# Metamorph

**The metamorph operation transforms an Actor run into the run of another Actor with a new input.**

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## Transform Actor runs

Metamorph is a powerful operation that transforms an Actor run into the run of another Actor with a new input. This feature enables you to leverage existing Actors and create more efficient workflows.

## Understand metamorph

The metamorph process involves several key steps. It stops the current Actor's Docker container, then starts a new container using a different Docker image. During this transition, all default storages are preserved. The new input is stored under the `INPUT-METAMORPH-1` key in the default key-value store, ensuring seamless data transfer between Actor runs.

## Benefits of metamorph

Metamorph offers several benefits for developers:

* Seamless transition between Actors without starting a new run
* Building new Actors on top of existing ones
* Providing users with an improved input structure and interface
* Maintaining transparency for end-users

These benefits make metamorph a valuable tool for creating complex, efficient workflows.

## Implementation guidelines

To make your Actor compatible with metamorph, use `Actor.getInput()` instead of `Actor.getValue('INPUT')`. This method fetches the input using the correct key (*INPUT-METAMORPH-1*) for metamorphed runs, ensuring proper data retrieval in transformed Actor runs.

Runtime limits

There's a limit to how many times you can metamorph a single run. Refer to the [Actor runtime limits](https://pr-2338.preview.docs.apify.com/platform/limits.md#actor-limits) for more details.

Actor permissions

Actors running under limited permissions can only metamorph into Actors that also run with limited permissions. See [how Actor permissions work](https://pr-2338.preview.docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/permissions.md#how-actor-permissions-work) for details.

## Example

Let's walk through an example of using metamorph to create a hotel review scraper:

1. Create an Actor that accepts a hotel URL as input.

2. Use the [apify/web-scraper](https://apify.com/apify/web-scraper) Actor to scrape reviews.

3. Use the metamorph operation to transform into a run of apify/web-scraper.

* JavaScript
* Python

Here's the JavaScript code to achieve this:


```
import { Actor } from 'apify';

await Actor.init();

// Get input of your Actor.
const { hotelUrl } = await Actor.getInput();

// Create input for apify/web-scraper
const newInput = {
    startUrls: [{ url: hotelUrl }],
    pageFunction: () => {
        // Here you pass the page function that
        // scrapes all the reviews ...
    },
    // ... and here would be all the additional
    // input parameters.
};

// Transform the Actor run to apify/web-scraper
// with the new input.
await Actor.metamorph('apify/web-scraper', newInput);

// The line here will never be reached, because the
// Actor run will be interrupted.
await Actor.exit();
```


Here's the Python code to achieve this:


```
from apify import Actor

async def main():
    async with Actor:
        # Get input of your Actor
        actor_input = await Actor.get_input() or {}

        # Create input for apify/web-scraper
        new_input = {
            'startUrls': [{'url': actor_input['url']}],
            'pageFunction': """
                # Here you pass the page function that
                # scrapes all the reviews ...
            """,
            # ... and here would be all the additional input parameters
        }

        # Transform the Actor run to apify/web-scraper with the new input
        await Actor.metamorph('apify/web-scraper', new_input)

        # The line here will never be reached, because the Actor run will be interrupted
        Actor.log.info('This should not be printed')
```


By following these steps, you can create a powerful hotel review scraper that leverages the capabilities of existing Actors through the metamorph operation.