinks": false,
  "deviceMix": "desktop",
  "dwellSeconds": 1,
  "pagesPerVisit": 1,
  "pageviews": 1,
  "referrerMode": "direct",
  "scroll": false,
  "targetUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://example.com"
    }
  ],
  "visitCountry": "none",
  "visitStyle": "quick"
}

Download input.example.json and save your reviewed copy as input.json.

Field	Type	Required	Description
`targetUrls`	array	optional	Public pages you own or are authorized to test. Legacy startUrls is accepted when this is empty.
`pageviews`	integer	optional	Total page loads to attempt, including followed pages. 1-1000.
`pagesPerVisit`	integer	optional	Maximum pages in one visit (1-10), subject to the total pageview budget; above 1 attempts same-site link clicks when clicks are enabled.
`visitStyle`	string	optional	Human adds dwell, mouse and scroll behaviour. Quick loads the page and leaves without scrolling or clicks.
`dwellSeconds`	integer	optional	Target seconds on each page for human visits, varied slightly. Internal clicks may extend the measured time. Ignored by quick style.
`referrerMode`	string	optional	Referrer shown to the site: direct, search engine, social network, or a custom URL.
`customReferrer`	string	optional	Full http(s) URL used when Referrer is Custom URL.
`scroll`	boolean	optional	Scroll each page during human visits. Scroll depth is omitted when scrolling is off or no range is measurable; a very short page with a tiny overflow can report 100.
`clickInternalLinks`	boolean	optional	Attempt one visible same-site link per page during human visits. Ads, forms and external links are never clicked.
`deviceMix`	string	optional	Device profile for each visit. Mobile and tablet use Android Chromium emulation.
`visitCountry`	string	optional	Optional. Route visits through a residential proxy in this country for geo QA. Adds proxy usage.
`blockAds`	boolean	optional	Block known ad domains. Analytics requests still load so tag firing can be measured.
`blockImages`	boolean	optional	Skip images, fonts and media for faster, cheaper visits. Analytics still loads.
`utmSource`	string	optional	Optional utm_source label appended to target URLs, e.g. traffic-test. Recommended to mark test visits.

3. Start an Actor run

Set APIFY_TOKEN in your environment. Python 3.10 or newer is sufficient; this recipe uses no third-party packages.

Execution may incur charges. Review current pricing on Apify. The request asks for a 120-second timeout and a charge limit; these settings are subject to Apify’s pricing and do not guarantee an all-inclusive spending cap.

import json
import os
import urllib.request

# Save the schema-derived example as input.json; review and edit it first.
with open("input.json", encoding="utf-8") as stream:
    actor_input = json.load(stream)

token = os.environ["APIFY_TOKEN"]
request = urllib.request.Request(
    "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/0z2txuRp8mv5mNe3y/runs?timeout=120&maxTotalChargeUsd=0.50",
    data=json.dumps(actor_input).encode("utf-8"),
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer " + token, "Content-Type": "application/json"},
    method="POST",
)
# This starts a potentially billable run. Do not automatically retry this POST.
with urllib.request.urlopen(request, timeout=40) as response:
    run = json.load(response)["data"]
print("Run ID:", run["id"])
print("Status:", run["status"])
# Inspect and download results in Apify Console once the run succeeds.

4. Inspect the actual results

Open the run in Apify Console and wait for a successful completion. Use the published output schema to locate results and the dataset schema to understand declared views. Missing or optional record fields must not be treated as guaranteed values.

Per-pageview records from real Chromium visits: status, timing, device, referrer, analytics tags and errors.

Questions before you run

Which inputs are required?

No top-level fields are marked required in the published schema. Conditional requirements can still apply; check the README.

What does this guide verify?

The fields, prefills, and schema links are rendered from the published build. This is a usage recipe, not a paid live extraction test. Source availability and collection results can vary.

What if the run request times out?

Check Apify Console before retrying. The first request may already have created a run. Do not automatically repeat a run-creation POST.

Open on Apify Full Actor reference

Generated from source build tRkcimJNhPyGnTgpe and its README and schemas. Source changes regenerate this guide; no third-party editorial claims are inferred.