# Instagram Post Details Scraper (`fetch_cat/instagram-post-details-scraper`) Actor Extract public Instagram post captions, authors, timestamps, media URLs, and visible engagement metrics from direct post URLs. - **URL**: https://apify.com/fetch\_cat/instagram-post-details-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Hanna Nosova](https://apify.com/fetch_cat) (community) - **Categories:** Social media, Marketing - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $3.48 / 1,000 item processeds 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 ## Instagram Post Details Scraper Extract structured metadata from direct public Instagram post URLs. Paste `/p/{shortcode}/` links and get normalized post details for reporting, research, enrichment, exports, API workflows, and AI agents. ### At a glance - **Primary job**: Turn public Instagram post URLs into clean dataset rows. - **Input**: Direct public Instagram `/p/` post URLs. - **Output**: Caption, author, shortcode, timestamp, visible engagement counts, media links, and diagnostics. - **Best for**: Social media analysis, creator research, brand monitoring, compliance review, and content datasets. ### Who is this for? - **Social media analysts** tracking public post performance from known URLs. - **Influencer and creator marketers** auditing campaign posts without crawling full profiles. - **Brand, compliance, and research teams** collecting normalized public post records for review. - **AI and automation builders** feeding public post metadata into reports, alerts, or enrichment pipelines. ### Use cases - **Campaign reporting**: Export captions, authors, dates, and visible engagement for a curated URL list. - **Content research**: Build datasets from public posts you already know about. - **Compliance review**: Keep reproducible records of public post metadata and capture missing/error diagnostics. - **Workflow automation**: Trigger runs from API, Zapier-like tools, or MCP agents and process the dataset downstream. ### Input recipes - **Small smoke test**: Use one public post URL and `maxItems: 1`. - **Campaign audit**: Paste a list of saved campaign post URLs and export owner, caption, date, likes, and comments. - **Research dataset**: Schedule repeat runs for the same URL list to refresh public metadata over time. ### What data can you extract? | Field | Description | | --- | --- | | `inputUrl` | Original URL from your input. | | `status` | `success`, `error`, or uncharged `duplicate` for each input URL. | | `shortCode` | Instagram post shortcode. | | `postId` | Stable numeric Instagram media ID when the public page exposes it. | | `url` | Normalized canonical post URL. | | `ownerUsername` | Public username shown in post metadata. | | `ownerFullName` | Public display name when visible. | | `ownerId` | Public Instagram owner ID when exposed. | | `ownerProfileUrl` | Instagram profile URL for the owner. | | `caption` | Public post caption when visible. | | `hashtags` | Hashtags parsed from the caption. | | `mentions` | Mentioned usernames parsed from the caption. | | `timestamp` | Public post date/time when visible. | | `likesCount` | Public like count when visible. | | `commentsCount` | Public comment count when visible. | | `viewsCount` | Public view count when visible. | | `isVideo` | Whether the post exposes a video URL. | | `isCarousel` | Whether the page indicates a carousel/sidecar post. | | `displayUrl` | Public image/display URL when exposed and requested. | | `videoUrl` | Public video URL when exposed and requested. | | `thumbnailUrl` | Public thumbnail URL when exposed and requested. | | `missingFields` | Fields not visible in the public page metadata. | | `sourceRoute` | `direct_html` or `proxy_html`, showing which public route produced the row. | | `attempts` | Number of bounded fetch attempts used. | | `duplicateOf` | Canonical URL already handled for a duplicate input. | | `errorType`, `errorMessage` | Diagnostics for invalid, blocked, deleted, or unsupported URLs. | | `scrapedAt` | Timestamp when the row was saved. | ### Input configuration | Setting | JSON key | Use it for | Example | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Post URLs | `startUrls` | Direct public Instagram `/p/{shortcode}/` URLs. | `https://www.instagram.com/p/DWZitMjgHp1/` | | Maximum URLs | `maxItems` | Cap how many URLs are processed from the list. | `3` | | Include media URLs | `includeMediaUrls` | Include public thumbnail/display/video URLs when exposed. | `true` | | Proxy configuration | `proxyConfiguration` | Optional fallback after direct public HTML is blocked or rate-limited. Proxy traffic adds platform usage cost. | Disabled | ### Example input ```json { "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://www.instagram.com/p/DWZitMjgHp1/" } ], "maxItems": 1, "includeMediaUrls": true } ```` ### Example output ```json { "inputUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/p/DWZitMjgHp1/", "status": "success", "shortCode": "DWZitMjgHp1", "url": "https://www.instagram.com/p/DWZitMjgHp1/", "type": "post", "ownerUsername": "cristiano", "ownerFullName": "Cristiano Ronaldo", "ownerProfileUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/cristiano/", "caption": "On the ball ⚽️", "hashtags": [], "mentions": [], "timestamp": "2026-03-27T00:00:00.000Z", "likesCount": 3000000, "commentsCount": 28000, "isVideo": false, "isCarousel": false, "missingFields": [], "scrapedAt": "2026-07-15T08:49:40.909Z" } ``` ### Pricing | 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. | | Item processed | `$0.006665` | `$0.0057957` | `$0.0045206` | `$0.0034774` | `$0.0023183` | `$0.0016228` | Each successful post detail row is saved. | ### Tips for best results - **Use direct post links**: This Actor is for `/p/{shortcode}/` URLs, not profile, hashtag, search, or comment URLs. - **Start small**: Test 1-3 URLs before running larger batches. - **Expect missing fields**: Instagram may hide likes, comments, dates, or media URLs on some public posts. Missing public fields are listed in `missingFields`. - **Keep the direct default first**: Public post HTML is fetched without proxy cost. Configure Apify Proxy only if your workload is repeatedly blocked or rate-limited; the Actor will use it on the final bounded retry. - **Duplicates are safe**: Repeated shortcodes produce an uncharged `duplicate` diagnostic row instead of repeated network work or item charges. ### 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/instagram-post-details-scraper").call({ startUrls: [{ url: "https://www.instagram.com/p/DWZitMjgHp1/" }], maxItems: 1, includeMediaUrls: true }); console.log(run.defaultDatasetId); ``` Python: ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient client = ApifyClient("YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN") run = client.actor("fetch_cat/instagram-post-details-scraper").call(run_input={ "startUrls": [{ "url": "https://www.instagram.com/p/DWZitMjgHp1/" }], "maxItems": 1, "includeMediaUrls": True, }) print(run["defaultDatasetId"]) ``` cURL: ```bash curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/fetch_cat~instagram-post-details-scraper/runs?token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"startUrls":[{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/DWZitMjgHp1/"}],"maxItems":1,"includeMediaUrls":true}' ``` ### 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/instagram-post-details-scraper" ``` ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "url": "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=fetch_cat/instagram-post-details-scraper" } } } ``` Example prompt: "Run Instagram Post Details Scraper for these public post URLs and summarize captions, owners, and visible engagement." ### Limits and caveats - Public direct Instagram post URLs only. Private, deleted, age-gated, login-only, profile, hashtag, search, follower, liker, DM, and comment-thread data are out of scope. - Visible public metrics can be hidden or rounded by Instagram. - Instagram may throttle large or frequent runs. The Actor retries transient failures within a shared deadline and can use a customer-configured proxy as a fallback. - Error and duplicate rows are saved but are not charged as item events. Successful rows are saved and charged atomically. - `RUN_SUMMARY` records result, route, charge, and pending counts. `RUN_CHECKPOINT` records completed shortcodes and pending inputs when the Actor approaches its shutdown reserve. ### Legality and responsible use Process only public data that you are allowed to access. Follow Instagram's terms, Apify's terms, and applicable laws. Do not use this Actor for private account data, login-only data, or personal data misuse. ### Related actors - [Instagram Profile Posts Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/instagram-profile-posts-scraper) - [Instagram Reel Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/instagram-reel-scraper) - [Instagram Profile Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/instagram-profile-scraper) ### FAQ #### Does it scrape comments or likers? No. V1 returns post-level public metadata only. Comment threads, likers, followers, and private account analytics are not included. #### Why are some fields empty? Instagram does not expose every field for every public post. The Actor leaves unavailable fields empty and lists them in `missingFields` instead of guessing. #### Can I export results? Yes. Apify datasets support JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, RSS, and API access. #### Does the Actor require an Instagram account? No. It works with supported public post URLs and does not accept Instagram login details, cookies, or account tokens. A configured proxy is only a network fallback and does not unlock private or login-only posts. ### 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 one reproducible public URL. # Actor input Schema ## `startUrls` (type: `array`): Direct public Instagram post URLs in /p/{shortcode}/ format. Profile, hashtag, search, private, and login-only URLs are not supported. ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Safety cap for how many input URLs are processed from the list. ## `includeMediaUrls` (type: `boolean`): Include public thumbnail/display/video URLs when Instagram exposes them in the page metadata. ## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`): Optional fallback for blocked or rate-limited requests. Direct public HTML is tried first. Proxy traffic can add platform usage costs; choose a group and country only when your workload needs it. ## Actor input object example ```json { "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://www.instagram.com/p/DWZitMjgHp1/" } ], "maxItems": 3, "includeMediaUrls": true, "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": false } } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `overview` (type: `string`): No description ## `runSummary` (type: `string`): No description ## `checkpoint` (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.instagram.com/p/DWZitMjgHp1/" } ] }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("fetch_cat/instagram-post-details-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.instagram.com/p/DWZitMjgHp1/" }] } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("fetch_cat/instagram-post-details-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.instagram.com/p/DWZitMjgHp1/" } ] }' | apify call fetch_cat/instagram-post-details-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch_cat/instagram-post-details-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Instagram Post Details Scraper", "description": "Extract public Instagram post captions, authors, timestamps, media URLs, and visible engagement metrics from direct post URLs.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "hKmjwjFHzbEBqfdbe" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/fetch_cat~instagram-post-details-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-fetch_cat-instagram-post-details-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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/fetch_cat~instagram-post-details-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-fetch_cat-instagram-post-details-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/fetch_cat~instagram-post-details-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-fetch_cat-instagram-post-details-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": "Post URLs", "type": "array", "description": "Direct public Instagram post URLs in /p/{shortcode}/ format. Profile, hashtag, search, private, and login-only URLs are not supported.", "items": { "type": "object", "required": [ "url" ], "properties": { "url": { "type": "string", "title": "URL of a web page", "format": "uri" } } } }, "maxItems": { "title": "Maximum URLs to process", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 1000, "type": "integer", "description": "Safety cap for how many input URLs are processed from the list.", "default": 3 }, "includeMediaUrls": { "title": "Include media URLs", "type": "boolean", "description": "Include public thumbnail/display/video URLs when Instagram exposes them in the page metadata.", "default": true }, "proxyConfiguration": { "title": "Proxy configuration", "type": "object", "description": "Optional fallback for blocked or rate-limited requests. Direct public HTML is tried first. Proxy traffic can add platform usage costs; choose a group and country only when your workload needs it.", "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 } } } } } } } } } } ```