Diffbot

Structured web extraction, knowledge graph data, and crawling APIs

NOT REALLY · consider alternatives
price variesestimated build time not a true replacement; consolation build in one to two daysreplaced by 0 people

Do not mistake the interface for the product. Diffbot's durable value is connectors, auth, reliability, which a solo one-shot build cannot reproduce responsibly. The prompt therefore builds only the closest honest personal consolation tool.

Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability

What you give up

  • durable execution at scale
  • schema drift handling and enterprise controls
  • hundreds of maintained connectors
  • OAuth app verification

Why people still pay

Diffbot: One automation is easy. Subscribers pay for maintained integrations, credentials, retries, observability, and someone else owning breakage.

Your build guide

The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.

Before you start

  • hosted PostgreSQL and Redis
  • API credentials for the two chosen services
  • Node.js 22
  • Explicit README warning that this is a consolation build, not a production replacement
01
Use exactly this stack: Next.js 15 + TypeScript + PostgreSQL + BullMQ.
02
Model workflows, triggers, step executions, retries, and external receipts; keep stable source IDs and timestamps.
03
Interface for this web knowledge APIs workflow: a local web page with input, progress, review, and export views.
engineering roadmap

Implementation plan

1

Phase 1, architecture and data

Use exactly this stack: Next.js 15 + TypeScript + PostgreSQL + BullMQ. Model workflows, triggers, step executions, retries, and external receipts; keep stable source IDs and timestamps.

2

Phase 2, implement

For web knowledge APIs, define trigger, input schema, steps, outputs, and an idempotency key.

3

Phase 3, implement

Execute one supported connection path and persist each step result before advancing.

4

Phase 4, review and output

Show a run log, retry a failed step, and export a complete execution trace.

5

Phase 5, recovery and acceptance

Verify this invariant with a saved fixture: A retry after a provider timeout must not repeat a completed external action without an explicit reconciliation step. State the practical limit: durable execution at scale.

the pro prompt
Build me a focused web knowledge APIs workflow for the personal core of Diffbot. Requirements:

- Use exactly this stack: Next.js 15 + TypeScript + PostgreSQL + BullMQ. Model workflows, triggers, step executions, retries, and external receipts; keep stable source IDs and timestamps.
- Paid product context: Structured web extraction, knowledge graph data, and crawling APIs. Build only this DIY scope: Build one explicit web knowledge APIs workflow with a trigger, validated steps, retries, logs, and a manual replay button.
- For web knowledge APIs, define trigger, input schema, steps, outputs, and an idempotency key.
- Execute one supported connection path and persist each step result before advancing.
- Show a run log, retry a failed step, and export a complete execution trace.
- Use a local web page with input, progress, review, and export views. Required input or access: hosted PostgreSQL and Redis; API credentials for the two chosen services.
- Acceptance: with one labelled sample, show the input, saved intermediate state, and exported result; verify this invariant: A retry after a provider timeout must not repeat a completed external action without an explicit reconciliation step.
- Out of scope: durable execution at scale; schema drift handling and enterprise controls. Keep this a personal, inspectable workflow.
- Include a README with setup, a sample input, required keys or permissions, data location, and the supported scope.

$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy AGENTS.md · generated from this app's build plan

prior art · use these instead of building, if you'd ratherActivepiecesOpen-source automation builder with connectors and self-hosting.↗n8nSource-available workflow automation engine and connector reference.↗
share on X ↗

Diffbot pricing

planmonthlyannual (per mo)what you get
free$0/workspace$0/workspace10,000 credits/month; all 4 APIs; 5 requests/minute; no card requiredHard stop with HTTP 429 after the monthly credit allowance is exhausted.
startup$299/workspace—250,000 credits/month; 5 requests/second; all extraction and Knowledge Graph APIs$0.001 per overage credit; monthly only.
plus$899/workspace—1,000,000 credits/month; 25 active crawls; 3 seats; 25 requests/second$0.0009 per overage credit; monthly only.
enterprise——Custom credits, rate limits, crawls, users, support, security and data-delivery arrangementsCustom quote.

free tier10,000 credits/month, all 4 APIs and 5 requests/minute; requests stop at quota

billingfree + month-to-month paid plans; no public annual plan or long-term contract; cancel anytime

hidden costsPaid plans overrun at $0.001/credit on Startup or $0.0009 on Plus; credit multipliers vary widely: extraction is normally 1/page but 2 through Diffbot proxy, Knowledge Graph entities can cost 25, facets 100, and enhance/refresh calls 25-100

pricing sources checked 2026-08-14 · pricing source ↗

Questions about Diffbot

Can you build your own Diffbot with AI?

A full replacement is not the recommended project. Do not mistake the interface for the product. Diffbot's durable value is connectors, auth, reliability, which a solo one-shot build cannot reproduce responsibly. The prompt therefore builds only the closest honest personal consolation tool.

What does the Diffbot build prompt cover?

The prompt starts with this scope: Build one explicit web knowledge APIs workflow with a trigger, validated steps, retries, logs, and a manual replay button. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: durable execution at scale; schema drift handling and enterprise controls; hundreds of maintained connectors. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.

How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?

Start with the Diffbot prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.

How long will this Diffbot project take?

The catalogue estimate is not a true replacement; consolation build in one to two days for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.

What would I give up by replacing Diffbot?

durable execution at scale; schema drift handling and enterprise controls; hundreds of maintained connectors; OAuth app verification. Diffbot: One automation is easy. Subscribers pay for maintained integrations, credentials, retries, observability, and someone else owning breakage.

What can I use instead of building Diffbot?

The prior-art section lists Activepieces, n8n as starting points. Review their current scope, license and maintenance before adopting one.

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