# Instagram Profile & Posts Scraper (`fetch_cat/instagram-profile-posts-scraper`) Actor 📸 Scrape public Instagram profiles, recent posts, reels, captions, engagement counts, media URLs, and profile metadata from handles or URLs. - **URL**: https://apify.com/fetch\_cat/instagram-profile-posts-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Hanna Nosova](https://apify.com/fetch_cat) (community) - **Categories:** Social media, Lead generation, Videos - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $0.03 / 1,000 item extracteds 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.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 & Posts Scraper Scrape public Instagram profiles, recent posts, reels, captions, and engagement metrics from public handles or profile URLs. ### What does Instagram Profile & Posts Scraper do? Instagram Profile & Posts Scraper helps you collect public profile metadata and recent public media previews from Instagram profiles. It is designed for teams that need structured exports instead of manual copy and paste. You can enter handles like `nasa` or profile URLs like `https://www.instagram.com/nasa/`. The actor returns profile rows and post rows in a clean dataset. ### Who is it for? - 📣 Social media marketers monitoring public creator or brand accounts. - 🧑‍💼 Brand teams checking public profile positioning and recent campaigns. - 📊 Analysts comparing public engagement signals across accounts. - 🛡️ Compliance teams archiving public posts for review workflows. - 📰 Researchers tracking public media URLs, captions, and timestamps. ### Why use this scraper? Manual Instagram monitoring is slow and inconsistent. This actor gives you repeatable exports with stable field names. You can schedule it, connect it to datasets, or call it from the Apify API. ### What data can you extract? | Category | Example fields | | --- | --- | | Profile identity | handle, profile URL, full name | | Profile metadata | bio, avatar URL, external URL | | Public counts | followers, following, posts | | Account flags | verified, private | | Post identity | post URL, shortcode | | Post content | caption, timestamp, media type | | Engagement | likes, comments, views when visible | | Media | thumbnail URL, media URL | ### Pricing This Actor uses Apify pay-per-event pricing. The prices below come from the current Actor pricing configuration. Apify public plans map to Store discount tiers, so the table shows both the user-facing plan context and the pricing tier name. The final price shown in Apify depends on the user account plan and any custom agreement. | Event | What is charged | Price | | --- | --- | ---: | | `start` | One-time fee charged when a run starts. Covers fixed startup cost (init, proxy warmup, first HTTP setup). | $0.005 | | Event | What is charged | Free / no discount | Starter / Bronze | Scale / Silver | Business / Gold | Custom / Platinum | Custom / Diamond | | --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | `item` | Charged per public Instagram profile or post item saved to the dataset. | $0.0629 / 1,000 | $0.05469 / 1,000 | $0.04266 / 1,000 | $0.03281 / 1,000 | $0.02188 / 1,000 | $0.01531 / 1,000 | Apify may also charge platform usage for compute, storage, proxies, or data transfer outside this Actor pricing. Check the Actor run and the Apify Pricing tab for the exact cost shown to your account. ### Quick start 1. Open the actor on Apify. 2. Add Instagram handles such as `nasa` or `natgeo`. 3. Keep `maxPostsPerProfile` low for your first run. 4. Start the run. 5. Export the dataset as JSON, CSV, Excel, or via API. ### Input options #### Profile URLs or handles Use this when you already know the usernames. You can include or omit the `@` sign. #### Instagram profile URLs Use this when your source list contains full links. The actor extracts the handle from each URL. #### Maximum profiles Controls how many unique profiles are processed. Duplicate handles and URLs are deduplicated. #### Include recent posts When enabled, the actor saves recent public post or reel preview rows returned for the profile. #### Include reels/videos Disable this option if you only want image and carousel-style posts. #### Maximum posts per profile Controls the number of recent post rows saved per profile. Keep this low for smoke tests. #### Proxy configuration Apify Proxy is enabled by default for cloud reliability because Instagram can rate-limit shared datacenter traffic. You can override the proxy configuration if your account requires a specific proxy setup. ### Example input ```json { "profileUrlsOrHandles": ["nasa", "natgeo"], "maxProfiles": 2, "includePosts": true, "includeReels": true, "maxPostsPerProfile": 5, "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true } } ```` ### Output example ```json { "type": "profile", "profileUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/nasa/", "username": "nasa", "fullName": "NASA", "biography": "Public profile bio when visible", "followersCount": 90000000, "isVerified": true, "scrapedAt": "2026-07-03T00:00:00.000Z" } ``` ```json { "profileUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/nasa/", "username": "nasa", "postUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/p/SHORTCODE/", "shortCode": "SHORTCODE", "caption": "Caption text when visible", "timestamp": "2026-07-03T00:00:00.000Z", "likesCount": 12345, "commentsCount": 123, "type": "image", "thumbnailUrl": "https://...", "scrapedAt": "2026-07-03T00:00:00.000Z" } ``` ### Output fields - `type` — `profile` for profile rows, `post`, `image`, `carousel`, `video`, or another visible Instagram source type for media rows. - `profileUrl` — public Instagram profile URL. - `username` — Instagram username. - `fullName` — public display name when visible. - `biography` — public bio text when visible. - `profilePicUrl` — profile picture URL when visible. - `externalUrl` — public external link when visible. - `followersCount` — follower count when visible. - `followingCount` — following count when visible. - `postsCount` — public post count when visible. - `isVerified` — verification flag when visible. - `isPrivate` — private account flag when visible. - `postUrl` — public post URL for post rows. - `shortCode` — Instagram shortcode. - `caption` — caption text when visible. - `timestamp` — post timestamp when visible. - `likesCount` — like count when visible. - `commentsCount` — comment count when visible. - `videoViewCount` — video view/play count when visible. - `thumbnailUrl` — public thumbnail URL when visible. - `imageUrls` — public image URLs when visible. - `scrapedAt` — time the row was saved. ### Tips for better results - Start with 1-2 handles before running a larger list. - Use public profiles only. - Avoid private or login-only accounts. - Keep post limits modest for scheduled monitoring. - Export CSV for spreadsheets and JSON for automation. ### Scheduling workflows Run the actor daily or weekly to monitor public account changes. Store each run in Apify datasets. Connect the dataset to downstream reporting, alerting, or archival tools. ### Integrations #### Google Sheets Export dataset results to CSV or connect through the Apify API. This is useful for campaign tracking sheets. #### BI dashboards Load JSON or CSV exports into dashboards for profile and engagement trend reports. #### Compliance review Archive public captions, URLs, and timestamps for later review. #### CRM enrichment Add public profile URLs, bios, and follower counts to creator or partner records. ### 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-profile-posts-scraper').call({ profileUrlsOrHandles: ['nasa'], maxProfiles: 1, maxPostsPerProfile: 5 }); console.log(run.defaultDatasetId); ``` #### Python ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient import os client = ApifyClient(os.environ['APIFY_TOKEN']) run = client.actor('fetch_cat/instagram-profile-posts-scraper').call(run_input={ 'profileUrlsOrHandles': ['nasa'], 'maxProfiles': 1, 'maxPostsPerProfile': 5, }) print(run['defaultDatasetId']) ``` #### cURL ```bash curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/fetch_cat~instagram-profile-posts-scraper/runs?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" \ -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \ -d '{"profileUrlsOrHandles":["nasa"],"maxProfiles":1,"maxPostsPerProfile":5}' ``` ### MCP usage Use the Apify MCP server with tools scoped to this actor: ```text https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch_cat/instagram-profile-posts-scraper ``` Add it to Claude Code: ```bash claude mcp add apify-instagram-profile-posts https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch_cat/instagram-profile-posts-scraper ``` Claude Desktop JSON configuration: ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify-instagram-profile-posts": { "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch_cat/instagram-profile-posts-scraper" } } } ``` Example prompts: - "Run the Instagram Profile & Posts Scraper for nasa and summarize the latest captions." - "Export recent public post URLs for these brand handles." - "Compare public follower counts for this creator shortlist." ### Data quality notes Instagram may hide some fields for some accounts, regions, or request contexts. When a public field is not visible, the actor leaves it empty instead of guessing. Counts can change frequently and should be treated as point-in-time values. ### Limitations - Public profiles only. - No private posts. - No login-only stories or highlights. - No direct messages. - Recent post previews depend on what Instagram returns publicly. ### Troubleshooting #### Why did a handle return no rows? The handle may be invalid, private, blocked, renamed, unavailable in your region, or temporarily unavailable from Instagram. Try the public profile URL in a browser and lower your run limits. #### Why are some engagement counts missing? Instagram does not expose every metric for every media item in every public response. The actor saves metrics only when they are visible. #### Why should I keep low limits first? Low limits make it easier to verify output and avoid unnecessary proxy or compute usage. Increase limits once your input list is clean. ### Legality This actor is intended for public data collection. Use it responsibly and respect Instagram terms, privacy rights, and applicable laws. Do not use it to collect private, login-only, sensitive, or personal data in a way that violates rights or policies. ### Related scrapers - [Instagram Stories & Highlights Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/instagram-stories-highlights-scraper) — collect public Instagram story and highlight metadata when available. - [Threads Profile Posts Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/threads-profile-posts-scraper) — monitor public Threads profiles and posts. - [X Profile Tweets Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/x-profile-tweets-scraper) — export public X profile timelines for cross-channel analysis. - [TikTok Video Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/tiktok-video-scraper) — collect public TikTok video metadata for creator research. ### FAQ #### Can I scrape private accounts? No. This actor is public-only. #### Do I need cookies? No. V1 is designed without cookies or user login. #### Can I schedule it? Yes. Use Apify schedules for recurring monitoring. #### Can I export to Excel? Yes. Apify datasets support Excel, CSV, JSON, XML, and RSS exports. #### Does it scrape comments? No. It returns comment counts when visible, not full comment threads. #### Does it download media files? No. It returns media and thumbnail URLs when visible. #### Can I use URLs instead of handles? Yes. Add public Instagram profile URLs to `profileUrlsOrHandles`. #### What happens with duplicate inputs? Duplicate handles and URLs are deduplicated before scraping. #### Is this an official Instagram API? No. This is an Apify actor for public web data extraction. #### How should I start? Run one public handle with five posts, inspect the dataset, then scale up. # Actor input Schema ## `profileUrlsOrHandles` (type: `array`): Public Instagram usernames or profile URLs to scrape. You can include or omit the @ sign. ## `maxPostsPerProfile` (type: `integer`): Maximum recent post/reel preview records to save per profile. ## `includeReels` (type: `boolean`): Include video or reel-like media in the post results. Disable to keep image/carousel posts only. ## `maxConcurrency` (type: `integer`): Reserved concurrency limit for profile processing. Keep this low to reduce Instagram rate-limit risk. ## `maxProfiles` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of unique profiles to process from the input list. ## `includePosts` (type: `boolean`): Save recent public posts from each profile when Instagram returns them with the profile response. ## `handles` (type: `array`): Backward-compatible alias for Profile URLs or handles. ## `startUrls` (type: `array`): Backward-compatible alias for Instagram profile URLs. ## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`): Optional Apify Proxy configuration. Enabled by default for cloud reliability because Instagram can rate-limit shared datacenter traffic. ## Actor input object example ```json { "profileUrlsOrHandles": [ "nasa", "natgeo" ], "maxPostsPerProfile": 12, "includeReels": true, "maxConcurrency": 1, "maxProfiles": 2, "includePosts": true, "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true } } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `results` (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 = { "profileUrlsOrHandles": [ "nasa", "natgeo" ] }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("fetch_cat/instagram-profile-posts-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 = { "profileUrlsOrHandles": [ "nasa", "natgeo", ] } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("fetch_cat/instagram-profile-posts-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 '{ "profileUrlsOrHandles": [ "nasa", "natgeo" ] }' | apify call fetch_cat/instagram-profile-posts-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch_cat/instagram-profile-posts-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Instagram Profile & Posts Scraper", "description": "📸 Scrape public Instagram profiles, recent posts, reels, captions, engagement counts, media URLs, and profile metadata from handles or URLs.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "t9HkQKrM5nReSkB0t" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/fetch_cat~instagram-profile-posts-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-fetch_cat-instagram-profile-posts-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-profile-posts-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-fetch_cat-instagram-profile-posts-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-profile-posts-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-fetch_cat-instagram-profile-posts-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": [ "profileUrlsOrHandles" ], "properties": { "profileUrlsOrHandles": { "title": "Profile URLs or handles", "type": "array", "description": "Public Instagram usernames or profile URLs to scrape. You can include or omit the @ sign.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "maxPostsPerProfile": { "title": "Maximum posts per profile", "minimum": 0, "maximum": 50, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum recent post/reel preview records to save per profile.", "default": 12 }, "includeReels": { "title": "Include reels/videos", "type": "boolean", "description": "Include video or reel-like media in the post results. Disable to keep image/carousel posts only.", "default": true }, "maxConcurrency": { "title": "Maximum concurrency", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 5, "type": "integer", "description": "Reserved concurrency limit for profile processing. Keep this low to reduce Instagram rate-limit risk.", "default": 1 }, "maxProfiles": { "title": "Maximum profiles", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 100, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of unique profiles to process from the input list.", "default": 2 }, "includePosts": { "title": "Include recent posts", "type": "boolean", "description": "Save recent public posts from each profile when Instagram returns them with the profile response.", "default": true }, "handles": { "title": "Legacy handles", "type": "array", "description": "Backward-compatible alias for Profile URLs or handles.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "startUrls": { "title": "Legacy profile URLs", "type": "array", "description": "Backward-compatible alias for Instagram profile URLs.", "items": { "type": "object", "required": [ "url" ], "properties": { "url": { "type": "string", "title": "URL of a web page", "format": "uri" } } } }, "proxyConfiguration": { "title": "Proxy configuration", "type": "object", "description": "Optional Apify Proxy configuration. Enabled by default for cloud reliability because Instagram can rate-limit shared datacenter traffic.", "default": { "useApifyProxy": true } } } }, "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 } } } } } } } } } } ```