# Instagram Posts Scraper – Profiles, Hashtags & URLs (`khadinakbar/instagram-posts-scraper`) Actor Extract Instagram posts at scale from profiles and direct URLs. Get captions, likes, comments, media URLs, timestamps, tagged users, and more. Works without login. Stealth Playwright with rotating proxies. - **URL**: https://apify.com/khadinakbar/instagram-posts-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Khadin Akbar](https://apify.com/khadinakbar) (community) - **Categories:** Social media, Marketing - **Stats:** 3 total users, 2 monthly users, 50.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $1.20 / 1,000 scraped posts This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage. 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 – Profiles, Hashtags & URLs > Extract Instagram posts from any combination of profiles, hashtags, and direct post URLs — all in one actor. No login required. Returns captions, engagement metrics, media URLs, location, tagged users, and more. --- ### What does Instagram Posts Scraper do? Instagram Posts Scraper is a powerful, multi-input actor that extracts structured post data from Instagram's public pages. Unlike other scrapers that force you to use separate tools for profiles vs. hashtags, this actor handles all three input types in a single run: **usernames**, **hashtags**, and **direct post URLs**. Feed it a mix of inputs and get back clean, structured JSON with everything you need — captions, hashtags, engagement metrics, media URLs, location tags, co-authors, tagged users, and optional recent comments. --- ### Why use Instagram Posts Scraper? - **All-in-one input** — scrape profile posts, hashtag feeds, and specific post URLs in one run - **Rich data output** — 30+ fields including accessibility captions, co-authors, tagged users, and pinned/sponsored flags that basic scrapers miss - **Date filtering** — skip posts older than a specified date without wasting credit - **No login required** — works entirely on public Instagram data - **MCP & AI ready** — semantic field names and rich schema for seamless integration with Claude, ChatGPT, and other AI workflows - **Competitive pricing** — $0.0012/post on free tier, down to $0.0003 at Diamond --- ### What data can Instagram Posts Scraper extract? | Field | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | `id` | string | Instagram internal post ID | | `shortcode` | string | Shortcode used in the post URL | | `url` | string | Direct link to the post | | `post_type` | string | IMAGE, VIDEO, CAROUSEL_ALBUM, or REEL | | `caption` | string | Full caption text | | `hashtags` | array | Extracted hashtags (no ## symbol) | | `mentions` | array | Extracted @mentions | | `accessibility_caption` | string | AI-generated image alt text | | `like_count` | integer | Number of likes | | `comment_count` | integer | Number of comments | | `video_view_count` | integer | Views (videos/reels only) | | `video_play_count` | integer | Plays (videos/reels only) | | `video_duration` | number | Duration in seconds | | `thumbnail_url` | string | Main post thumbnail | | `display_url` | string | Full resolution image URL | | `media_urls` | array | All images in a carousel | | `video_url` | string | Direct video file URL | | `owner_username` | string | Post author's username | | `owner_full_name` | string | Post author's display name | | `owner_is_verified` | boolean | Verified badge status | | `owner_follower_count` | integer | Author's follower count | | `location_name` | string | Tagged location | | `location_id` | string | Instagram location ID | | `tagged_users` | array | Users tagged in the post | | `coauthors` | array | Collaboration co-author usernames | | `is_pinned` | boolean | Whether the post is pinned | | `is_sponsored` | boolean | Paid partnership flag | | `is_reel` | boolean | Whether it's a Reel | | `comments_disabled` | boolean | Whether comments are off | | `timestamp` | string | Post publish date (ISO 8601) | | `scraped_at` | string | Scrape timestamp (ISO 8601) | | `recent_comments` | array | Up to 5 recent comments with text, username, timestamp, likes | --- ### How to use Instagram Posts Scraper #### Step 1 — Choose your input type You can mix and match all three input types in a single run: **By username (profile posts):** ```` natgeo nasa https://www.instagram.com/natgeo/ ``` **By hashtag:** ``` travel \#photography nature ``` **By direct post URL:** ``` https://www.instagram.com/p/CxABCde1234/ https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxABCde5678/ ```` #### Step 2 — Set your limits - **Max Posts Per Target** — How many posts to fetch per profile or hashtag (default: 50, max: 500) - **Only Posts Newer Than** — Skip old posts. Accepts `YYYY-MM-DD` or relative values like `7 days`, `2 months`, `1 year` #### Step 3 — Run and export Click **Start** and your data will appear in the **Output** tab. Export as JSON, CSV, or Excel. #### API usage example ```javascript const { ApifyClient } = require('apify-client'); const client = new ApifyClient({ token: 'YOUR_API_TOKEN' }); const run = await client.actor('khadinakbar/instagram-posts-scraper').call({ instagramUsernames: ['natgeo', 'nasa'], hashtags: ['photography'], maxPostsPerTarget: 100, onlyPostsNewerThan: '30 days', includeRecentComments: true, }); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); console.log(`Scraped ${items.length} posts`); ```` *** ### Pricing This actor uses **Pay Per Event** pricing — you only pay for posts that are successfully scraped. | Plan | Price Per Post | |------|---------------| | Free | $0.0012 | | Bronze | $0.0010 | | Silver | $0.0009 | | Gold | $0.0007 | | Platinum | $0.0005 | | Diamond | $0.0003 | **Example cost:** Scraping 1,000 posts on a free plan = **$1.20** There is also a small actor start fee of $0.00005 per run. *** ### Use cases **Social media analytics** — Track posting frequency, engagement trends, and content format performance across competitor profiles. **Influencer research** — Identify high-performing creators in a niche by scraping hashtag posts and sorting by engagement rate. **Brand monitoring** — Monitor @mentions and brand hashtags to discover user-generated content and brand conversations. **Content strategy** — Analyze which post types (image, reel, carousel) get the most engagement in your niche. **Market research** — Scrape posts from industry accounts and hashtags to identify trends and content gaps. **Lead generation** — Extract public contact info and profile data from business accounts in your target market. **AI training data** — Collect captioned images with accessibility\_caption fields for computer vision and NLP model training. **Competitive intelligence** — Monitor competitor brands' posting schedules, hashtag strategies, and engagement patterns. *** ### Frequently asked questions **Does it require Instagram login?** No. This scraper only collects publicly available data from Instagram's public pages. No login credentials are required. **Why do some posts have null values?** Instagram doesn't always return every field for every post, especially video view counts for older content. Missing values are returned as `null` rather than empty strings. **Can I scrape private accounts?** No. Only public Instagram profiles and posts are accessible without login. **What proxies does it use?** The actor uses Apify's residential proxy pool by default, which is recommended for Instagram. Datacenter proxies are frequently blocked by Instagram's bot detection. **Can I schedule automatic runs?** Yes — use Apify Scheduler to run the actor on any schedule (daily, weekly, etc.) and save your results to a dataset for trend analysis. **Why am I getting fewer posts than expected?** Instagram limits how many posts are visible on public pages without authentication. The practical limit is typically 50-200 posts per profile scroll. For comprehensive historical data, consider multiple scheduled runs. **Does it work with Instagram Reels?** Yes. Reels are returned with `post_type: "REEL"` and `is_reel: true`, including view counts and video duration. *** ### Other actors you might find useful - [Instagram Hashtag Scraper](https://apify.com/apify/instagram-hashtag-scraper) — Dedicated hashtag scraper from Apify - [Instagram Profile Scraper](https://apify.com/apify/instagram-profile-scraper) — Scrape profile-level info (bio, followers, following) - [Instagram Comments Scraper](https://apify.com/apify/instagram-comment-scraper) — Deep comment extraction for sentiment analysis *** ### Legal disclaimer This actor is designed for collecting publicly available data from Instagram in compliance with applicable laws. Users are solely responsible for ensuring their use complies with Instagram's Terms of Service, applicable privacy laws (including GDPR and CCPA), and any other relevant regulations. The actor author does not endorse or encourage any use that violates these terms. Data collected should not be used to harass, spam, or target individuals without their consent. Export scraped data, run the scraper via API, schedule and monitor runs, or integrate with other tools and AI workflows. # Actor input Schema ## `instagramUsernames` (type: `array`): Use this field when the user provides Instagram usernames (e.g. 'natgeo', 'nasa') or profile URLs (e.g. 'https://instagram.com/natgeo'). Do NOT use this when the user provides hashtags or post URLs — use the dedicated fields instead. One username or URL per line. ## `hashtags` (type: `array`): Use this field when the user provides hashtags (with or without the # symbol). Scrapes recent public posts tagged with each hashtag. Do NOT use for usernames or post URLs. ## `directPostUrls` (type: `array`): Use this field when the user provides specific Instagram post, reel, or carousel URLs (e.g. 'https://instagram.com/p/ABC123/'). Scrapes exactly those posts. ## `maxPostsPerTarget` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of posts to scrape per profile or hashtag. For direct post URLs, each URL counts as one post regardless of this limit. ## `onlyPostsNewerThan` (type: `string`): Skip posts older than this date. Accepts absolute dates (YYYY-MM-DD) or relative dates (e.g. '7 days', '2 months', '1 year'). ## `includeRecentComments` (type: `boolean`): When enabled, includes up to 5 recent comments per post in the output. Slightly increases scraping time. ## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`): Proxy settings. Residential proxies are recommended for Instagram — datacenter IPs are often blocked. Leave as default to use Apify's residential proxy pool. ## Actor input object example ```json { "instagramUsernames": [ "natgeo" ], "hashtags": [], "directPostUrls": [], "maxPostsPerTarget": 50, "includeRecentComments": true, "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": [ "RESIDENTIAL" ] } } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `scrapedPosts` (type: `string`): All scraped Instagram posts with full metadata — captions, hashtags, likes, comments, media URLs, owner profile, location, tagged users, and timestamps. # 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 = { "instagramUsernames": [ "natgeo" ], "hashtags": [], "directPostUrls": [], "maxPostsPerTarget": 50 }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("khadinakbar/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 '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "instagramUsernames": ["natgeo"], "hashtags": [], "directPostUrls": [], "maxPostsPerTarget": 50, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("khadinakbar/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 '{ "instagramUsernames": [ "natgeo" ], "hashtags": [], "directPostUrls": [], "maxPostsPerTarget": 50 }' | apify call khadinakbar/instagram-posts-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=khadinakbar/instagram-posts-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Instagram Posts Scraper – Profiles, Hashtags & URLs", "description": "Extract Instagram posts at scale from profiles and direct URLs. Get captions, likes, comments, media URLs, timestamps, tagged users, and more. Works without login. Stealth Playwright with rotating proxies.", "version": "1.0", "x-build-id": "EmL0BYYZ5jkIzqsBv" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/khadinakbar~instagram-posts-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-khadinakbar-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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/khadinakbar~instagram-posts-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-khadinakbar-instagram-posts-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/khadinakbar~instagram-posts-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-khadinakbar-instagram-posts-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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", "properties": { "instagramUsernames": { "title": "👤 Instagram Usernames or Profile URLs", "type": "array", "description": "Use this field when the user provides Instagram usernames (e.g. 'natgeo', 'nasa') or profile URLs (e.g. 'https://instagram.com/natgeo'). Do NOT use this when the user provides hashtags or post URLs — use the dedicated fields instead. One username or URL per line.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "hashtags": { "title": "#️⃣ Hashtags", "type": "array", "description": "Use this field when the user provides hashtags (with or without the # symbol). Scrapes recent public posts tagged with each hashtag. Do NOT use for usernames or post URLs.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "directPostUrls": { "title": "🔗 Direct Post or Reel URLs", "type": "array", "description": "Use this field when the user provides specific Instagram post, reel, or carousel URLs (e.g. 'https://instagram.com/p/ABC123/'). Scrapes exactly those posts.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "maxPostsPerTarget": { "title": "💯 Max Posts Per Target", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 500, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of posts to scrape per profile or hashtag. For direct post URLs, each URL counts as one post regardless of this limit.", "default": 50 }, "onlyPostsNewerThan": { "title": "📅 Only Posts Newer Than", "type": "string", "description": "Skip posts older than this date. Accepts absolute dates (YYYY-MM-DD) or relative dates (e.g. '7 days', '2 months', '1 year')." }, "includeRecentComments": { "title": "💬 Include Recent Comments", "type": "boolean", "description": "When enabled, includes up to 5 recent comments per post in the output. Slightly increases scraping time.", "default": true }, "proxyConfiguration": { "title": "🌐 Proxy Configuration", "type": "object", "description": "Proxy settings. Residential proxies are recommended for Instagram — datacenter IPs are often blocked. Leave as default to use Apify's residential proxy pool.", "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 } } } } } } } } } } ```