LinkedIn Connection Analyzer

A LinkedIn Connection Analyzer that analyzes LinkedIn profiles and determines connection degrees between you and target profiles. This tool provides comprehensive profile data extraction along with sophisticated connection degree analysis.

🚀 Features

• Connection Degree Analysis: Accurately determines 1st, 2nd, 3rd degree connections or if profiles are out of network
• Comprehensive Profile Scraping: Extracts detailed profile information including experience, education, skills, and contact details
• Cookie-Based Authentication: Uses browser cookies for seamless LinkedIn authentication
• Robust Error Handling: Comprehensive logging and error management
• Apify Integration: Built as an Apify Actor for easy deployment and scaling

📋 What Gets Extracted

Profile Information

• Basic Info: Name, headline, summary, location, industry
• Professional Data: Work experience, education history, skills
• Contact Information: Email, phone, social media links (when available)
• Visual Assets: Profile picture and background image URLs
• Accomplishments: Certifications, publications, projects, etc.

Connection Analysis

• Connection Degree: 1st, 2nd, 3rd degree, or "Not connected"
• Connection Confidence: Multiple validation methods for accuracy

🔧 Configuration

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
profile_url	String	✅	LinkedIn profile URL to analyze
cookies	Array	✅	Browser cookies from EditThisCookie extension

Cookie Setup

1. Install EditThisCookie Extension (Chrome/Firefox)
2. Login to LinkedIn in your browser
3. Export Cookies:
   • Navigate to LinkedIn.com
   • Click EditThisCookie extension
   • Click "Export" button
   • Copy the JSON array
4. Use in Input: Paste the cookies array as the cookies parameter

Sample Input

{
  "profile_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-doe",
  "cookies": [
    {
      "name": "li_at",
      "value": "your-li-at-cookie-value",
      "domain": ".linkedin.com",
      "path": "/",
      "secure": true,
      "httpOnly": true
    },
    {
      "name": "JSESSIONID",
      "value": "your-jsessionid-value",
      "domain": ".linkedin.com",
      "path": "/",
      "secure": true
    }
  ]
}

🎯 Usage Examples

Basic Profile Analysis

# Input
{
  "profile_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-smith",
  "cookies": [/* your cookies array */]
}

# Output includes connection degree and full profile data

Supported URL Formats

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/username
• https://linkedin.com/in/username/
• https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=username
• https://linkedin.com/pub/name/id/id/username

📊 Output Format

{
  "profile_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-doe",
  "profile_id": "john-doe",
  "connection_degree": "2nd Degree Connection",
  "basic_info": {
    "firstName": "John",
    "lastName": "Doe",
    "headline": "Software Engineer at Tech Company",
    "summary": "Experienced software engineer...",
    "location": "San Francisco, CA",
    "industry": "Technology",
    "profile_picture": "https://...",
    "background_image": "https://..."
  },
  "experience": [
    {
      "title": "Software Engineer",
      "company": "Tech Company",
      "duration": "2020 - Present",
      "description": "..."
    }
  ],
  "education": [
    {
      "school": "University Name",
      "degree": "Bachelor of Science",
      "field": "Computer Science",
      "years": "2016 - 2020"
    }
  ],
  "skills": ["Python", "JavaScript", "React"],
  "contact_info": {
    "email": "john@example.com",
    "phone": "+1234567890"
  },
  "connection_analysis": {
    "degree": "2nd Degree Connection",
    "connection_related_fields": {}
  }
}

⚠️ Important Notes

Rate Limits

• LinkedIn has strict rate limiting
• Recommended: 1-2 requests per minute
• Use delays between requests for large batches

Cookie Management

• Cookies expire periodically (typically 24-48 hours)
• Monitor authentication status
• Refresh cookies when needed

LinkedIn Terms of Service

• Respect LinkedIn's Terms of Service
• Use for legitimate networking purposes
• Avoid aggressive scraping patterns

🚨 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Authentication Failed

Error: Authentication failed: li_at cookie not found

Solution: Ensure your cookies array includes the li_at cookie

Profile Not Found

Error: Could not extract profile ID from URL

Solution: Verify the LinkedIn URL format is correct

Rate Limited

Error: Too many requests

Solution: Add delays between requests and reduce request frequency

Debug Mode

Enable debug logging by setting:

logging.basicConfig(level=logging.DEBUG)

📈 Best Practices

1. Respect Rate Limits: Space out requests appropriately
2. Monitor Cookie Expiration: Refresh cookies regularly
3. Handle Errors Gracefully: Implement retry logic for failed requests
4. Validate Inputs: Always verify profile URLs before processing
5. Log Everything: Use comprehensive logging for debugging

📄 License

This project is for educational and research purposes. Please ensure compliance with LinkedIn's Terms of Service and applicable laws in your jurisdiction.