Instagram Highlights Scraper

Instagram Highlights Scraper

Instagram Highlights Scraper is an Apify actor that automatically extracts Instagram story highlights from public profiles and streams structured results to a dataset in real time. It solves the pain of manual checking or screen recording by programmatically collecting highlight titles, IDs, cover images, and scrape status at scale — perfect for marketers, developers, data analysts, and researchers. Use it as an Instagram story highlights scraper or Instagram Highlights extractor to power competitive analysis, content tracking, and bulk workflows across many profiles.

What data / output can you get?

Below are the exact fields this actor writes to the dataset. Outputs are streamed item-by-item during the run for fast feedback and integration.

Data type	Description	Example value
input_url	The profile URL that was processed.	https://www.instagram.com/swarnika.verma_/
username	The resolved Instagram username.	swarnika.verma_
user_id	The numeric Instagram user ID.	72037592921
type	Static type label for the record.	instagram_highlights
id	Unique highlight identifier.	highlight:18069978917514346
title	Title of the highlight.	Luxe🧳
cover_media	URL of the highlight cover image (if available).	https://scontent-iad3-1.cdninstagram.com/...jpg
success	Indicates if the highlight was scraped successfully.	true
error	Error message when scraping fails; null on success.	null
timestamp	UTC ISO-8601 timestamp when the item was created.	2026-04-02T10:58:46.615000+00:00

Notes:

• You can export results from the Apify dataset in JSON or CSV to power analytics, dashboards, or storage workflows.
• cover_media may be null if a cover image cannot be resolved for a highlight.

Key features

• ⚡ Real-time data streaming Each highlight record is pushed to the dataset immediately as it’s processed, enabling low-latency pipelines and quick validation.

• 🧠 Smart block detection & fallback Automatic detection of platform blocks (HTTP 429/403) with fail-fast behavior to switch strategies quickly and keep runs stable.

• 🛡️ Robust proxy strategy Built-in proxy workflow: NO PROXY by default → DATACENTER fallback → RESIDENTIAL fallback with up to 3 attempts and sticky mode for the rest of the run.

• 📦 Clean, structured output Consistent fields — input_url, username, user_id, type, id, title, cover_media, success, error, timestamp — ideal for automation and data analysis.

• 📈 Batch processing at scale Accepts multiple targets in a single run via startUrls. Great for bulk “Export Instagram Highlights” use cases and multi-profile monitoring.

• 🔧 Developer-friendly on Apify Production-ready actor using aiohttp with backoff and retries, streaming results to the default dataset for straightforward integration with your data stack.

• 🔍 Public profiles, predictable behavior Focused on public Instagram profiles — no cookies or sessions required — for a safer alternative to unstable browser extensions.

How to use Instagram Highlights Scraper – step by step

1. Sign in to Apify
   Create or log in to your Apify account to run the Instagram Highlights Scraper actor.

2. Open the actor and add inputs
   In the actor’s input, paste targets into startUrls. You can provide:

• Full profile URLs (e.g., https://www.instagram.com/mrbeast/)
• Usernames (e.g., instagram or @instagram)

Note: The schema description references highlight shortcodes, but in the current version, shortcode-only input will return an error (it requires additional calls not implemented here).

3. Configure proxy settings (optional)
   Use proxyConfiguration to manage access and stability. If Instagram returns 429/403, the actor will fail fast and then fall back to datacenter, and finally residential proxies (residential retries up to 3 times). Once residential is used, the actor stays “sticky” on residential for the rest of the run.

4. Start the run
   Click Start. The actor will:

• Load profile pages
• Extract tokens
• Resolve the user_id
• Query highlights
• Stream results to the default dataset in real time

5. Monitor progress
   Watch logs for live status, including the proxy strategy and per-item push summaries.

6. Download results
   Go to the run’s default dataset and export your results to JSON or CSV for analysis or downstream processing.

Pro Tip: Use this actor as the metadata backbone of an “IG Highlights downloader” workflow — the output includes highlight IDs and cover image URLs you can use in your own automation to save covers or index highlights at scale.

Use cases

Use case name	Description
Marketing + competitor tracking	Track highlight IDs, titles, and cover images across competitor profiles to spot campaigns, launches, and content themes.
Content operations & QA	Catalog highlights and cover images for brand profiles to keep assets consistent and audit updates over time.
Research & trend analysis	Aggregate highlight metadata across public profiles to analyze patterns across verticals or geographies.
Data enrichment pipelines	Feed clean highlight records (IDs, titles, covers) into analytics systems to correlate with other social metrics.
Monitoring & alerts	Batch-process profiles regularly to detect new highlights and update downstream dashboards.
Archiving covers	Use cover_media URLs to retrieve and store cover images as part of an Instagram Highlights archiver workflow.

Why choose Instagram Highlights Scraper?

Instagram Highlights Scraper is built for precision, automation, and reliability on Apify’s infrastructure.

• ✅ Accurate, structured fields purpose-built for analytics
• 🚀 Scales to many profiles in one run via startUrls
• ♻️ Production-grade retries, backoff, and block handling
• 🛡️ Smart proxy fallback with sticky residential mode for stability
• 🧰 Developer-focused: clean dataset output that’s easy to integrate
• 📁 Exports to JSON and CSV without extra transforms
• 🔄 Safer than browser extensions or manual hacks for public data

In short: a dependable Instagram story highlights scraper that outperforms unstable alternatives while keeping your workflows simple.

Is it legal / ethical to use Instagram Highlights Scraper?

Yes — when done responsibly. This actor targets publicly available Instagram profile data and does not access private profiles or authenticated data.

Guidelines:

• Only process public profiles you’re allowed to analyze.
• Respect platform terms and applicable laws (e.g., GDPR/CCPA).
• Avoid sensitive data and abusive use cases.
• Consult your legal team for edge cases or regulated workflows.

Input parameters & output format

Example JSON input

{
  "startUrls": [
    "https://www.instagram.com/mrbeast/",
    "@nike",
    "instagram"
  ],
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}

Parameters

• startUrls (array)

  • Description: Add one or more targets — each line is one input. Accepted: full profile URL (https://www.instagram.com/username) or username (username or @username). The actor resolves each to the profile and scrapes all highlights (title, ID, cover image, success/error, timestamp).
  • Default: ["https://www.instagram.com/mrbeast/"]
  • Required: Yes

• proxyConfiguration (object)

  • Description: Choose which proxies to use. Strategy: start with your selection (e.g. no proxy or Apify proxy). On HTTP 429 or 403 (platform block), the actor fails fast and falls back: first to datacenter, then to residential. Residential gets up to 3 retries with a new proxy URL each time; once residential is used, it stays in "sticky" mode for all remaining URLs so the run stays stable.
  • Default: {"useApifyProxy": true}
  • Required: No

Notes:

• While the schema description mentions highlight shortcodes, the current implementation will return an error if you input only a shortcode. Use full profile URLs or usernames instead.

Example JSON output

[
  {
    "input_url": "https://www.instagram.com/swarnika.verma_/",
    "username": "swarnika.verma_",
    "user_id": "72037592921",
    "type": "instagram_highlights",
    "id": "highlight:18069978917514346",
    "title": "Luxe🧳",
    "cover_media": "https://scontent-iad3-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-15/528310306_1486885775636090_4883732409687731720_n.jpg",
    "success": true,
    "error": null,
    "timestamp": "2026-04-02T10:58:46.615000+00:00"
  },
  {
    "input_url": "https://www.instagram.com/swarnika.verma_/",
    "username": "swarnika.verma_",
    "user_id": "72037592921",
    "type": "instagram_highlights",
    "id": "highlight:18268617304253172",
    "title": "ootd🧜🏻‍♀️",
    "cover_media": "https://scontent-iad3-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-15/539801128_2012810779456663_6793137489593827889_n.jpg",
    "success": true,
    "error": null,
    "timestamp": "2026-04-02T10:58:46.700000+00:00"
  },
  {
    "input_url": "https://www.instagram.com/bad-input",
    "username": null,
    "user_id": null,
    "type": "instagram_highlights",
    "id": null,
    "title": null,
    "cover_media": null,
    "success": false,
    "error": "URL must be from instagram.com domain",
    "timestamp": "2026-04-02T10:58:47.010000+00:00"
  }
]

Field behavior:

• cover_media may be null if the cover cannot be determined.
• error is null on success; otherwise contains a human-readable reason.
• On failures (input validation, proxy exhaustion), id/title/user_id can be null.

FAQ

Do I need to log in or provide cookies?

No. The actor targets public Instagram profiles and uses HTTP requests without session cookies. It extracts highlight metadata (titles, IDs, covers) without authentication.

What inputs are supported?

Provide full profile URLs or usernames (with or without @). While the input schema mentions highlight shortcodes, the current implementation returns an error for shortcode-only input because additional API calls are required.

What data does it return exactly?

Each record includes input_url, username, user_id, type, id, title, cover_media, success, error, and timestamp. This makes it ideal for Instagram Highlights extractor workflows and structured analysis.

Can it process multiple profiles at once?

Yes. Add many targets to startUrls to batch-process profiles in one run and “Batch download Instagram Highlights” metadata like IDs, titles, and cover image URLs.

How does proxy handling work?

It starts with no proxy, then falls back to datacenter, then residential on blocks (HTTP 429/403). Residential mode retries up to 3 times and becomes sticky for the remainder of the run to maximize stability.

What happens if Instagram blocks requests?

Blocks are detected (HTTP 429/403) and handled with fail-fast logic to switch strategies quickly. The actor will escalate through proxies and keep pushing items as it succeeds.

Does this actor download stories or media?

It does not fetch individual story items. It extracts highlight metadata and the cover image URL. Use the cover_media URL in your own Instagram Highlights saver or “Instagram Highlights downloader” workflow if you need to save cover images.

Is there a free trial?

Yes. The listing includes trialMinutes: 120, so you can test the actor before subscribing. For ongoing use, pricing is available as a flat monthly plan.

Closing CTA / Final thoughts

Instagram Highlights Scraper is built to extract Instagram highlight metadata reliably at scale. With real-time streaming, robust proxy fallback, and clean JSON/CSV output, it’s ideal for marketers, analysts, researchers, and developers who need a dependable Instagram story highlights scraper. Use it to power competitor monitoring, content tracking, or data pipelines — and integrate the structured output into your “Instagram Highlights API scraper” or automation stack. Start extracting smarter and keep your workflows stable with production-ready infrastructure.