How to Self-Host Changedetection.io: Website Change Monitoring 2026

TL;DR

Changedetection.io (Apache 2.0, ~19K GitHub stars, Python) monitors websites for changes and alerts you when content changes — a free replacement for VisualPing or Distill.io. Use cases: price tracking (Amazon, Best Buy), stock monitoring, government/regulatory pages, job postings, sports schedules, and any site that changes but doesn't have RSS. Supports JavaScript-rendered pages via Playwright/Puppeteer. Distill.io Pro costs $14/month; Changedetection.io is free to self-host.

Key Takeaways

• Changedetection.io: Apache 2.0, ~19K stars — monitor any website for content changes
• JavaScript support: Optional Playwright/Puppeteer browser for SPAs and dynamic content
• CSS/XPath selectors: Monitor specific page elements (not the whole page)
• Notifications: Email, Slack, Discord, ntfy, Telegram, and 80+ via Apprise
• Filters: Ignore specific text patterns to reduce false positives
• Price tracking: Dedicated price change tracking with JSON XPath

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Use Cases

Use Case	Example
Price tracking	Amazon product → alert when price drops below $X
Stock availability	"Add to Cart" button appears → notify
Government updates	New regulations published
Job postings	New jobs at target company
Sports schedules	Game dates added or changed
Competitor monitoring	New features or pricing changes
News keywords	Alert when specific terms appear on a page
API monitoring	JSON response changes

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Part 1: Docker Setup

Basic (No JavaScript)

# docker-compose.yml
services:
  changedetection:
    image: ghcr.io/dgtlmoon/changedetection.io:latest
    container_name: changedetection
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "5000:5000"
    volumes:
      - changedetection_data:/datastore
    environment:
      BASE_URL: "https://changes.yourdomain.com"
      HIDE_REFERER: "false"

volumes:
  changedetection_data:

With Playwright Browser (JavaScript Support)

For monitoring SPAs, dynamic pages, and JavaScript-rendered content:

services:
  changedetection:
    image: ghcr.io/dgtlmoon/changedetection.io:latest
    container_name: changedetection
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "5000:5000"
    volumes:
      - changedetection_data:/datastore
    environment:
      BASE_URL: "https://changes.yourdomain.com"
      PLAYWRIGHT_DRIVER_URL: ws://sockpuppetbrowser:3000
    depends_on:
      - sockpuppetbrowser

  sockpuppetbrowser:
    image: dgtlmoon/sockpuppetbrowser:latest
    container_name: sockpuppetbrowser
    restart: unless-stopped
    cap_add:
      - SYS_ADMIN
    environment:
      SCREEN_WIDTH: 1920
      SCREEN_HEIGHT: 1080

volumes:
  changedetection_data:

docker compose up -d

Visit http://your-server:5000 — no login required by default. Add password in settings.

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Part 2: HTTPS with Caddy

changes.yourdomain.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:5000
}

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Part 3: Adding Your First Watch

1. + Add Watch
2. Paste URL (e.g., https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09R9CTNC5)
3. Set check interval: 1 hour (default), 15 min, or custom
4. Save

Changedetection immediately fetches the page and stores a baseline. Next check compares against the baseline — any difference triggers an alert.

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Part 4: CSS Selectors (Monitor Specific Elements)

Instead of monitoring the full page (with noisy navigation/ads changes), scope to specific content:

1. Edit a watch → Visual Filter
2. Click on the element to monitor (e.g., price, availability text)
3. Changedetection generates a CSS selector automatically

Or manually set CSS selectors:

/* Monitor only the price: */
#priceblock_dealprice, #priceblock_ourprice, .a-price-whole

/* Monitor availability: */
#availability .a-declarative

/* Monitor a table: */
table.data-table

/* Monitor a specific div: */
div.job-listings-container

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Part 5: Price Tracking

Changedetection has dedicated price tracking with threshold alerts:

1. Add a watch for a product URL
2. Edit → Filters → Price tracking
3. Enable Price Change Detection
4. Set alert threshold: "Alert when price drops below $50"

For JSON APIs:

URL: https://api.example.com/product/123
Filter: json:data.price   # JSONPath to price field

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Part 6: Notification Setup

Settings → Notifications → Add Notification

ntfy

URL: ntfy://ntfy.yourdomain.com/changedetection

Slack

URL: slack://your-token@YOUR-WORKSPACE/YOUR-CHANNEL

Discord

URL: discord://webhook-id/webhook-token

Email

URL: smtp://user:password@smtp.yourdomain.com:587?to=you@yourdomain.com&from=cd@yourdomain.com

Changedetection uses Apprise — any Apprise-compatible notification URL works.

Per-Watch Notifications

Each watch can have its own notification settings:

1. Edit watch → Notifications tab
2. Override global settings
3. Useful for routing: "Price changes → SMS, government pages → email"

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Part 7: Filters and Ignore Rules

Reduce false positives from dynamic content (ads, timestamps, visitor counts):

Edit watch → Filters & Triggers:

# Ignore lines containing these strings (regex supported):
visitor counter
last updated
Advertisement

# Trigger only when page contains this text:
Trigger text contains: "In Stock"

# Trigger only when text is removed:
Trigger text removed: "Out of Stock"

Ignore regions (visual selector):

1. Edit watch → Visual Filter
2. Toggle to "Ignore" mode
3. Click regions to exclude (e.g., the ad sidebar)

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Part 8: Browser Steps (Login-Protected Pages)

Monitor pages that require login using Playwright:

1. Edit watch → Browser Steps
2. Add steps:
   • Navigate to https://example.com/login
   • Fill input[name=email] with you@example.com
   • Fill input[name=password] with your-password
   • Click button[type=submit]
   • Wait for element .dashboard
3. Save — Changedetection now logs in before checking

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Part 9: Tags and Groups

Organize watches with tags:

Tags: amazon-prices, job-boards, government

Filter dashboard by tag. Bulk-apply notification settings to a tag group.

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Part 10: API

# List all watches:
curl https://changes.yourdomain.com/api/v1/watch \
  -H "x-api-key: your-api-key"

# Add a watch:
curl -X POST https://changes.yourdomain.com/api/v1/watch \
  -H "x-api-key: your-api-key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"url":"https://example.com","tag":"monitoring","title":"Example Site"}'

# Get change history:
curl "https://changes.yourdomain.com/api/v1/watch/UUID/history" \
  -H "x-api-key: your-api-key"

# Generate API key: Settings → API Access Token

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Maintenance

# Update:
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

# Logs:
docker compose logs -f changedetection

# Backup:
tar -czf changedetection-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz \
  $(docker volume inspect changedetection_changedetection_data --format '{{.Mountpoint}}')

# Purge old history (saves disk space):
# Settings → Data → Purge old history

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See all open source monitoring and automation tools at OSSAlt.com/categories/monitoring.