Instagram Posts & Reels Scraper

📌 Overview

The Instagram Posts & Reels Scraper extracts posts, reels, and carousel media from any public Instagram profile — no login or cookies required. Simply provide a username, select your scrape type, and receive clean, structured JSON data for every post or reel.

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🚀 Features

• No authentication required — works with public profiles only ✅
• Flexible scraping — extract posts (feed content) or reels (short-form videos)
• Rich metadata — captures captions, engagement metrics, location data, and more
• Carousel support — handles multi-image and multi-video posts
• Pagination — scrape hundreds or thousands of items
• Resume capability — use cursor to continue from where you left off (paid users)
• Two output modes — clean (essential fields) or extended (full details)
• Free tier available — try before you subscribe

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🔧 How It Works

1. Enter a public Instagram username
2. Choose scrape type: posts (feed content) or reels (short videos)
3. Set a max items limit (optional, default: 12)
4. Select output mode: clean or extended (optional, default: clean)
5. Optionally provide a cursor to resume a previous scrape
6. The scraper fetches pages of results and returns structured JSON
7. Paid users receive a final cursor record to resume in future runs

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📥 Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
username	String	✅ Yes	—	Public Instagram username to scrape (without the @ symbol)
scrape_type	String	✅ Yes	posts	Either "posts" (feed content) or "reels" (short-form videos)
max_items	Integer	❌ No	12	Maximum number of posts or reels to return (minimum: 12)
output_mode	String	❌ No	clean	Either "clean" (essential fields) or "extended" (full metadata)
cursor	String	❌ No	—	Pagination cursor from a previous run to resume scraping from that point

Example Input

{
  "username": "qoqsik1",
  "scrape_type": "reels",
  "max_items": 50,
  "output_mode": "clean"
}

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📤 Output Data Structure

Each item in the dataset represents one post or reel from the target profile.

👤 Common Fields (Both Clean & Extended)

Field	Type	Description
id	String	Unique Instagram media ID
shortcode	String	Instagram shortcode (used in post URLs)
url	String	Direct link to the post on Instagram
taken_at	Integer	Unix timestamp of when the post was created
scraped_at	String	ISO 8601 timestamp of when the post was scraped
product_type	String	clips (reels), carousel_container (multi-image), or other
media_type	String	video (reel/video), carousel, or image
author	Object	Profile information of the post creator
caption	String	Post caption/description text
hashtags	Array	List of hashtags in the caption
mentions	Array	List of @mentioned usernames in the caption
caption_is_edited	Boolean	Whether the caption has been edited since posting
carousel_media_count	Integer	Number of items in carousel (null if single post)
like_count	Integer	Total number of likes
comment_count	Integer	Total number of comments
play_count	Integer	Total video plays (for reels/videos)
ig_play_count	Integer	Instagram platform plays
reshare_count	Integer	Number of times reshared
media_repost_count	Integer	Number of reposts
is_paid_partnership	Boolean	Whether the post is a paid partnership/sponsored
can_viewer_reshare	Boolean	Whether viewers can reshare this post
location	Object	Location metadata (if tagged)

👤 Author Object

Field	Type	Description
id	String	Instagram user ID of the post creator
username	String	Username of the post creator
full_name	String	Display name of the post creator
is_verified	Boolean	Whether the account is Instagram verified
is_private	Boolean	Whether the account is private
follower_count	Integer	Number of followers at scrape time
account_type	String	Account type: personal, business, or creator

🎬 Audio Object (Extended Mode)

Field	Type	Description
title	String	Audio track title (if applicable)
artist	Array	Artist name(s)
type	String	original_sounds or music library
is_explicit	Boolean	Whether audio contains explicit content
original_audio_title	String	Title of original audio track
is_trending	Boolean	Whether the audio is trending

📍 Location Object

Field	Type	Description
name	String	Location name
short_name	String	Abbreviated location name
address	String	Full address (if available)
city	String	City name
lat	Float	Latitude coordinate
lng	Float	Longitude coordinate
external_source	String	Source (typically facebook_places)
has_viewer_saved	Boolean	Whether viewer has saved this location

📦 Example Output Item (Clean Mode)

{
  "id": "3857585607866680160",
  "shortcode": "DWI5awHjYNg",
  "url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWI5awHjYNg/",
  "taken_at": 1774080143,
  "scraped_at": "2026-04-11T18:08:40.784130+00:00",
  "product_type": "clips",
  "media_type": "video",
  "author": {
    "id": "56114511320",
    "username": "qoqsik1",
    "full_name": "Oksana S",
    "is_verified": true,
    "is_private": false,
    "follower_count": 2759534,
    "account_type": "business"
  },
  "caption": "Language barrier is super funny sometimes 😹",
  "hashtags": [],
  "mentions": [],
  "caption_is_edited": false,
  "carousel_media_count": null,
  "like_count": 265642,
  "comment_count": 1037,
  "play_count": 9279118,
  "ig_play_count": 9279118,
  "reshare_count": 20970,
  "media_repost_count": 2576,
  "is_paid_partnership": false,
  "can_viewer_reshare": true,
  "location": {
    "name": "Warsaw, Poland",
    "short_name": "Warsaw",
    "lat": 52.25,
    "lng": 21,
    "address": "",
    "city": "",
    "external_source": "facebook_places",
    "has_viewer_saved": false
  }
}

📦 Example Output Item (Extended Mode)

{
  "id": "3857585607866680160",
  "shortcode": "DWI5awHjYNg",
  "url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWI5awHjYNg/",
  "taken_at": 1774080143,
  "scraped_at": "2026-04-11T18:08:40.784130+00:00",
  "product_type": "clips",
  "media_type": "video",
  "author": {
    "id": "56114511320",
    "username": "qoqsik1",
    "full_name": "Oksana S",
    "is_verified": true,
    "is_private": false,
    "follower_count": 2759534,
    "account_type": "business"
  },
  "caption": "Language barrier is super funny sometimes 😹",
  "hashtags": [],
  "mentions": [],
  "caption_is_edited": false,
  "carousel_media_count": null,
  "like_count": 265642,
  "comment_count": 1037,
  "play_count": 9279118,
  "ig_play_count": 9279118,
  "fb_play_count": null,
  "fb_comment_count": null,
  "reshare_count": 20970,
  "media_repost_count": 2576,
  "like_and_view_counts_disabled": false,
  "share_count_disabled": false,
  "video_url": "https://scontent-lax3-1.cdninstagram.com/o1/v/t16/f2/m69/...",
  "thumbnail_url": "https://scontent-lax7-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/...",
  "duration_seconds": 15.23,
  "original_width": 720,
  "original_height": 1280,
  "has_audio": true,
  "audio": {
    "title": null,
    "artist": [],
    "type": "original_sounds",
    "is_explicit": false,
    "original_audio_title": "Original audio",
    "is_trending": null
  },
  "is_paid_partnership": false,
  "commerciality_status": null,
  "can_viewer_reshare": true,
  "location": {
    "name": "Warsaw, Poland",
    "short_name": "Warsaw",
    "address": "",
    "city": "",
    "external_source": "facebook_places",
    "lat": 52.25,
    "lng": 21,
    "has_viewer_saved": false
  },
  "usertags": null,
  "coauthor_producers": []
}

🔖 Final Cursor Record (paid users only)

The last record in the dataset contains pagination metadata:

{
  "cursor": "QVFCNkNFMEF0U3dtbjkxRDhwNi1ibFlNWHE3bEVpaUI3YlVwdXZNb1Y5Ul9hZHM3aDdDVUdsSldkNHEybXhFa1U2SjZQdzFvVHJmeUxvSURJRnVUb3FYZA==",
  "total_scraped": 12
}

Use this cursor in a future run to resume from where you left off.

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🔁 Resuming a Scrape

Paid users can resume an interrupted scrape by pasting the cursor from the final dataset record:

1. Run the scraper and note the cursor value from the final record
2. Start a new run with the same username and your target scrape_type
3. Paste the cursor in the Resume Cursor field
4. The scraper will continue from that exact point

Example: If you scraped 50 reels but want 200 total, run again with max_items: 200 and the cursor from your first run.

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💳 Free vs Paid

Feature	Free	Paid
Max items per run	~12	Up to max_items
Output modes	Clean	Clean + Extended
Cursor returned	❌	✅
Resume support	❌	✅
Video URLs & metadata	Limited	Full

Free users will see the message: 🔒 Upgrade your subscription to scrape more posts/reels.

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⚙️ Notes & Limitations

Scope

• Only public profiles can be scraped — private accounts cannot be accessed
• Scrapes only publicly visible content — no private stories or restricted posts

Performance

• The Actor will retry failed requests up to 3 times automatically
• max_items defaults to 12 if not provided; free tier is capped at ~12 items
• Pagination is handled automatically — set max_items higher to fetch more

Data Integrity

• play_count reflects video views; may be null for image-only posts
• location is null if not tagged on the post
• carousel_media_count is null for single-image or single-video posts
• Deleted or restricted posts may be skipped during scraping

Scrape Type Differences

Posts (posts)

• Returns carousel posts (multi-image), static images, and regular videos from the feed
• Includes all engagement metrics
• Suitable for content analysis and archival

Reels (reels)

• Returns short-form vertical videos (Instagram Reels)
• Includes video duration, resolution, and audio metadata
• Suitable for trend analysis and content strategy

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🧠 Use Cases

• Content auditing — analyze historical posts and performance trends
• Influencer profiling — research creator content strategy and engagement patterns
• Competitor analysis — monitor competitor post frequency and messaging
• Content research — discover trending topics, hashtags, and formats
• Data archival — backup public Instagram content for reference
• Audience insights — understand content performance across different post types
• Engagement benchmarking — compare your posts against industry standards

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💡 SEO Keywords

• Instagram Posts Scraper
• Instagram Reels Extractor
• Scrape Instagram Feed
• Instagram Content Analyzer
• Instagram Data Extraction API
• No-Login Instagram Scraper
• Instagram JSON Export
• Reel Downloader
• Instagram Analytics Tool

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🔐 Data & Privacy

This scraper accesses only publicly available data — content visible to any visitor on Instagram's website without authentication. The developer assumes no liability for misuse or violation of Instagram's Terms of Service.

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❓ FAQ

Q: Can I scrape private accounts?
A: No. This scraper only works with public profiles. Private account content is not accessible without following and explicit permission.

Q: How many items can I scrape?
A: Free users are limited to ~12 items per run. Paid users can set max_items to any value (performance may vary on very large datasets).

Q: What's the difference between "Clean" and "Extended" mode?
A: Clean mode returns essential fields (captions, likes, comments, author info). Extended mode includes video URLs, all resolutions, full audio metadata, and raw API fields for advanced integrations.

Q: Can I get video downloads?
A: Extended mode provides video_url fields that point directly to Instagram's CDN. These are public, temporary links. Use them programmatically to download, but respect copyright and Instagram's ToS.

Q: How do I resume a scrape?
A: Copy the cursor value from the final record of your previous run and paste it into the Resume Cursor field. This is a paid feature only.

Q: Why are some fields null?
A: Fields may be null if not applicable to that post type (e.g., play_count for image posts, location if not tagged, carousel_media_count for single media).

Q: What if Instagram rate-limits me?
A: The scraper retries automatically up to 3 times. Very large scrapes may need to be split into multiple runs with cursor-based resumption.

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🚀 Getting Started

1. Enter username: Type a public Instagram username (e.g., qoqsik1)
2. Choose scrape type: Select posts for feed content or reels for short videos
3. Set max items: Enter your desired limit (default: 12)
4. Pick output mode: Choose clean (recommended) or extended
5. Run: Click start and wait for the dataset
6. Export: Download as JSON, CSV, or integrate via API

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📧 Support & Feedback

For issues, feature requests, or feedback, contact support or use the feedback form. Your input helps improve the scraper!

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🚀 Start scraping Instagram posts and reels — fast, clean, structured data without cookies!