# Instagram Posts Scraper Goat (`goat255/instagram-posts-scraper`) Actor

Scrape Instagram posts in bulk with captions, likes, comments, video views, media URLs, locations, tagged users, and carousel data. Automatic pagination.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/goat255/instagram-posts-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Goutam Soni](https://apify.com/goat255) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Automation, Developer tools
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.00 / 1,000 post scrapeds

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 Posts Scraper

Scrape Instagram posts in bulk with full captions, engagement metrics, media URLs, locations, tagged users, and carousel data. Handles pagination automatically.

### What it does

- Scrapes **post data** — captions, like/comment counts, video views, media URLs, timestamps
- Extracts **media details** — images, videos, carousels with all child slides
- Captures **metadata** — locations, tagged users, coauthors, paid partnership flags
- Accepts **usernames, @handles, or full Instagram URLs** — mix and match any format
- Handles **pagination** automatically — set how many posts you want and it fetches across as many pages as needed
- Runs **multiple usernames in parallel** with configurable concurrency
- Uses **multiple independent sources** with automatic failover
- Returns **one flat JSON object per post** — each post includes a `username` field so you can easily group and filter results by account

### Output

Each result is one JSON object per post. Every post includes the `username` field, so when scraping multiple accounts you can **group results by username** to see each account's posts separately.

| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `username` | string | Username this post belongs to — use this to group posts by account |
| `id` | string | Post ID |
| `shortcode` | string | URL slug (`instagram.com/p/{shortcode}`) |
| `mediaType` | string | `"image"`, `"video"`, or `"carousel"` |
| `timestamp` | integer | When posted (unix timestamp) |
| `caption` | string | Full caption text |
| `displayUrl` | string | Main image URL |
| `thumbnailUrl` | string | Square thumbnail URL |
| `videoUrl` | string | Video URL (if video) |
| `dimensions` | object | `{"height": 1080, "width": 1080}` |
| `accessibilityCaption` | string | Alt text |
| `likeCount` | integer | Number of likes |
| `commentCount` | integer | Number of comments |
| `videoViewCount` | integer | Video views (if video) |
| `location` | string | Location name |
| `taggedUsers` | string[] | Tagged usernames |
| `coauthors` | string[] | Collab post co-authors |
| `isPaidPartnership` | boolean | Sponsored content flag |
| `commentsDisabled` | boolean | Comments turned off |
| `children` | object[] | Carousel slides (each with `id`, `mediaType`, `displayUrl`, `videoUrl`, `dimensions`) |

### Use cases

- **Content analysis** — analyze captions, hashtags, and posting patterns at scale
- **Engagement tracking** — monitor likes, comments, and video views across accounts
- **Competitor monitoring** — track what competitors post, how often, and engagement rates
- **Influencer analytics** — evaluate content performance for influencer vetting
- **Brand monitoring** — find posts mentioning your brand via tagged users and coauthors

### Integrations

#### Apify API

```bash
## Get all posts
curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/datasets/{DATASET_ID}/items?format=json"

## Filter posts by username using the API
curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/datasets/{DATASET_ID}/items?format=json&fields=username,shortcode,likeCount,caption"
````

#### Python

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient
from itertools import groupby
from operator import itemgetter

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_API_TOKEN")

run = client.actor("YOUR_ACTOR_ID").call(run_input={
    "usernames": ["nasa", "spacex"],
    "maxPostsPerUser": 24,
})

## Group posts by username
posts = list(client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items())
posts.sort(key=itemgetter("username"))

for username, user_posts in groupby(posts, key=itemgetter("username")):
    user_posts = list(user_posts)
    avg_likes = sum(p.get("likeCount", 0) or 0 for p in user_posts) / len(user_posts)
    print(f"@{username}: {len(user_posts)} posts, avg {avg_likes:.0f} likes")
```

#### JavaScript / Node.js

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: 'YOUR_API_TOKEN' });

const run = await client.actor('YOUR_ACTOR_ID').call({
    usernames: ['nasa', 'spacex'],
    maxPostsPerUser: 24,
});

const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();

// Group posts by username
const grouped = Object.groupBy(items, post => post.username);
for (const [username, posts] of Object.entries(grouped)) {
    const avgLikes = posts.reduce((sum, p) => sum + (p.likeCount || 0), 0) / posts.length;
    console.log(`@${username}: ${posts.length} posts, avg ${Math.round(avgLikes)} likes`);
}
```

#### Webhooks & other platforms

Use [Apify integrations](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations) to send results to Google Sheets, Slack, Zapier, Make, Amazon S3, or your own webhook endpoint.

### Pricing

This actor uses **pay-per-event** pricing. You are charged per post successfully scraped. Check the Pricing tab for current rates.

### Proxy requirements

**Residential proxies are required.** Configured by default with Apify's residential proxy pool.

### Limits

- **Private accounts**: Posts are not accessible for private accounts
- **Post pagination**: Each page returns ~12 posts. Fetching 100 posts requires ~9 pages
- **Rate limits**: Use `delayBetweenRequests` (default 1s) and reasonable `concurrency` (default 5)

# Actor input Schema

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

List of Instagram usernames or profile URLs whose posts to scrape. You can mix formats: usernames (nasa), @handles (@nasa), or full URLs (https://instagram.com/nasa).

## `maxPostsPerUser` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of posts to fetch per user. Paginates automatically to reach the target. Set to 0 for all available posts.

## `concurrency` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of usernames scraped in parallel. Higher values are faster but use more resources.

## `delayBetweenRequests` (type: `number`):

Seconds to wait between requests. Lower values are faster but increase the chance of rate limiting.

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

Residential proxies are required to avoid blocks. Apify residential proxy is configured by default.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "usernames": [
    "nasa",
    "https://www.instagram.com/instagram"
  ],
  "maxPostsPerUser": 12,
  "concurrency": 5,
  "delayBetweenRequests": 1,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "usernames": [
        "nasa",
        "https://www.instagram.com/instagram"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("goat255/instagram-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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "usernames": [
        "nasa",
        "https://www.instagram.com/instagram",
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("goat255/instagram-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 '{
  "usernames": [
    "nasa",
    "https://www.instagram.com/instagram"
  ]
}' |
apify call goat255/instagram-posts-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=goat255/instagram-posts-scraper",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

```json
{
    "openapi": "3.0.1",
    "info": {
        "title": "Instagram Posts Scraper Goat",
        "description": "Scrape Instagram posts in bulk with captions, likes, comments, video views, media URLs, locations, tagged users, and carousel data. Automatic pagination.",
        "version": "0.1",
        "x-build-id": "x0NmKLdEF4YbLXMA3"
    },
    "servers": [
        {
            "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2"
        }
    ],
    "paths": {
        "/acts/goat255~instagram-posts-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-goat255-instagram-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": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/goat255~instagram-posts-scraper/runs": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "runs-sync-goat255-instagram-posts-scraper",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$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": {
                                    "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema"
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/goat255~instagram-posts-scraper/run-sync": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-goat255-instagram-posts-scraper",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$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": [
                    "usernames"
                ],
                "properties": {
                    "usernames": {
                        "title": "Instagram Usernames or URLs",
                        "type": "array",
                        "description": "List of Instagram usernames or profile URLs whose posts to scrape. You can mix formats: usernames (nasa), @handles (@nasa), or full URLs (https://instagram.com/nasa).",
                        "items": {
                            "type": "string"
                        }
                    },
                    "maxPostsPerUser": {
                        "title": "Max Posts per User",
                        "minimum": 0,
                        "type": "integer",
                        "description": "Maximum number of posts to fetch per user. Paginates automatically to reach the target. Set to 0 for all available posts.",
                        "default": 12
                    },
                    "concurrency": {
                        "title": "Concurrency",
                        "minimum": 1,
                        "maximum": 20,
                        "type": "integer",
                        "description": "Maximum number of usernames scraped in parallel. Higher values are faster but use more resources.",
                        "default": 5
                    },
                    "delayBetweenRequests": {
                        "title": "Delay Between Requests (seconds)",
                        "minimum": 0,
                        "type": "number",
                        "description": "Seconds to wait between requests. Lower values are faster but increase the chance of rate limiting.",
                        "default": 1
                    },
                    "proxyConfiguration": {
                        "title": "Proxy Configuration",
                        "type": "object",
                        "description": "Residential proxies are required to avoid blocks. Apify residential proxy is configured by default.",
                        "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
                                    }
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}
```