# Facebook Reels Scraper (`fetch_cat/facebook-reels-scraper`) Actor Scrape public Facebook Reels from profile and reel URLs. - **URL**: https://apify.com/fetch\_cat/facebook-reels-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Hanna Nosova](https://apify.com/fetch_cat) (community) - **Categories:** Social media, Videos - **Stats:** 1 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $3.00 / 1,000 reel results This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have. 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/docs.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.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/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 ## Facebook Reels Scraper Extract public Facebook Reels from page/profile Reels tabs, usernames, and direct reel URLs. The Actor returns structured rows with reel URLs, IDs, visible play counts, owner/page metadata, and diagnostics for inputs that Facebook does not expose publicly. Use it for social media research, creator monitoring, competitor content tracking, and repeatable exports to CSV, JSON, Excel, API, or automation workflows. ### At a glance - **Primary job**: Collect public Facebook Reels URLs and visible metrics from one or more public pages/profiles. - **Input**: Public Facebook page URLs, `/reels/` URLs, direct `/reel/` URLs, or usernames. - **Output**: One dataset row per reel, plus explicit diagnostic rows for invalid, blocked, private, or empty inputs. - **Best for**: Brand monitoring, competitor short-form research, influencer discovery, content planning, and reporting. ### Common workflows - **Monitor a brand page**: Schedule a run for a public Facebook page Reels tab and export newly seen reel URLs and play counts. - **Analyze competitors**: Add several public page/profile Reels URLs, cap results per profile, and compare visible play counts in a spreadsheet. - **Check direct reels**: Submit direct `facebook.com/reel/` URLs to normalize IDs and keep a consistent dataset shape. - **Automate reporting**: Trigger runs through the Apify API, webhooks, or MCP and send dataset rows to BI tools or a database. ### Input recipes - **Small smoke test**: `startUrls: [{ "url": "https://www.facebook.com/9GAGCute/reels/" }]`, `maxItems: 3`, `maxReelsPerProfile: 3`. - **Direct reel metadata**: `startUrls: [{ "url": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/3292750537522330/" }]`, `maxItems: 1`. - **Username convenience mode**: `usernames: ["9GAGCute", "Cristiano"]`, `maxItems: 20`, `maxReelsPerProfile: 10`. - **Monitoring run**: Use one public page URL, keep `maxReelsPerProfile` low, and schedule daily or weekly runs to compare fresh datasets. ### What data can you extract? | Field | Description | | --- | --- | | `inputUrl` | Original URL or username submitted by the user. | | `normalizedUrl` | Canonical Facebook URL processed by the Actor. | | `sourceType` | `profile_reels`, `direct_reel`, `username`, or `unknown`. | | `status` | `ok`, `invalid_url`, `no_reels_found`, `blocked_or_empty`, `private_or_unavailable`, `unsupported_or_changed`, or `failed`. | | `reelId` | Facebook reel ID when available. | | `reelUrl` | Canonical public reel URL. | | `postUrl` | Public post/reel URL for the same item. | | `text` | Public reel caption/text when exposed in the rendered page. | | `timestamp` | Public timestamp when exposed. | | `ownerName` | Visible owner/page name. | | `ownerUrl` | Owner/page URL used for extraction. | | `playCount` | Visible reel play count, normalized to a number. | | `likeCount` | Like count when available publicly. | | `commentCount` | Comment count when available publicly. | | `shareCount` | Share count when available publicly. | | `durationSeconds` | Duration when available publicly. | | `thumbnailUrl` | Thumbnail URL when exposed publicly. | | `videoUrl` | Best-effort public video URL when exposed; not guaranteed archival media. | | `pageName` | Visible page/profile name. | | `pageUrl` | Page/profile URL. | | `pageId` | Page ID when exposed publicly. | | `followerCount` | Visible follower count, normalized to a number. | | `likesCount` | Visible page like count, normalized to a number. | | `category` | Page category when visible. | | `missingFields` | Optional fields not exposed for this row. | | `error` | Diagnostic message for non-ok rows. | ### Input configuration | Setting | JSON key | Use it for | Example | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Facebook URLs | `startUrls` | Public page/profile URLs, `/reels/` tabs, and direct reel URLs. | `https://www.facebook.com/9GAGCute/reels/` | | Facebook usernames | `usernames` | Conveniently convert public usernames to Reels tab URLs. | `9GAGCute` | | Maximum reels | `maxItems` | Cap saved reel result rows and control spend. | `20` | | Maximum reels per profile | `maxReelsPerProfile` | Prevent one profile from consuming the whole run limit. | `10` | | Include page/profile metadata | `includePageProfileMetadata` | Add visible page name, URL, followers, and likes when available. | `true` | | Proxy configuration | `proxyConfiguration` | Use Apify Proxy; residential proxies are recommended for Facebook. | `{ "useApifyProxy": true }` | ### Example input ```json { "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://www.facebook.com/9GAGCute/reels/" }, { "url": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/3292750537522330/" } ], "usernames": ["Cristiano"], "maxItems": 20, "maxReelsPerProfile": 10, "includePageProfileMetadata": true, "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"] } } ```` ### Example output ```json { "inputUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/9GAGCute/reels/", "normalizedUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/9GAGCute/reels/", "sourceType": "profile_reels", "status": "ok", "reelId": "27749977914588421", "reelUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/27749977914588421/", "postUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/27749977914588421/", "text": null, "timestamp": null, "ownerName": "9GAG Cute", "ownerUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/9GAGCute/reels/", "playCount": 58000, "likeCount": null, "commentCount": null, "shareCount": null, "durationSeconds": null, "thumbnailUrl": null, "videoUrl": null, "pageName": "9GAG Cute", "pageUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/9GAGCute/reels/", "pageId": null, "followerCount": 3700000, "likesCount": null, "category": null, "missingFields": [], "error": null } ``` ### Pricing This Actor uses pay-per-event pricing. The final platform pricing is configured with volume-discount tiers: | Event | Free | Bronze | Silver | Gold | Platinum | Diamond | Charged when | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | --- | | Run start | $0.005 | $0.005 | $0.005 | $0.005 | $0.005 | $0.005 | Once when the Actor starts. | | Reel result | $0.00575 | $0.005 | $0.0039 | $0.003 | $0.002 | $0.0014 | Each successful row with `status: "ok"`; invalid/blocked diagnostics are not charged as reel results. | Higher Apify subscription tiers get additional volume discounts. Pricing was benchmarked against direct Facebook Reels competitors before QA handoff. ### Tips for best results - **Use public pages only**: This Actor does not accept cookies or scrape private/logged-in data. - **Start small**: Test with `maxItems: 3` to confirm a page exposes public Reels in your run environment. - **Prefer Reels tabs**: URLs ending in `/reels/` are the most direct input for profile/page scraping. - **Expect optional fields**: Facebook does not expose every metric on every surface; unavailable fields stay `null` and appear in `missingFields` when relevant. - **Use proxies in cloud**: Facebook can vary responses by IP. Residential Apify Proxy is recommended for production runs. ### API usage Node.js: ```js import { ApifyClient } from "apify-client"; const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN }); const run = await client.actor("fetch_cat/facebook-reels-scraper").call({ startUrls: [{ url: "https://www.facebook.com/9GAGCute/reels/" }], maxItems: 3, maxReelsPerProfile: 3 }); console.log(run.defaultDatasetId); ``` Python: ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient client = ApifyClient("YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN") run = client.actor("fetch_cat/facebook-reels-scraper").call(run_input={ "startUrls": [{ "url": "https://www.facebook.com/9GAGCute/reels/" }], "maxItems": 3, "maxReelsPerProfile": 3, }) print(run["defaultDatasetId"]) ``` cURL: ```bash curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/fetch_cat~facebook-reels-scraper/runs?token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"startUrls":[{"url":"https://www.facebook.com/9GAGCute/reels/"}],"maxItems":3,"maxReelsPerProfile":3}' ``` ### MCP and AI agents Use this Actor from MCP-compatible tools through the official Apify MCP Server. ```bash claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=fetch_cat/facebook-reels-scraper" ``` ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "url": "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=fetch_cat/facebook-reels-scraper" } } } ``` Example prompt: "Run Facebook Reels Scraper for this public Facebook page URL with maxItems 5 and summarize the reel URLs and visible play counts." ### Limits and caveats - **Public data only**: No account login, cookies, private profiles, private groups, or access-token scraping. - **Facebook changes often**: Public markup and visibility can change. Non-empty public smoke tests are part of QA. - **Metrics are best effort**: Play counts are usually visible on Reels tabs; likes, comments, shares, video URLs, and timestamps may be absent. - **No video archiving guarantee**: `videoUrl` is populated only if Facebook exposes a stable public URL in the same page context. - **Diagnostics are explicit**: Invalid or blocked inputs produce status rows instead of silently returning an empty dataset. ### Legality and responsible use Process only data you are allowed to access. Follow Facebook's terms, Apify's terms, robots and platform restrictions, and all applicable privacy and data-protection laws. Do not use this Actor to bypass access controls or collect private personal data. ### Related actors - [Facebook Ads Library Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/facebook-ads-library-scraper) - [Facebook Pages Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/facebook-pages-scraper) - [TikTok Profile Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/tiktok-profile-scraper) ### FAQ #### Does this Actor require Facebook login? No. It is public-only and intentionally does not accept cookies, sessions, passwords, or access tokens. #### Why are some fields empty? Facebook does not expose every field on every public page or reel. The Actor leaves unavailable fields as `null` instead of guessing. #### Will blocked or invalid inputs be charged as reel results? No. The Actor only charges the item event for successful `status: "ok"` reel rows. #### Can I export results? Yes. Apify datasets support JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, RSS, and API access. ### Support Open an issue from the Actor page if a run fails or output looks wrong. Include the run ID or run URL, input JSON, expected output, actual output, and a reproducible public URL. # Actor input Schema ## `startUrls` (type: `array`): Public Facebook page/profile URLs, /reels/ tabs, or direct /reel/ URLs. ## `usernames` (type: `array`): Optional public page/profile usernames, for example 9GAGCute or Cristiano. They are converted to public /reels/ URLs. ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of reel result rows to save across all inputs. ## `maxReelsPerProfile` (type: `integer`): Per-profile cap for page/profile reels tabs. Direct reel URLs count as one input. ## `includePageProfileMetadata` (type: `boolean`): Include visible page name, URL, follower count, and like count when Facebook exposes them publicly. ## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`): Facebook may vary or block public content by IP. Apify Proxy with residential groups is recommended for cloud runs. ## Actor input object example ```json { "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://www.facebook.com/9GAGCute/reels/" }, { "url": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/3292750537522330/" } ], "usernames": [ "9GAGCute" ], "maxItems": 20, "maxReelsPerProfile": 20, "includePageProfileMetadata": true, "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": [ "RESIDENTIAL" ] } } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `overview` (type: `string`): No description # 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 = { "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://www.facebook.com/9GAGCute/reels/" }, { "url": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/3292750537522330/" } ], "usernames": [ "9GAGCute" ] }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("fetch_cat/facebook-reels-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 = { "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://www.facebook.com/9GAGCute/reels/" }, { "url": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/3292750537522330/" }, ], "usernames": ["9GAGCute"], } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("fetch_cat/facebook-reels-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 '{ "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://www.facebook.com/9GAGCute/reels/" }, { "url": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/3292750537522330/" } ], "usernames": [ "9GAGCute" ] }' | apify call fetch_cat/facebook-reels-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch_cat/facebook-reels-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Facebook Reels Scraper", "description": "Scrape public Facebook Reels from profile and reel URLs.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "cCTNYZddQajtDYheW" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/fetch_cat~facebook-reels-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-fetch_cat-facebook-reels-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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/fetch_cat~facebook-reels-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-fetch_cat-facebook-reels-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/fetch_cat~facebook-reels-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-fetch_cat-facebook-reels-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": [ "startUrls" ], "properties": { "startUrls": { "title": "Facebook URLs", "minItems": 1, "type": "array", "description": "Public Facebook page/profile URLs, /reels/ tabs, or direct /reel/ URLs.", "items": { "type": "object", "required": [ "url" ], "properties": { "url": { "type": "string", "title": "URL of a web page", "format": "uri" } } } }, "usernames": { "title": "Facebook usernames", "type": "array", "description": "Optional public page/profile usernames, for example 9GAGCute or Cristiano. They are converted to public /reels/ URLs.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "maxItems": { "title": "Maximum reels", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 500, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of reel result rows to save across all inputs.", "default": 20 }, "maxReelsPerProfile": { "title": "Maximum reels per profile", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 200, "type": "integer", "description": "Per-profile cap for page/profile reels tabs. Direct reel URLs count as one input.", "default": 20 }, "includePageProfileMetadata": { "title": "Include page/profile metadata", "type": "boolean", "description": "Include visible page name, URL, follower count, and like count when Facebook exposes them publicly.", "default": true }, "proxyConfiguration": { "title": "Proxy configuration", "type": "object", "description": "Facebook may vary or block public content by IP. Apify Proxy with residential groups is recommended for cloud runs.", "default": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": [ "RESIDENTIAL" ] } } } }, "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 } } } } } } } } } } ```