Facebook Reels Scraper

Facebook Reels Scraper

Facebook Reels Scraper is a purpose-built Apify actor that collects public Facebook Reels from the profiles you choose and turns them into structured records for analysis and export. It helps you scrape Facebook Reels videos at scale — extracting captions, timing, shareable links, and rich media context — without manual effort. Ideal for marketers, developers, data analysts, and researchers, this Facebook Reels extractor powers monitoring, reporting, and archiving workflows with robust pagination and proxy support. 🚀

What data / output can you get?

Each dataset item represents one Reel with normalized fields plus nested metadata for deeper analysis and downstream workflows (e.g., Facebook Reels to CSV export).

Data field	Description	Example value
facebookUrl	Base Facebook page/profile URL for the Reel’s owner	https://www.facebook.com/LeonardoDiCaprio/
startUrl	The original profile URL you provided in input	https://www.facebook.com/LeonardoDiCaprio/
inputUrl	The Reel page URL requested during extraction	https://www.facebook.com/reel/123456789012345
topLevelUrl	Top-level post URL derived from the post_id (when available)	https://facebook.com/607752005666436/posts/undefined/
topLevelReelUrl	Canonical/shareable Reel permalink (normalized with trailing “/”)	https://www.facebook.com/reel/123456789012345/
text	Reel caption/description (if present)	“Protecting our oceans starts today.”
time	ISO timestamp (UTC) derived from publish/creation time	2026-03-18T12:00:00.000Z
playCountRounded	Numeric play count normalized from display string	3600000
play_count_reduced	Display-friendly play count string from Facebook	3.6M
video_owner	Reel owner object (e.g., name, URL, verification)	{"name":"Leonardo DiCaprio","url":"https://www.facebook.com/LeonardoDiCaprio/"}
playback_video	Playback metadata (dimensions, length, thumbnails, audio info)	{"height":1350,"width":1080,"length_in_second":30.0,"image":{"uri":"https://.../thumb.jpg"}}
video	Video object with enriched fields (e.g., id, duration, thumbnail)	{"id":"123456789012345","playable_duration_in_ms":30000,"first_frame_thumbnail":"https://.../thumb.jpg"}
attachments	Media attachment array (when available)	[{"media":{"__typename":"Video","id":"123456789012345"}}]
tracking	Tracking metadata dictionary (e.g., top_level_post_id)	{"top_level_post_id":"123456789012345"}

Notes:

• Additional fields can appear when present on the page, including: is_passive_content, fb_shorts_reshare_context, remix_info, video_owner_type, soundtrack_info (e.g., type = CUSTOM_AUDIO when original), track_title, music_album_art_uri, is_original_audio_on_facebook, shareable_url, if_should_change_url_for_reels.
• Optional diagnostic fields may appear on edge cases: parse_error (if page JSON couldn’t be parsed), request_error (if the request failed), http_status (only when status != 200).
• Export your dataset to JSON, CSV, or Excel directly from Apify.

Key features

• 🧭 Robust ID discovery & GraphQL-backed pagination
  Harvests Reel IDs from profile and Reels tab HTML, then paginates via Facebook’s GraphQL to collect more items reliably.

• ⚡ Batch scraping & per-profile limits
  Queue multiple profiles at once and cap collection using “Max Reels per profile” (resultsLimit) — up to 10,000 Reels per profile.

• 🔒 Proxy-ready for stability
  Built-in Apify Proxy integration with recommended RESIDENTIAL group for resilient Facebook Reels API scraper–style runs.

• 📥 Streaming dataset writes
  Items are pushed as soon as each Reel is saved — no need to wait for the entire run to finish.

• 🧾 Analysis-ready structure
  Normalized counters (playCountRounded) alongside raw objects (video, playback_video) to power Facebook Reels analytics scraper workflows.

• 👩‍💻 Developer friendly (Python + Apify SDK)
  Integrate via Apify API, orchestrate with schedulers, or plug into pipelines — a practical Facebook Reels automation bot foundation.

• 🛡️ Resilient by design
  Retries, pacing across profiles, and controlled parallel requests reduce throttling and improve success.

• 📤 Easy exports
  Open the run’s Dataset to export Reels data to CSV, JSON, or Excel for BI tools and reporting.

How to use Facebook Reels Scraper - step by step

1. Sign in to Apify and open the Facebook Reels Scraper actor.
2. Add Profile URLs under startUrls. You can paste full links (e.g., https://www.facebook.com/LeonardoDiCaprio/) or bare usernames — the actor resolves them.
3. Set Max Reels per profile via resultsLimit (1 to 10,000) to control how many Reels are collected from each profile.
4. (Optional) Apply a time filter with onlyPostsNewerThan. Use an absolute date (YYYY-MM-DD) or a relative window like “7 days” or “2 weeks”.
5. (Optional) Configure proxyConfiguration. Residential proxies are recommended for Facebook; you can select the RESIDENTIAL group.
6. Start the run. The actor discovers Reel IDs, paginates where available, and pushes each Reel to the dataset as it’s processed.
7. Export results. In the run’s Dataset tab, download as JSON, CSV, or Excel for dashboards, ETL, or audits.

Pro Tip: Schedule this Facebook Reels scraping tool to run on a cadence and feed a Facebook Reels to CSV export or data lake for ongoing analytics.

Use cases

Use case	Description
Marketing analytics for Facebook Reels	Aggregate captions, timestamps, and play counts to benchmark creator/page performance and content themes.
Brand monitoring & competitive tracking	Track public Reels across competitors and measure cadence and engagement signals over time.
Content archiving & compliance	Preserve public Reel metadata and media context for audits, accessibility, or research repositories.
Research & academic studies	Build longitudinal datasets for topic analysis, messaging trends, and media narratives on public pages.
Data engineering pipelines	Feed structured items (JSON/CSV/Excel) into ETL, lakes, or warehouses for BI and reporting.
API/Python automation	Use the Apify API to integrate this Facebook Reels crawler into workflows, orchestrations, and no-code tools.

Why choose Facebook Reels Scraper?

Built for precision, automation, and reliability, this Facebook Reels scraping tool focuses on public data at scale.

• ✅ Accurate, structured records: Normalized counters plus raw video/playback objects for deeper analysis.
• 🌍 Scales across profiles: Process multiple pages in one run with clear per-profile limits.
• 👩‍💻 Developer access: Python-based actor with Apify API integration for pipelines and scheduled jobs.
• 🛡️ Safer operations: Targets publicly available content; supports proxies to reduce blocks.
• 💸 Cost-effective automation: Run in the cloud and export to your analytics stack.
• 🔁 Production-ready reliability: Retries, pacing, and streaming writes outperform brittle browser extensions.

In short: a stable Facebook Reels data scraper vs. unstable, manual alternatives.

Is it legal / ethical to use Facebook Reels Scraper?

Yes — when used responsibly. This actor targets publicly available Reels data on Facebook pages and does not require login.

Guidelines for compliant use:

• Only collect publicly accessible content (no private or login-gated data).
• Avoid personal/sensitive information and respect privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR/CCPA).
• Review and respect the platform’s terms and applicable laws for your jurisdiction and use case.
• Consult your legal team for redistribution or commercial edge cases.

Input parameters & output format

Example JSON input

{
  "startUrls": [
    "https://www.facebook.com/LeonardoDiCaprio/",
    "mrbeast"
  ],
  "resultsLimit": 25,
  "onlyPostsNewerThan": "7 days",
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"]
  }
}

Input parameter reference

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
startUrls	array(string)	Yes	—	One URL per line — e.g., facebook.com/YourPage or a /people/... link. Usernames without https:// work too.
resultsLimit	integer	No	10	Stop after this many Reels from each profile (newest-first order where available). Min 1, max 10,000.
onlyPostsNewerThan	string	No	""	Absolute date (YYYY-MM-DD) or relative window like “7 days”, “2 weeks”. Leave blank for no cutoff.
proxyConfiguration	object	No	{"useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"]}	Route traffic through Apify Proxy (recommended for fewer blocks). Residential proxy is recommended for Facebook.

Example JSON output

Each Reel is pushed to the dataset as a separate item. Keys may vary depending on what Facebook returns for a given Reel.

{
  "facebookUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/LeonardoDiCaprio/",
  "startUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/LeonardoDiCaprio/",
  "inputUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/123456789012345",
  "topLevelUrl": "https://facebook.com/123456789012345/posts/undefined/",
  "topLevelReelUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/123456789012345/",
  "text": "Protecting our oceans starts today.",
  "time": "2026-03-18T12:00:00.000Z",
  "playCountRounded": 3600000,
  "play_count_reduced": "3.6M",
  "attachments": [
    {
      "media": {
        "__typename": "Video",
        "id": "123456789012345",
        "playable_duration_in_ms": 30000
      }
    }
  ],
  "tracking": {
    "top_level_post_id": "123456789012345"
  },
  "self_view_boost": null,
  "video": {
    "id": "123456789012345",
    "playable_duration_in_ms": 30000,
    "first_frame_thumbnail": "https://example-cdn.fbcdn.net/thumb.jpg",
    "embeddable": true,
    "__typename": "Video"
  },
  "if_should_change_url_for_reels": {
    "shareable_url": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/123456789012345/"
  },
  "shareable_url": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/123456789012345/",
  "playback_video": {
    "height": 1350,
    "width": 1080,
    "length_in_second": 30.0,
    "image": {
      "uri": "https://example-cdn.fbcdn.net/thumb.jpg"
    },
    "audio_user_preferred_language": "en"
  },
  "video_owner": {
    "name": "Leonardo DiCaprio",
    "url": "https://www.facebook.com/LeonardoDiCaprio/"
  },
  "is_passive_content": false,
  "fb_shorts_reshare_context": {},
  "remix_info": {},
  "video_owner_type": "FACEBOOK_PAGE",
  "soundtrack_info": {
    "type": "CUSTOM_AUDIO"
  },
  "track_title": "Leonardo DiCaprio · Original audio",
  "music_album_art_uri": "https://example-cdn.fbcdn.net/album-art.jpg",
  "is_original_audio_on_facebook": true
}

In rare cases, the actor adds diagnostic or error items:

• When a profile fails entirely:

{
  "startUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/SomePage/",
  "error": "TimeoutError('profile fetch timed out')",
  "type": "profile_error"
}

• When a specific Reel fails to load:

{
  "startUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/SomePage/",
  "inputUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/999999999999999",
  "request_error": "RequestException"
}

Notes:

• Optional keys like parse_error and http_status only appear when non-200 responses occur or when page JSON couldn’t be parsed.
• Some nested fields (e.g., soundtrack_info, track_title, music_album_art_uri) may be missing when not present in Facebook’s response.

FAQ

Is there a free trial for Facebook Reels Scraper?

Yes. This actor includes trial minutes on Apify (120 trial minutes are configured), allowing you to validate results and workflows before scaling.

Do I need to log in to scrape Facebook Reels?

No. The actor targets public Facebook Reels and does not require login or cookies. It uses request headers and supports proxies to improve reliability.

Can I use this as a Facebook Reels API scraper alternative?

Yes. You can access dataset items programmatically via the Apify API, making it a practical Facebook Reels API scraper alternative for public metadata.

How many Reels can I collect per profile?

You control this via resultsLimit, from 1 up to 10,000 per profile. Actual counts depend on how many public Reels Facebook returns for that profile.

Does it download videos?

The actor extracts playback_video and related metadata when available. While it’s not a Facebook Reels downloader by itself, these fields enable downstream workflows to bulk download Facebook Reels where permitted.

Can it scrape by hashtag or keywords?

No. This is a Facebook Reels crawler focused on profiles/pages. Provide profile URLs or usernames via startUrls. Hashtag-based discovery is not supported.

Does it scrape comments, likes, or shares?

No. This version focuses on Reel metadata (e.g., captions, time, shareable URLs, playback and owner info). Engagement breakdowns and comments are not pushed to the dataset.

How do I export results to CSV?

Open the run’s Dataset in Apify and choose CSV, JSON, or Excel. This supports quick Facebook Reels to CSV exports for analysis or BI.

Can I automate with Python or no-code tools?

Yes. The actor is implemented in Python and runs on Apify. Use the Apify API for programmatic access or schedule runs for a repeatable Facebook Reels scraping tool in your pipeline.

Closing CTA / Final thoughts

Facebook Reels Scraper is built to turn public Reels into structured, analytics-ready data at scale. With GraphQL-backed discovery, proxy support, and streaming dataset writes, it helps marketers, developers, analysts, and researchers automate reliable Facebook Reels data extraction. Access results via the Apify API, export to CSV/JSON/Excel, and integrate with your pipelines — start extracting smarter with a production-ready Facebook Reels data scraper today.