Instagram Comments Super Scraper

Extract comprehensive comment data from Instagram posts and reels including replies, timestamps, likes, and detailed user information.

Features

• Comments from Posts & Reels - Scrape comments from any public Instagram post or reel
• Nested Replies - Extract comment replies and conversations
• User Details - Get complete user information for each commenter
• Engagement Metrics - Like counts and reply counts for each comment
• Timestamps - Precise timing for when comments were posted
• Automatic Pagination - Handles large comment threads efficiently

Output Format

Each comment is extracted with the following data:

{
  "postUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/p/CJWTsUMjjiM/",
  "commentUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/p/CJWTsUMjjiM/c/17975064172429515",
  "id": "17975064172429515",
  "text": "Amazing post!",
  "ownerUsername": "user123",
  "ownerProfilePicUrl": "https://...",
  "timestamp": "2021-10-04T04:42:47.000Z",
  "repliesCount": 2,
  "replies": [],
  "likesCount": 15,
  "owner": {
    "fbid_v2": "17841401130280517",
    "full_name": "John Doe",
    "id": "33125676",
    "is_verified": true,
    "is_private": false,
    "username": "user123",
    "profile_pic_url": "https://..."
  }
}

How to Use

Simply provide Instagram post or reel URLs, and the Actor will extract all comments with detailed information.

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description	Default
directUrls	Array	Instagram post/reel URLs to scrape	Required
resultsLimit	Integer	Max comments per post (0 = unlimited)	50
includeReplies	Boolean	Include comment replies	true
maxRepliesPerComment	Integer	Max replies per comment	10
cookies	Array	Instagram session cookies (recommended)	Optional

Cookies Configuration (Recommended)

Providing Instagram session cookies enables access to more data, higher rate limits, and private content.

How to Obtain Your Cookies

1. Log in to Instagram: Open Instagram in Chrome or Firefox and log in to your account
2. Open Developer Tools: Press F12 or right-click and select "Inspect"
3. Navigate to Cookies: Go to Application tab (Chrome) or Storage tab (Firefox) → Cookies → https://www.instagram.com
4. Copy Required Cookies: Find and copy the values for these cookies:
   • sessionid
   • ds_user_id
   • csrftoken
   • ig_did
   • mid
   • datr
5. Format the Cookie String: Combine them into one string like this:

   sessionid=YOUR_SESSIONID_VALUE; ds_user_id=YOUR_DS_USER_ID_VALUE; csrftoken=YOUR_CSRFTOKEN_VALUE; ig_did=YOUR_IG_DID_VALUE; mid=YOUR_MID_VALUE; datr=YOUR_DATR_VALUE
   

6. Provide in Input: Paste this complete string into the cookies field

Important Notes

• Expiration: Cookies expire every 24-48 hours. Update them regularly to avoid authentication failures
• Security: Never share your cookies with others. They contain your session information
• Multiple Sessions: You can provide multiple cookie strings for session rotation
• Fallback: If no cookies provided, the scraper uses cookies.json file if available, or operates in guest mode

Example Cookie Input

{
  "cookies": [
    "sessionid=123456789%3Aabcdefghijklmnop%3A1; ds_user_id=123456789; csrftoken=abcdefghijklmnop; ig_did=ABCDEFGH-1234-5678-9ABC-DEF012345678; mid=HIJKLMN; datr=NOPQRSTUVWXYZ"
  ]
}

Input Examples

Single post:

{
  "directUrls": ["https://www.instagram.com/p/CJWTsUMjjiM/"],
  "resultsLimit": 50
}

Multiple posts with replies:

{
  "directUrls": [
    "https://www.instagram.com/p/CJWTsUMjjiM/",
    "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDIJAfeyemG/"
  ],
  "resultsLimit": 100,
  "includeReplies": true,
  "maxRepliesPerComment": 20
}

Unlimited comments:

{
  "directUrls": ["https://www.instagram.com/p/CJWTsUMjjiM/"],
  "resultsLimit": 0,
  "includeReplies": true
}

Output

Results are saved to the dataset and can be exported in multiple formats:

• JSON
• CSV
• Excel
• XML
• HTML Table

Use Cases

• Sentiment Analysis - Analyze user reactions and opinions on posts
• Engagement Research - Study comment patterns and user interactions
• Brand Monitoring - Track customer feedback and mentions
• Influencer Analysis - Evaluate audience engagement quality
• Competitor Research - Analyze competitor post engagement
• Market Research - Gather consumer insights from comments

Important Notes

• Only public comments are accessible
• Comments from private accounts will not be extracted
• The Actor includes built-in rate limiting for reliable operation
• Large comment threads may take longer to process
• Nested replies are extracted up to the specified depth limit

Legal & Ethical Use

• Only scrapes publicly available comment data
• Respects user privacy and Instagram's Terms of Service
• Does not access private or restricted content
• Should not be used for spam, harassment, or unauthorized purposes
• Users are responsible for compliance with applicable data protection laws (GDPR, CCPA, etc.)

Support

Need help? Have questions?

• Check the input schema for configuration options
• Review the output schema to understand the data structure
• Contact support through the Apify platform

License

Apache-2.0