# GIPHY Scraper (`parseforge/giphy-scraper`) Actor

Scrapes GIFs from any GIPHY page and returns each GIF as a flat row with title, URL, and metadata. Set a max items limit and export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/parseforge/giphy-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [ParseForge](https://apify.com/parseforge) (community)
- **Categories:** Videos, Social media
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 33.3% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.13 / 1,000 results

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 web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
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.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — 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

[![ParseForge](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ParseForge/apify-assets/main/banner.jpg)](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp)

### GIPHY Scraper

**Scrape GIF metadata from any GIPHY page, including search results, categories, and trending feeds.** Every GIF comes with its title, URL, dimensions, and tags. No API key required. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

GIPHY's official API requires a developer account, an API key, and has rate limits that can slow down large-scale collection. This Actor reads the public web pages directly, letting you extract GIF information from any GIPHY URL you provide. It works on search results, category pages, and the main trending feed, returning a clean dataset of GIF metadata.

| Who uses it | What they scrape GIPHY for |
|---|---|
| Content marketers | Find trending GIFs for social media campaigns and blog posts. |
| Social media managers | Build a library of reaction GIFs organized by keyword and category. |
| Data analysts | Track which GIF styles and tags trend over time on GIPHY. |
| App developers | Seed a GIF picker with popular content without hitting API rate limits. |

### What it does

This Actor collects GIF metadata from a GIPHY page and returns each GIF as a flat row with its title, URL, dimensions, and tags.

- 🔗 **Any GIPHY URL:** point the Actor at a search results page, a category, or the homepage trending feed.
- 🏷️ **Full tag extraction:** each GIF row includes all associated tags for filtering and categorization.
- 📏 **Dimension data:** width and height are captured so you can filter by aspect ratio or size.
- 📦 **Bulk collection:** set a maximum item count and let the Actor paginate through results automatically.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

### What you can do with GIPHY data

**📈 Monitor trending GIF content.**

A social media manager scrapes the GIPHY trending feed daily to spot emerging meme formats and reaction GIFs before they peak.

**🔍 Build a searchable GIF database.**

A content marketer scrapes GIPHY search results for dozens of keywords and compiles a tagged library of on-brand GIFs for future campaigns.

**🏷️ Analyze tag patterns and categories.**

A data analyst scrapes category pages and search results to understand which tags correlate with high-engagement GIFs on the platform.

**📱 Populate an app's GIF picker.**

An app developer scrapes popular GIFs by category to seed an in-app GIF browser without dealing with API key provisioning and rate limits.

### Why choose this scraper

| | What you get |
|---|---|
| **GIF title** | The display name of the GIF on GIPHY |
| **GIF URL** | Direct link to the GIF file |
| **Dimensions** | Width and height in pixels |
| **Tags** | All keywords and categories assigned to the GIF |

### How it compares

No other Store actor targets GIPHY the same way, so the honest comparison is with the alternatives teams actually weigh.

| | GIPHY Scraper | Build it in-house | By hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup | Run it now, zero config | Days of engineering | None, but hours per pull |
| When GIPHY changes | Maintained for you | You fix it | You re-learn the page |
| Proxies, retries, anti-bot | Built in | Your problem | Browser only |
| Output | Fixed JSON schema, CSV/Excel export | Whatever you build | Copy-paste |
| Cost | Pay per result | Engineering time | Analyst hours |

### Configure the run

Drive the Actor from any GIPHY URL, such as a search query, a category page, or the trending homepage, and set a maximum number of GIFs to collect. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

```json
{
 "startUrl": "https://giphy.com"
}
```

A larger pull:

```json
{
 "startUrl": "https://giphy.com",
 "maxItems": 200
}
```

### Pricing

Pay-per-result: **$0.00014 per result** collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

| Results collected | Approximate cost |
|---|---|
| 100 results | $0.01 |
| 1,000 results | $0.14 |
| 10,000 results | $1.40 |

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

### Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. [Upgrade your Apify plan](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp) to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

### Run it

1. [Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp).
2. Open the [GIPHY Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/giphy-scraper?fpr=vmoqkp).
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click **Start**.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the **Dataset** tab.

Run it programmatically through the [Apify API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2) (`run-sync-get-dataset-items`) or the [ApifyClient](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js) for JavaScript and Python.

### Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to GIPHY through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=parseforge/giphy-scraper"
```

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

### Troubleshooting

**The Actor returns no results.**

Check that your start URL is a valid GIPHY page that contains GIFs. Try opening the URL in a browser first. Also ensure the page is not blocked or requiring a login.

**I'm getting fewer results than my maxItems setting.**

GIPHY pages have a finite number of GIFs. If the page you are scraping has fewer GIFs than your maxItems value, the Actor will return everything it finds and stop.

**The Actor is running slowly.**

Large maxItems values mean more pages to load. Reduce the maxItems count or target a more specific GIPHY URL with fewer results per page.

**Some GIFs are missing tags or have incomplete data.**

The Actor extracts whatever metadata GIPHY displays on the page. If GIPHY does not show certain tags or fields for a particular GIF, those will be empty in your dataset.

**I get an error when using a search URL.**

Make sure your search URL is properly formatted. Perform a search on giphy.com, copy the full URL from your browser's address bar, and paste it into the start URL field.

### FAQ

| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Do I need a GIPHY API key to use this Actor? | No. This Actor scrapes the public GIPHY website directly, so no developer account or API key is required. |
| What pages on GIPHY can I scrape? | You can scrape any GIPHY page URL, including the homepage trending feed, category pages, and search results for specific keywords. |
| How many GIFs can I scrape in one run? | You set the maximum number of GIFs using the maxItems input field. The Actor will paginate through results until it reaches that limit or runs out of content. |
| What data does each GIF row include? | Each row includes the GIF title, the direct GIF URL, its width and height in pixels, and all associated tags. |
| Can I scrape animated stickers too? | If the GIPHY page you provide contains stickers, the Actor will scrape whatever GIF content is present on that page. |
| Does this Actor download the actual GIF files? | No. It collects metadata including the direct URL to each GIF file, but it does not download the binary image files themselves. |
| Can I filter by GIF rating or language? | The Actor scrapes whatever content GIPHY serves for the URL you provide. To filter by rating or language, use the appropriate GIPHY URL parameters in your start URL. |
| What export formats are supported? | You can export your dataset in CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML format from the Apify platform. |
| Is web scraping GIPHY legal? | This Actor scrapes publicly accessible web pages. You are responsible for complying with GIPHY's terms of service and applicable laws in your jurisdiction. |

### Related actors

Browse the full [ParseForge collection](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp) for more scrapers.

🆘 **Need help?** Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ **Disclaimer.** This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by GIPHY, Inc. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.

# Actor input Schema

## `startUrl` (type: `string`):

URL of the GIPHY page to scrape (e.g., homepage, category, or search results). Default: https://giphy.com

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of GIF results to scrape

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "startUrl": "https://giphy.com",
  "maxItems": 100
}
```

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

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "startUrl": "https://giphy.com"
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("parseforge/giphy-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 = { "startUrl": "https://giphy.com" }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("parseforge/giphy-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "startUrl": "https://giphy.com"
}' |
apify call parseforge/giphy-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,parseforge/giphy-scraper"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/nFEWQxVHddKi8wo9V/builds/AHee8YcKLp2LxDTZe/openapi.json