facebook-reels-downloader-Advanced

Extract Facebook Reels minimal metadata and download media with optimized stability and fast retrieval.

What this Actor does

• This Actor accepts one or more Facebook Reels URLs, extracts metadata (title, duration, description, thumbnails, and format information), and attempts to download separate audio-only and video-only streams when available. When separate streams are not available it falls back to combined formats. Results are pushed to the platform dataset and also written to a local JSON file for convenience.

Features

• ✅ Extracts key metadata for each Facebook Reel (title, duration, description, thumbnail).
• ✅ Chooses preferred video-only and audio-only streams where possible, with a fallback to combined streams.
• ✅ Downloads media into a local downloads/ directory and writes a consolidated JSON result file.
• ✅ Pushes structured records to the platform dataset for downstream processing.
• ✅ Accepts multiple start URLs in a single run (batch processing).
• ✅ Works in containerized environments (Dockerfile included in repository).

Outputs

For each processed URL the actor pushes one structured record to the dataset and also writes a consolidated array to data_result.json. Each record contains the following fields (sensitive fields are redacted in examples below):

• url — input Reel URL.
• title — extracted title (redacted in public examples).
• duration — video duration in seconds (numeric).
• description — extracted description (redacted).
• thumbnail_url — URL of the best available thumbnail (masked in examples).
• audio_download_url — direct audio stream URL or fallback (masked).
• video_download_url — direct video stream URL or fallback (masked).
• merge_video_download_url — merged/combined format URL used when separate streams are unavailable (masked).
• _best_video_format — object with basic selected video format metadata (id, ext, height) or null.
• _best_audio_format — object with basic selected audio format metadata (id, ext, abr) or null.

The Actor also stores downloaded media files under the configured downloads/ directory.

Example input.json

Below is a sanitized example input that follows the actor schema. Real URLs should be provided in place of placeholders.

{
  {
    "startUrls": [
        {
            "url": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/1395974718604632"
        },
        {
            "url": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/832229456093453"
        },
        {
            "url": "https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1PDE7wDG6h/"
        }
    ]
}
}

Example output.json

Sanitized example of a single/multiple items from the resulting dataset produced by the run:

[
  {
    "url": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/1395974718604632",
    "title": "99K views · 35K reactions | 這真的超狂！ #stancefest | Stabber 解析影像",
    "duration": 13.442,
    "description": "這真的超狂！\n#stancefest",
    "thumbnail_url": "https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t51.71878-10/588447867_1757345248214590_8571425261595131018_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=50ce42&_nc_ohc=X7CMKt8_bUcQ7kNvwF3wuqr&_nc_oc=Adl39RzvRaAhbgRqkNIlaSN-Ci7NhZEwVaSDlyR1k52UwaCf5grNl6PbfhZ7HXRn6OU&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&_nc_gid=YVQV6ZVjl4JgKW5md8Efxw&oh=00_AflzvdV6c9stQ8YHBbcCBTggf9m0mYDwK7FPVD8hWqcQgA&oe=6939FB88",

    "audio_download_url": "https://video-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/o1/v/t2/f2/m69/AQNh2QakDEtjR2GQ90WCxWzJ1gwuhWmeP9A0FrbYGra3YTceqxBJfyoThaackQcQyLZWTxf36UPIGe5lyL2cnjKo.mp4?strext=1&_nc_cat=103&_nc_sid=9ca052&_nc_ht=video-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net&_nc_ohc=zwfj5hFdTUsQ7kNvwFKfjg2&efg=eyJ2ZW5jb2RlX3RhZyI6ImRhc2hfbG5faGVhYWNfdmJyM19hdWRpbyIsInZpZGVvX2lkIjoxMzk1OTc0NzE4NjA0NjMyLCJvaWxfdXJsZ2VuX2FwcF9pZCI6MCwiY2xpZW50X25hbWUiOiJ1bmtub3duIiwieHB2X2Fzc2V0X2lkIjoxODg3OTk2NTk1MTIzOTM4LCJhc3NldF9hZ2VfZGF5cyI6NCwidmlfdXNlY2FzZV9pZCI6MTAwOTksImR1cmF0aW9uX3MiOjEzLCJiaXRyYXRlIjo3MDI5OSwidXJsZ2VuX3NvdXJjZSI6Ind3dyJ9&ccb=17-1&_nc_gid=YVQV6ZVjl4JgKW5md8Efxw&_nc_zt=28&oh=00_AfmkPZQxmrmKCKLQ7LhSSlYooAtGHL0EG9Xt9hn1B6UMSg&oe=6939F02F",
    "video_download_url": "https://video-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/o1/v/t2/f2/m367/AQN6GBOH95WvsW-BWeXOPtORJCySPSYADYcouqhDOmHX37cXd5uUDWUSV4-bAa3d55hF4tCMOlz8xSgINbqyJRxHEcanTbd2woUIpW8.mp4?_nc_cat=103&_nc_sid=9ca052&_nc_ht=video-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net&_nc_ohc=-WxBBVCc7y8Q7kNvwFTmmGN&efg=eyJ2ZW5jb2RlX3RhZyI6ImRhc2hfcjJhdjEtcjFnZW4ydnA5X3E5MCIsInZpZGVvX2lkIjoxMzk1OTc0NzE4NjA0NjMyLCJvaWxfdXJsZ2VuX2FwcF9pZCI6MCwiY2xpZW50X25hbWUiOiJ1bmtub3duIiwieHB2X2Fzc2V0X2lkIjoxODg3OTk2NTk1MTIzOTM4LCJhc3NldF9hZ2VfZGF5cyI6NCwidmlfdXNlY2FzZV9pZCI6MTAwOTksImR1cmF0aW9uX3MiOjEzLCJiaXRyYXRlIjozNDcxNjE0LCJ1cmxnZW5fc291cmNlIjoid3d3In0=&ccb=17-1&_nc_gid=YVQV6ZVjl4JgKW5md8Efxw&_nc_zt=28&oh=00_Afka7-LBXAAm9Lvq7SZihGobiABuUNIvjvlcJ8J8UOI8TA&oe=6939FA8C",
    "merge_video_download_url": "https://video-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/o1/v/t2/f2/m69/AQOhtRaQI5Az8Pyd_7gfp098bqh4y8Bnpg56lQAS1rqpw7zg9F5QDTdjVWKjco8mlt0hXOHr0sZgOL7-lKCHbBpJ.mp4?strext=1&_nc_cat=100&_nc_sid=5e9851&_nc_ht=video-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net&_nc_ohc=Xz0nIoWB7KcQ7kNvwEo3SAp&efg=eyJ2ZW5jb2RlX3RhZyI6Inhwdl9wcm9ncmVzc2l2ZS5GQUNFQk9PSy4uQzMuMTI3Ni5kYXNoX2Jhc2VsaW5lXzFfdjEiLCJ4cHZfYXNzZXRfaWQiOjE4ODc5OTY1OTUxMjM5MzgsImFzc2V0X2FnZV9kYXlzIjo0LCJ2aV91c2VjYXNlX2lkIjoxMDA5OSwiZHVyYXRpb25fcyI6MTMsInVybGdlbl9zb3VyY2UiOiJ3d3cifQ%3D%3D&ccb=17-1&vs=523c808b33b9d0c9&_nc_vs=HBksFQIYOnBhc3N0aHJvdWdoX2V2ZXJzdG9yZS9HSFpvT1NQeVBGMlEzUkVFQU9QQndzQkQxdFk0YnNwVEFRQUYVAALIARIAFQIYOnBhc3N0aHJvdWdoX2V2ZXJzdG9yZS9HQ25fYUNQblg4djBRaXNFQU1jYVozbkEzX3M3YnN0VEFRQUYVAgLIARIAKAAYABsCiAd1c2Vfb2lsATEScHJvZ3Jlc3NpdmVfcmVjaXBlATEVAAAmxNud5u7H2gYVAigCQzMsF0Aq3bItDlYEGBJkYXNoX2Jhc2VsaW5lXzFfdjERAHUCZeadAQA&_nc_gid=YVQV6ZVjl4JgKW5md8Efxw&_nc_zt=28&oh=00_AflyWx9J8LEuyglEE3EayPL57T-SCXfHJcwRtExkuG8X-g&oe=6939F626&bitrate=3598534&tag=dash_baseline_1_v1",

    "_best_video_format": {
      "id": "25168920429429178v",
      "ext": "mp4",
      "height": 1078
    },
    "_best_audio_format": {
      "id": "744210892019214a",
      "ext": "m4a",
      "abr": 69.741
    }
  },
  {
    "url": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/832229456093453",
    "title": "56K views · 24K reactions | new @suetatus mercedes vision concept | suetatus",
    "duration": 7.033,
    "description": "new @suetatus mercedes vision concept",
    "thumbnail_url": "https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t51.71878-10/565207203_1623899435638649_2497513226359807619_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s960x960_tt6&_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=50ce42&_nc_ohc=bkCMkOkZi4gQ7kNvwFNsA14&_nc_oc=AdnoawdcVJuM6nEwY67c0s5SjjJsew0ihpzESF5qEQXNO4Hc9VwPx6P909zh6E7k2zM&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&_nc_gid=48B4uVl2_qF21Cr5KzGbgA&oh=00_AfkOW50kA2L1fEtNMpSjizc3_Iz6zNEPCngmLrayDdrIAg&oe=693A1CB2",

    "audio_download_url": "https://video-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/o1/v/t2/f2/m69/AQPyexjnkVfQDT1G5fAQdnF1LMdIJf-4ieNAaVHvfqpiPsCJS4HMGsC4NzjB_ALrKwwlNiQEHRbhJXmXXNO7SIyd.mp4?strext=1&_nc_cat=109&_nc_sid=9ca052&_nc_ht=video-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net&_nc_ohc=YZZv4R0KccYQ7kNvwGGx1Be&efg=eyJ2ZW5jb2RlX3RhZyI6ImRhc2hfbG5faGVhYWNfdmJyM19hdWRpbyIsInZpZGVvX2lkIjo4MzIyMjk0NTYwOTM0NTMsIm9pbF91cmxnZW5fYXBwX2lkIjowLCJjbGllbnRfbmFtZSI6InVua25vd24iLCJ4cHZfYXNzZXRfaWQiOjEyOTkzMjE3MTQ4MTIzMDYsImFzc2V0X2FnZV9kYXlzIjo1MSwidmlfdXNlY2FzZV9pZCI6MTAwOTksImR1cmF0aW9uX3MiOjcsImJpdHJhdGUiOjczMTk0LCJ1cmxnZW5fc291cmNlIjoid3d3In0=&ccb=17-1&_nc_gid=48B4uVl2_qF21Cr5KzGbgA&_nc_zt=28&oh=00_AflAwIgvaCXiwuz2Y33Tlase29qTnpnNlBsH4iKjK7aZnQ&oe=6939F40D",
    "video_download_url": "https://video-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/o1/v/t2/f2/m367/AQNect3PLjkl_AhrAKcz-wa5pKtKtwxmhVpe6vnKjZF_HYufFMCrW9a4VuOLwvcY3z8q3rrEI8QuYZabp-Rw4ipuDzRcEvj34rsuMO4.mp4?_nc_cat=105&_nc_sid=9ca052&_nc_ht=video-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net&_nc_ohc=m6wmpf_eg04Q7kNvwF1RYfe&efg=eyJ2ZW5jb2RlX3RhZyI6ImRhc2hfcjJhdjEtcjFnZW4ydnA5X3E5MCIsInZpZGVvX2lkIjo4MzIyMjk0NTYwOTM0NTMsIm9pbF91cmxnZW5fYXBwX2lkIjowLCJjbGllbnRfbmFtZSI6InVua25vd24iLCJ4cHZfYXNzZXRfaWQiOjEyOTkzMjE3MTQ4MTIzMDYsImFzc2V0X2FnZV9kYXlzIjo1MSwidmlfdXNlY2FzZV9pZCI6MTAwOTksImR1cmF0aW9uX3MiOjcsImJpdHJhdGUiOjUyNTE3OTgsInVybGdlbl9zb3VyY2UiOiJ3d3cifQ==&ccb=17-1&_nc_gid=48B4uVl2_qF21Cr5KzGbgA&_nc_zt=28&oh=00_Afl891SwdyUv5sXUCFFnHXUbDL37c1SGjI_JxTh8RQxsOA&oe=6939F896",
    "merge_video_download_url": "https://video-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/o1/v/t2/f2/m69/AQMU9yI1ox__7O6hQOJvtsyjfDh2A90IHFDsiVCH8UX2QeHc8vb8iVKscROC7WoP9MWpRvYVyTYtZeBeHx_56oh3.mp4?strext=1&_nc_cat=105&_nc_sid=5e9851&_nc_ht=video-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net&_nc_ohc=bNb2FgbQx_gQ7kNvwFnu3oO&efg=eyJ2ZW5jb2RlX3RhZyI6Inhwdl9wcm9ncmVzc2l2ZS5GQUNFQk9PSy4uQzMuNzIwLmRhc2hfYmFzZWxpbmVfMV92MSIsInhwdl9hc3NldF9pZCI6MTI5OTMyMTcxNDgxMjMwNiwiYXNzZXRfYWdlX2RheXMiOjUxLCJ2aV91c2VjYXNlX2lkIjoxMDA5OSwiZHVyYXRpb25fcyI6NywidXJsZ2VuX3NvdXJjZSI6Ind3dyJ9&ccb=17-1&vs=a73d5651905b6d47&_nc_vs=HBksFQIYOnBhc3N0aHJvdWdoX2V2ZXJzdG9yZS9HSjFzeHlIRUt6TWpiRVVGQUthajZ3RVAxRGd2YnNwVEFRQUYVAALIARIAFQIYOnBhc3N0aHJvdWdoX2V2ZXJzdG9yZS9HTFdRblNIOTdqX2hPM1VHQVBXampNRDUyQTBFYnN0VEFRQUYVAgLIARIAKAAYABsCiAd1c2Vfb2lsATEScHJvZ3Jlc3NpdmVfcmVjaXBlATEVAAAmpJaVlL3uzgQVAigCQzMsF0AcIcrAgxJvGBJkYXNoX2Jhc2VsaW5lXzFfdjERAHUCZeadAQA&_nc_gid=48B4uVl2_qF21Cr5KzGbgA&_nc_zt=28&oh=00_AfnaAkt6C5DzEYDeiUVMbCEPAJ9IlQ0sh69Hox-IM9786A&oe=693A0225&bitrate=2086378&tag=dash_baseline_1_v1",

    "_best_video_format": {
      "id": "4153445934901939v",
      "ext": "mp4",
      "height": 1920
    },
    "_best_audio_format": {
      "id": "1161557462565986a",
      "ext": "m4a",
      "abr": 72.167
    }
  },
  {
    "url": "https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1PDE7wDG6h/",
    "title": "56K views · 24K reactions | new @suetatus mercedes vision concept | suetatus",
    "duration": 7.033,
    "description": "new @suetatus mercedes vision concept",
    "thumbnail_url": "https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t51.71878-10/565207203_1623899435638649_2497513226359807619_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s960x960_tt6&_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=50ce42&_nc_ohc=bkCMkOkZi4gQ7kNvwFNsA14&_nc_oc=AdnoawdcVJuM6nEwY67c0s5SjjJsew0ihpzESF5qEQXNO4Hc9VwPx6P909zh6E7k2zM&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.xx&_nc_gid=jvFlOj8j23KxCZYMQLo_-g&oh=00_AflhcljF6sCA8TBEFWBZF1FuYAvcClIb482Ze1aTeBM0SA&oe=693A1CB2",

    "audio_download_url": "https://video-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/o1/v/t2/f2/m69/AQPyexjnkVfQDT1G5fAQdnF1LMdIJf-4ieNAaVHvfqpiPsCJS4HMGsC4NzjB_ALrKwwlNiQEHRbhJXmXXNO7SIyd.mp4?strext=1&_nc_cat=109&_nc_sid=9ca052&_nc_ht=video-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net&_nc_ohc=YZZv4R0KccYQ7kNvwGGx1Be&efg=eyJ2ZW5jb2RlX3RhZyI6ImRhc2hfbG5faGVhYWNfdmJyM19hdWRpbyIsInZpZGVvX2lkIjo4MzIyMjk0NTYwOTM0NTMsIm9pbF91cmxnZW5fYXBwX2lkIjowLCJjbGllbnRfbmFtZSI6InVua25vd24iLCJ4cHZfYXNzZXRfaWQiOjEyOTkzMjE3MTQ4MTIzMDYsImFzc2V0X2FnZV9kYXlzIjo1MSwidmlfdXNlY2FzZV9pZCI6MTAwOTksImR1cmF0aW9uX3MiOjcsIndhdGNoX3RpbWVfcyI6NTAzMzc0LCJiaXRyYXRlIjo3MzE5NCwidXJsZ2VuX3NvdXJjZSI6Ind3dyJ9&ccb=17-1&_nc_gid=jvFlOj8j23KxCZYMQLo_-g&_nc_zt=28&oh=00_Afmj2JYjX6ATd7tnViHdSKfK7ndzGY7_JPTIL8tSzTyvpA&oe=6939F40D",
    "video_download_url": "https://video-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/o1/v/t2/f2/m367/AQNect3PLjkl_AhrAKcz-wa5pKtKtwxmhVpe6vnKjZF_HYufFMCrW9a4VuOLwvcY3z8q3rrEI8QuYZabp-Rw4ipuDzRcEvj34rsuMO4.mp4?_nc_cat=105&_nc_sid=9ca052&_nc_ht=video-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net&_nc_ohc=m6wmpf_eg04Q7kNvwF1RYfe&efg=eyJ2ZW5jb2RlX3RhZyI6ImRhc2hfcjJhdjEtcjFnZW4ydnA5X3E5MCIsInZpZGVvX2lkIjo4MzIyMjk0NTYwOTM0NTMsIm9pbF91cmxnZW5fYXBwX2lkIjowLCJjbGllbnRfbmFtZSI6InVua25vd24iLCJ4cHZfYXNzZXRfaWQiOjEyOTkzMjE3MTQ4MTIzMDYsImFzc2V0X2FnZV9kYXlzIjo1MSwidmlfdXNlY2FzZV9pZCI6MTAwOTksImR1cmF0aW9uX3MiOjcsIndhdGNoX3RpbWVfcyI6NTAzMzc0LCJiaXRyYXRlIjo1MjUxNzk4LCJ1cmxnZW5fc291cmNlIjoid3d3In0=&ccb=17-1&_nc_gid=jvFlOj8j23KxCZYMQLo_-g&_nc_zt=28&oh=00_AfmHA0N32R2YdLoIJqxiXsgs-rDCUWGgam8oeTSYvkknXQ&oe=6939F896",
    "merge_video_download_url": "https://video-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/o1/v/t2/f2/m69/AQMU9yI1ox__7O6hQOJvtsyjfDh2A90IHFDsiVCH8UX2QeHc8vb8iVKscROC7WoP9MWpRvYVyTYtZeBeHx_56oh3.mp4?strext=1&_nc_cat=105&_nc_sid=5e9851&_nc_ht=video-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net&_nc_ohc=bNb2FgbQx_gQ7kNvwFnu3oO&efg=eyJ2ZW5jb2RlX3RhZyI6Inhwdl9wcm9ncmVzc2l2ZS5GQUNFQk9PSy4uQzMuNzIwLmRhc2hfYmFzZWxpbmVfMV92MSIsInhwdl9hc3NldF9pZCI6MTI5OTMyMTcxNDgxMjMwNiwiYXNzZXRfYWdlX2RheXMiOjUxLCJ2aV91c2VjYXNlX2lkIjoxMDA5OSwiZHVyYXRpb25fcyI6Nywid2F0Y2hfdGltZV9zIjo1MDMzNzQsInVybGdlbl9zb3VyY2UiOiJ3d3cifQ%3D%3D&ccb=17-1&vs=a73d5651905b6d47&_nc_vs=HBksFQIYOnBhc3N0aHJvdWdoX2V2ZXJzdG9yZS9HSjFzeHlIRUt6TWpiRVVGQUthajZ3RVAxRGd2YnNwVEFRQUYVAALIARIAFQIYOnBhc3N0aHJvdWdoX2V2ZXJzdG9yZS9HTFdRblNIOTdqX2hPM1VHQVBXampNRDUyQTBFYnN0VEFRQUYVAgLIARIAKAAYABsCiAd1c2Vfb2lsATEScHJvZ3Jlc3NpdmVfcmVjaXBlATEVAAAmpJaVlL3uzgQVAigCQzMsF0AcIcrAgxJvGBJkYXNoX2Jhc2VsaW5lXzFfdjERAHUCZeadAQA&_nc_gid=jvFlOj8j23KxCZYMQLo_-g&_nc_zt=28&oh=00_AfmjYchwe9e6anij4VCcw9jh-C8VjNEIpsBsFFJMqZC47A&oe=693A0225&bitrate=2086378&tag=dash_baseline_1_v1",
    
    "_best_video_format": {
      "id": "4153445934901939v",
      "ext": "mp4",
      "height": 1920
    },
    "_best_audio_format": {
      "id": "1161557462565986a",
      "ext": "m4a",
      "abr": 72.167
    }
  }
]

Troubleshooting

1. No URLs processed / invalid input

   • Ensure startUrls is present in the input and contains valid URL strings or objects with a url field. Use the platform input validation or the local input.json example as a template.

2. Network / download failures

   • Check network access and any outbound proxy/firewall rules. If running in a container, verify that the container has internet access and correct DNS resolution.

3. Permission or filesystem errors when writing downloads

   • Confirm the process can write to the downloads/ directory or the mounted volume. Adjust permissions or volume mounts as needed.

4. Rate limiting or source blocks

   • Many video hosting platforms implement rate limiting and request blocking. If you encounter repeated failures, reduce concurrency, add retries, or run the actor from an IP/network that is permitted by the source.

Enabling verbose logs for troubleshooting

• As noted above, re-run the actor and inspect the logs for stack traces and detailed error messages.