# Instagram Post Scraper (`codenest/instagram-post-scraper`) Actor Scrape thousands of Instagram posts in just minutes with full metadata - usernames, captions, reactions, comments, media URLs (images/videos/reels), thumbnails, and upload timestamps from any public profile. - **URL**: https://apify.com/codenest/instagram-post-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [CodeNest](https://apify.com/codenest) (community) - **Categories:** Social media, Automation, Developer tools - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing Pay per event + usage This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## 📸 Instagram Post Scraper - Ultimate Profile-Based Content Extractor **Effortlessly scrape and download Instagram posts, reels, and stories from any profile with our powerful **Instagram Post Scraper**! This Apify actor enables bulk extraction of posts, complete metadata, engagement metrics, and comprehensive profile information.** --- ### 📋 Overview Need to archive Instagram content, analyze viral trends, or repurpose posts? This **Instagram Post Scraper** delivers: - 📱 **Profile-Based Scraping** - Extract posts from any Instagram profile/page - 🎬 **Multi-Format Support** - Download images, videos, and reels - 📊 **Rich Engagement Data** - Reactions, comments, descriptions, timestamps - ⚡ **High Performance** - Concurrent scraping with customizable limits - 🔍 **Complete Profile Metadata** - Bio, followers, following, profile photos - 🌐 **Proxy Support** - Built-in Apify proxy integration for reliable scraping Perfect for social media managers 📈, content creators 🎭, marketers 📊, and data analysts 🔬! --- ### ⭐ Core Capabilities of Instagram Post Scraper #### 🎯 Profile Extraction - **Multiple Profile Support** - Scrape from 4+ Instagram profiles simultaneously - **Complete Profile Data** - Bio, follower counts, profile/cover photos - **Verification Status** - Detect verified accounts automatically - **Rich Metadata** - Full name, bio, posts count, and more #### 📱 Post Data Mastery - **Downloadable Media URLs** - Direct CDN links for all posts - **Engagement Metrics** - Reactions, comments (formatted K/M/B) - **Content Descriptions** - Captions and hashtags - **Temporal Data** - Upload timestamps and durations - **Thumbnail Extraction** - High-quality cover images for videos/reels - **Media Type Detection** - Auto-identifies images vs. videos vs. reels #### ⚡ Technical Features - **Concurrency Control** - Adjustable parallel processing (1-10 threads) - **Maximum Posts Limit** - Set per-profile extraction limits (max 60+) - **Proxy Configuration** - Built-in Apify proxy support - **Session Management** - Optional session persistence - **JSON Output** - Clean structured data with optional file export - **Error Resilience** - Individual profile failures don't stop batch - **Headless Mode** - Efficient browser automation --- ### ⚙️ Input Configuration Simply enter Instagram profile URLs, configure limits, and click "Start". Input looks like this: ```json { "headless": true, "maxReels": 60, "profileUrls": [ "https://www.instagram.com/nba/", "nasa", "https://www.instagram.com/natgeo/", "wwe" ], "outputFile": "reels_data.json", "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true }, "sessionId": "" } ```` #### 📝 Input Specifications | Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description | |-----------|------|----------|---------|-------------| | `profileUrls` | Array | ✅ Yes | - | Instagram profile URLs or usernames to scrape | | `maxReels` | Integer | ❌ No | 60 | Maximum posts to extract per profile | | `headless` | Boolean | ❌ No | true | Run browser in headless mode | | `outputFile` | String | ❌ No | "reels\_data.json" | Output filename for JSON export | | `proxyConfiguration.useApifyProxy` | Boolean | ❌ No | true | Enable Apify proxy rotation | | `sessionId` | String | ❌ No | "" | Session ID for cookie persistence | *** ### 📤 Output Structure Your **Instagram Post Scraper** produces comprehensive output with profile metadata and post data: ```json [ { "profile_url": "https://www.instagram.com/nba", "scraped_at": "2026-07-08T16:32:02.308231Z", "profile_metadata": { "username": "nba", "full_name": "NBA", "biography_clean": "Watch NBA Summer League action in Las Vegas: 7/9-7/19 on Prime and ESPN platforms!", "followers_count": 88388725, "following_count": 1306, "posts_count": 104801, "profile_pic_url_hq": "https://scontent...", "is_verified": true, "page_title": "NBA (@nba) • Instagram photos and videos" }, "total_posts_scraped": 60, "posts": [ { "posts num ": 1, "version": "1.0", "title": "The @emirates NBA Cup 2026 Group Draw results!", "author_name": "nba", "author_url": "https://www.instagram.com/nba/", "author_id": "20824486", "media_id": "3931329204505918355", "provider_name": "Instagram", "provider_url": "https://www.instagram.com", "type": "rich", "width": 658, "height": null, "html": "
", "thumbnail_url": "https://scontent...", "thumbnail_width": 1080, "thumbnail_height": 1440, "post_url": "https://www.instagram.com/p/DaO4xUZsbuT/", "shortcode": "DaO4xUZsbuT", "post_downloadable_url": "", "reactions": "170553", "comments": "1115", "views": "", "upload_time": "2026-07-01T01:56:34Z" } ] } ] ``` #### 📖 Output Field Documentation **🔹 Profile Metadata** | Field | Description | |-------|-------------| | `username` | Instagram username | | `full_name` | Display name on profile | | `biography_clean` | Profile bio/description (cleaned) | | `followers_count` | Total followers (integer) | | `following_count` | Total following (integer) | | `posts_count` | Total posts count (integer) | | `profile_pic_url_hq` | High-resolution profile picture URL | | `is_verified` | Boolean indicating verified status | | `page_title` | Full page title with username | **🔹 Post Data** | Field | Description | |-------|-------------| | `posts num` | Sequential post number (1-∞) | | `post_url` | Direct Instagram post URL | | `shortcode` | Unique post shortcode identifier | | `post_downloadable_url` | Direct media download URL (if video) | | `title` | Post caption/description | | `author_name` | Content creator username | | `author_id` | Instagram author ID | | `media_id` | Unique media identifier | | `thumbnail_url` | High-quality cover image | | `reactions` | Like/reaction count (formatted) | | `comments` | Comment count (formatted) | | `views` | View count (for videos/reels) | | `upload_time` | ISO 8601 timestamp of upload | | `type` | Content type (rich/video/image) | *** ### 🎨 Key Features of This Instagram Post Scraper #### 📊 Engagement Analytics - **Reaction Metrics** - Like and engagement data formatted with K/M/B - **Comment Analysis** - Track audience interaction - **Cross-Profile Comparison** - Analyze performance across multiple creators - **Temporal Analysis** - Track upload patterns and timing - **View Counts** - For video content with formatted metrics #### 🎬 Media Quality - **Direct CDN Access** - Highest quality Instagram delivers - **No Compression** - Preserves original video/image quality - **Thumbnail Extraction** - High-resolution cover images - **Media Type Detection** - Auto-identifies image vs. video vs. reel - **Multi-Format Support** - Handles all Instagram post types #### 🔍 Profile Intelligence - **Follower Insights** - Growth metrics and audience size - **Verification Status** - Authenticity detection - **Rich Bio Data** - Complete profile information - **Post Count Analysis** - Content volume tracking #### 🌐 Proxy & Security - **Built-in Proxy Support** - Apify proxy rotation for reliability - **Session Management** - Cookie persistence for consistent scraping - **Rate Limiting** - Smart request throttling - **Headless Mode** - Efficient resource usage *** ### 💡 Use Cases for Instagram Post Scraper - **📱 Social Media Managers** - Archive client content - **📊 Competitor Analysis** - Track engagement and content strategies - **🎬 Content Curators** - Gather trending posts for repurposing - **🔬 Researchers** - Study viral content patterns and engagement - **📈 Marketing Analysts** - Benchmark performance metrics - **🤖 AI Trainers** - Build datasets for image/video understanding models - **📚 Educators** - Create case studies from successful content - **💰 Influencer Marketing** - Analyze potential partnerships - **🖼️ Digital Archivists** - Preserve cultural and historical content *** ### ✨ Why Choose Our Instagram Post Scraper? - **⚡ Blazing Fast** - Concurrent scraping with optimized browser automation - **🎯 100% Accurate** - Preserves all metadata without alteration - **🔄 Regular Updates** - Adapts to Instagram platform changes automatically - **📦 Complete Data** - Everything from profile info to media URLs - **🛡️ Production Ready** - Battle-tested with thousands of profiles - **💰 Cost Efficient** - Optimized to minimize compute time and resources - **🔒 Privacy Focused** - No personal data stored or shared *** ### ⚠️ Limitations - Only works with public Instagram profiles (non-private content) - Some profiles may have rate limiting or access restrictions - Extremely high concurrency (15+) may trigger Instagram security - Requires valid profile URLs or usernames - Stories content requires separate scraping solution *** ### 📧 Need Custom Features for Your Instagram Post Scraper? Want **higher concurrency limits**, **specific metadata fields**, **custom output formats**, **enhanced filtering**, **advanced analytics**, or **targeted hashtag scraping**? ✉️ Email **** for tailored enterprise solutions! *** # Actor input Schema ## `profileUrls` (type: `array`): Enter one or more Instagram profile URLs to scrape. Example: https://www.instagram.com/nba/reels/ ## `maxReels` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of reels to try to scrape per profile. The scraper will keep scrolling until this target is met or no more reels are available. Default is 50. ## `headless` (type: `boolean`): Run Playwright browser in headless mode (no visible window). Default is true. ## `outputFile` (type: `string`): Name of the output JSON file. Default is reels\_data.json. ## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`): Select proxies to be used by the scraper. ## `sessionId` (type: `string`): Optional: Your Instagram sessionid cookie value. Highly recommended to bypass login prompts. ## Actor input object example ```json { "profileUrls": [], "maxReels": 50, "headless": true, "outputFile": "reels_data.json", "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true }, "sessionId": "" } ``` # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = {}; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("codenest/instagram-post-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = {} # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("codenest/instagram-post-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{}' | apify call codenest/instagram-post-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=codenest/instagram-post-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Instagram Post Scraper", "description": "Scrape thousands of Instagram posts in just minutes with full metadata - usernames, captions, reactions, comments, media URLs (images/videos/reels), thumbnails, and upload timestamps from any public profile.", "version": "0.0", "x-build-id": "mnRbYeJQno1bU5bpT" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/codenest~instagram-post-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-codenest-instagram-post-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/codenest~instagram-post-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-codenest-instagram-post-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/codenest~instagram-post-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-codenest-instagram-post-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "required": [ "profileUrls" ], "properties": { "profileUrls": { "title": "Profile URLs", "type": "array", "description": "Enter one or more Instagram profile URLs to scrape. Example: https://www.instagram.com/nba/reels/", "items": { "type": "string" }, "default": [] }, "maxReels": { "title": "Maximum Reels to Scrape", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 1000, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of reels to try to scrape per profile. The scraper will keep scrolling until this target is met or no more reels are available. Default is 50.", "default": 50 }, "headless": { "title": "Headless Browser", "type": "boolean", "description": "Run Playwright browser in headless mode (no visible window). Default is true.", "default": true }, "outputFile": { "title": "Output File Name", "type": "string", "description": "Name of the output JSON file. Default is reels_data.json.", "default": "reels_data.json" }, "proxyConfiguration": { "title": "Proxy configuration", "type": "object", "description": "Select proxies to be used by the scraper.", "default": { "useApifyProxy": true } }, "sessionId": { "title": "Session ID Cookie (sessionid)", "type": "string", "description": "Optional: Your Instagram sessionid cookie value. Highly recommended to bypass login prompts.", "default": "" } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```