# 📸 Instagram Profile Scraper (`ethereal_wool/instagram-profile-scraper`) Actor

Extract Instagram profile data — title, author, engagement, and more. Scrape by keyword, URL or ID. Export to JSON, CSV & Excel, use the API, schedule runs and integrate. No code required.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/ethereal\_wool/instagram-profile-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Jackie Chen](https://apify.com/ethereal_wool) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Lead generation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$10.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

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 Profile Scraper

![instagram-profile-scraper](https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/48FFrfZnw5XqzUC1C/records/instagram-profile-scraper__hero)

Scrape **public Instagram profiles** by **username** or **numeric user ID**.
Returns clean, structured data for each profile: full name, follower / following /
post counts, biography, verification and business status, category, external URL,
profile picture, Facebook ID, and account-about details (join country & date).

> **Unofficial.** This Actor is not affiliated with, authorized, or endorsed by Instagram
> or Meta Platforms, Inc. It is an independent tool that retrieves publicly available data
> via a third-party API. Use it in compliance with Instagram's terms and all applicable
> laws; you are responsible for how you use the retrieved data.

### What it does

- **By username** — give one or more handles (without the `@`); each is looked up
  and returned as a full profile.
- **By user ID** — give one or more numeric Instagram user IDs (`pk`) when you have
  the ID but not the current handle.

Both lookups hit the same enriched profile endpoint, so the output is identical.

### Input

| Field | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `usernames` | string[] | `["natgeo"]` | Instagram handles to scrape, without the `@`. |
| `userIds` | string[] | `[]` | Numeric Instagram user IDs (`pk`) to scrape. |
| `maxItems` | integer | `10` | Max total profiles across all usernames and user IDs. |

#### Example input

```json
{
  "usernames": ["natgeo", "nasa", "cristiano"],
  "maxItems": 25
}
````

### Output

One dataset item per profile:

```json
{
  "username": "natgeo",
  "userId": "787132",
  "fullName": "National Geographic",
  "biography": "Step into wonder and find your inner explorer with National Geographic 🌎",
  "followerCount": 269393632,
  "followingCount": 194,
  "mediaCount": 31687,
  "isVerified": true,
  "isPrivate": false,
  "isBusiness": true,
  "category": "",
  "externalUrl": "http://visitstore.bio/natgeo",
  "profilePicUrl": "https://...",
  "fbid": "17841400573960012",
  "url": "https://www.instagram.com/natgeo/",
  "countryJoined": "United States",
  "dateJoined": "November 2010",
  "source": "username:natgeo"
}
```

### Notes

- Data is sourced live; Instagram occasionally rate-limits, so the Actor retries
  transient blocks with exponential backoff.
- Profiles are de-duplicated by user ID within a run.

### Quick start

1. Open the Actor and press **Run** — the default input works out of the box.
2. Adjust the input fields below to your target (keywords, IDs, or URLs) and set `maxItems` to cap spend.
3. Grab results from the **Dataset** tab as JSON / CSV / Excel, or pull them via the [Apify API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2) and MCP from your own code.

No proxies to configure, no cookies to paste, no login — the Actor handles everything server-side.

### Why teams switch to this Instagram profile scraper

Bulk-checking Instagram profiles by hand is slow, and browser actors get
login-gated fast. This Actor reads a direct HTTP API and returns bio, follower
and following counts, post count, verification, and profile picture as clean
JSON at **$2 per 1,000 profiles** — no login required.

### What people build with it

- **Influencer shortlisting** — enrich a list of handles with real follower
  counts and bios, then filter to your tier in one pass.
- **Lead enrichment** — turn a list of Instagram usernames into structured
  profile records for your CRM.
- **Audience mapping** — size the creators in a niche before you enter it.
- **Brand protection** — find impersonation and lookalike accounts using your
  brand name.
- **Recruiting & outreach** — bios self-describe roles and skills; filter for
  the people you want to reach.

### Tips for better results

- Usernames work with or without `@`.
- Follower counts come back as numbers, so tier filtering (e.g. 10k–100k
  micro-influencers) is one line of code.
- Chain into [Instagram User Posts Scraper](https://apify.com/ethereal_wool/instagram-user-posts-scraper)
  to pull each profile's content once you've shortlisted.

***

### Why this Actor

- **Direct API, no headless browser** — fast, stable runs with nothing to babysit.
- **No login, no cookies** — we never touch your accounts, so there's no ban risk.
- **Fresh, real-time data** — every run reads the source live, not a stale cache.
- **Pay per result** — you're billed only for the rows actually delivered.
- **Structured JSON** — export to CSV, Excel, or JSON, or pull straight from the API / MCP.

### Use cases

- Vet creators and accounts for influencer-marketing shortlists.
- Benchmark follower counts and engagement against competitors.
- Enrich CRM/lead records with public profile data.
- Track account growth and bio/links over time.

### FAQ

**Do I need an account, cookies, or to log in anywhere?**
No. The Actor talks to a fast, direct HTTP API server-side — you just provide inputs and run it.

**How am I billed?**
Pay-per-result: a fixed price per row returned, with no separate platform/compute charge. Caps like `maxItems` keep spend predictable.

**Can I run it on a schedule or call it from my app?**
Yes — use Apify Schedules, the REST API, the JavaScript / Python clients, or the MCP server. See the **API** tab.

**Is this affiliated with Instagram?**
No. It's an independent tool that collects publicly available data. Use it in line with the platform's terms and applicable law.

### More Instagram scrapers by us

- [**Instagram User Posts**](https://apify.com/ethereal_wool/instagram-user-posts-scraper) — Post feed · captions · engagement · media
- [**Instagram Reels**](https://apify.com/ethereal_wool/instagram-reels-scraper) — Reels · play counts · MP4 download
- [**Instagram Hashtag**](https://apify.com/ethereal_wool/instagram-hashtag-scraper) — Posts by hashtag · engagement
- [**Instagram Comments**](https://apify.com/ethereal_wool/instagram-comments-scraper) — Post comments + replies

Browse the full fleet → **https://apify.com/ethereal\_wool**

# Actor input Schema

## `usernames` (type: `array`):

Instagram usernames (handles) to scrape, without the @ — e.g. natgeo, nasa, cristiano. Each is looked up independently.

## `userIds` (type: `array`):

Instagram numeric user IDs (pk) to scrape, e.g. 787132. Useful when you have the ID but not the current handle. Each is looked up independently.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum total number of profiles to scrape across all usernames and user IDs.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Optional. Route the upstream API calls through an Apify Proxy to vary the source IP. Usually not needed.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "usernames": [
    "natgeo"
  ],
  "userIds": [],
  "maxItems": 10,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}
```

# 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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "usernames": [
        "natgeo"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("ethereal_wool/instagram-profile-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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "usernames": ["natgeo"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("ethereal_wool/instagram-profile-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 '{
  "usernames": [
    "natgeo"
  ]
}' |
apify call ethereal_wool/instagram-profile-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=ethereal_wool/instagram-profile-scraper",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

```json
{
    "openapi": "3.0.1",
    "info": {
        "title": "📸 Instagram Profile Scraper",
        "description": "Extract Instagram profile data — title, author, engagement, and more. Scrape by keyword, URL or ID. Export to JSON, CSV & Excel, use the API, schedule runs and integrate. No code required.",
        "version": "0.1",
        "x-build-id": "8xS8tpZqj7xpMlVcM"
    },
    "servers": [
        {
            "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2"
        }
    ],
    "paths": {
        "/acts/ethereal_wool~instagram-profile-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-ethereal_wool-instagram-profile-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": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/ethereal_wool~instagram-profile-scraper/runs": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "runs-sync-ethereal_wool-instagram-profile-scraper",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$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": {
                                    "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema"
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/ethereal_wool~instagram-profile-scraper/run-sync": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-ethereal_wool-instagram-profile-scraper",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$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",
                "properties": {
                    "usernames": {
                        "title": "Usernames",
                        "type": "array",
                        "description": "Instagram usernames (handles) to scrape, without the @ — e.g. natgeo, nasa, cristiano. Each is looked up independently.",
                        "default": [
                            "natgeo"
                        ],
                        "items": {
                            "type": "string"
                        }
                    },
                    "userIds": {
                        "title": "User IDs",
                        "type": "array",
                        "description": "Instagram numeric user IDs (pk) to scrape, e.g. 787132. Useful when you have the ID but not the current handle. Each is looked up independently.",
                        "default": [],
                        "items": {
                            "type": "string"
                        }
                    },
                    "maxItems": {
                        "title": "Max profiles",
                        "minimum": 1,
                        "maximum": 100000,
                        "type": "integer",
                        "description": "Maximum total number of profiles to scrape across all usernames and user IDs.",
                        "default": 10
                    },
                    "proxyConfiguration": {
                        "title": "Proxy configuration",
                        "type": "object",
                        "description": "Optional. Route the upstream API calls through an Apify Proxy to vary the source IP. Usually not needed.",
                        "default": {
                            "useApifyProxy": false
                        }
                    }
                }
            },
            "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
                                    }
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}
```