Instagram Reels Scraper

Instagram Reels Scraper

The Instagram Reels Scraper is a production-ready Apify actor that extracts structured data from public Instagram Reels at scale. It solves the problem of manual, error-prone research by turning usernames, profile URLs, and reel/post shortcodes into clean, analysis-ready datasets for marketers, developers, data analysts, and researchers. As an Instagram Reels scraper tool and Instagram Reels API scraper, it captures metadata, media links, engagement, and author details so you can power Instagram Reels analytics, social listening, and competitor research — and export Instagram Reels to CSV, JSON, or Excel for dashboards and pipelines. Build repeatable workflows and scraping automation for batch download Instagram Reels use cases, or connect results to your Python Instagram Reels scraper workflows and BI stack.

What data / output can you get?

Below are representative fields the actor pushes to the dataset for each reel. These are top-level output keys, taken directly from the actor’s code and normalized for easy analytics and export (JSON/CSV/Excel).

Data type	Description	Example value
username	Target profile resolved from input	"cristiano"
scraped_at	UNIX timestamp (seconds) when the reel was saved	1758818318.2891665
sort_order	Sort preference applied in run context	"newest"
max_comments	Max comments setting in run context (metadata only)	50
reel_id	Instagram media primary key (ID)	"3727980973477364718"
shortcode	Reel shortcode for canonical URL building	"DO8cvGViIPu"
reel_url	Canonical reel URL derived from shortcode	"https://www.instagram.com/reel/DO8cvGViIPu/"
author_username	Reel author’s username	"alnassr"
author_full_name	Reel author’s full name	"نادِي النصر السعودي"
author_is_verified	Author verification flag	true
caption_text	Full caption text with emojis preserved	"🎥 On the 95th Saudi National Day..."
like_count	Number of likes	1258268
comment_count	Number of comments	12381
play_count	Plays/IG plays count	37796913
video_duration	Video duration in seconds	47.5
video_url	Direct video URL (highest quality in array)	"https://scontent-iad3-2.cdninstagram.com/o1/..."
thumbnail_url	First available thumbnail image URL	"https://scontent-iad3-2.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/..."
taken_at	UNIX timestamp of publish time	1758630037
taken_at_iso	ISO 8601 representation of publish time	"2026-09-23T12:00:37"
hashtags	Array of hashtags extracted from caption	["nationalday", "saudi"]
mentions	Array of @mentions extracted from caption	["cristiano"]
hashtags_count	Count of hashtags	2
mentions_count	Count of mentions	1
audio_title	Title of the audio (original or track)	"Original audio"
audio_artist	Audio artist or IG creator username when available	"alnassr"
tagged_users	Array of usernames tagged in the reel	["cristiano"]
tagged_users_count	Count of tagged users	1
coauthor_usernames	Co-author usernames (collaborations)	["cristiano"]
coauthor_count	Number of co-authors	1
is_paid_partnership	Paid partnership flag	false
has_audio	Whether the reel has audio	true
can_viewer_save	Whether viewer can save the media	true
reel_data	Full raw reel object for advanced use	{ "media": { "...": "..." } }

Note: The actor also stores the complete raw reel object under reel_data for advanced analysis (e.g., additional media variants, manifests, and nested metadata). You can export datasets as JSON, CSV, or Excel via the Apify platform.

Key features

• 🚀 Proxy-smart reliability & scale
  Robust fallback logic starts direct, then automatically escalates to datacenter and residential proxies when Instagram rejects requests — ensuring stable, high-throughput scraping across many profiles.

• 🎞️ Rich media & metadata capture
  Extracts video_url, thumbnail_url, video_duration, media_type, and normalized reel_url/shortcode for precise deduplication and downstream processing.

• 🏷️ Hashtags, mentions, and tagging insights
  Parses caption_text to populate hashtags, mentions, and their counts, plus tagged_users and coauthor_usernames to analyze collaborations and topics.

• 📈 Engagement signals for analytics
  Collects like_count, comment_count, play_count, and timestamps (taken_at, taken_at_iso) to power Instagram Reels analytics scraper dashboards and growth reports.

• 🔌 Developer-first & API-friendly
  Runs on Apify with dataset APIs and SDKs, ideal for Python Instagram Reels scraper pipelines, serverless tasks, and BI integrations.

• 🧩 Flexible exports & workflows
  Export Instagram Reels to CSV, JSON, or Excel. Connect results to Sheets, data warehouses, or automation tools like Make/Zapier for Instagram Reels scraping automation.

• 🌐 No login for public content
  Scrapes publicly available profiles and reels without cookies or account login — safer and more reliable than extension-based or APK alternatives.

• 🛡️ Compliance-aware approach
  Focuses on public data extraction to support enterprise workflows and compliance reviews.

How to use Instagram Reels Scraper - step by step

1. Sign up or log in to Apify.
2. Find the actor: search for “Instagram Reels Scraper” in the Apify Store.
3. Add input data: paste a list of Instagram targets into urls. Supported formats include:
   • Full profile URLs (e.g., https://www.instagram.com/username)
   • Usernames (e.g., username or @username)
   • Reel/post shortcodes (e.g., DO8cvGViIPu)
4. Configure options:
   • maxReels: set how many reels to scrape per profile.
   • proxyConfiguration: choose proxies (direct/datacenter/residential fallback is built in).
5. Run the actor: click Start to launch the job. The scraper normalizes inputs, resolves the profile, and paginates reels until maxReels or content end.
6. Monitor progress: watch logs for connection status, proxy fallback, and pagination updates.
7. Download results: open the run’s dataset to export JSON/CSV/Excel or fetch via API for downstream processing.

Pro tip: Chain this with a downloader step if you need to store files locally, or plug the dataset into your BI/ELT stack to automate weekly Instagram Reels analytics and competitor tracking.

Use cases

Use case name	Description
Influencer marketing performance	Rank creators by play_count, like_count, and posting cadence to guide partnerships and content strategy.
Competitor intelligence	Track collaboration patterns (coauthor_usernames), tagged_users, and audio choices across niches to benchmark tactics.
Hashtag & caption research	Use caption_text, hashtags, and mentions to build topic clusters and messaging tests for campaigns.
Creative testing & thumbnails	Compare thumbnail_url and video_duration across verticals to optimize hooks and retention.
Market research & trend spotting	Aggregate taken_at_iso and engagement deltas for velocity curves and content lifecycle insights.
Data pipelines & BI	Export Instagram Reels to CSV/JSON/Excel and feed warehouses and dashboards for recurring executive updates.
Automation workflows	Connect dataset APIs to Make/Zapier or scripts to power Instagram Reels scraping automation at scale.

Why choose Instagram Reels Scraper?

Built for precision and reliability, this actor combines structured extraction with proxy-aware resilience to outperform browser extensions and unstable tools.

• ✅ Accurate, structured fields for analytics (captions, hashtags, engagement, media URLs).
• 🌍 No-login access to public content for safer, simpler operations.
• 📦 Scales from ad-hoc audits to large batch runs with proxy fallback (direct → datacenter → residential).
• 🧪 Developer-friendly with API/SDK access — ideal for Python and Node pipelines.
• 🔒 Public-data focus to support compliant, enterprise workflows.
• 💾 Flexible exports (JSON/CSV/Excel) to plug into Sheets, warehouses, and BI tools.
• 💸 Cost-effective alternative to DIY maintenance and extension-based scrapers.

Bottom line: a production-ready Instagram Reels data extractor that’s built for automation, reliability, and clean outputs.

Is it legal / ethical to use Instagram Reels Scraper?

Yes — when used responsibly. This actor extracts publicly available information from Instagram and does not access private profiles or authenticated data.

Guidelines to follow:

• Collect and use only public content; avoid private or gated data.
• Ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations (e.g., GDPR/CCPA) and platform terms.
• Apply data minimization, retention, and security controls appropriate to your use case.
• Honor takedown or opt-out requests where required, and consult your legal team for edge cases.

Input parameters & output format

Example JSON input

{
  "urls": [
    "https://www.instagram.com/cristiano",
    "mrbeast",
    "DO8cvGViIPu"
  ],
  "maxReels": 10,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}

Input fields

• urls (array)

  • Description: List of Instagram profile URLs (e.g., https://www.instagram.com/username), usernames (e.g., username), or shortcodes (e.g., CxYz123AbCd). Supports full URLs, @username, username, reel shortcodes, and post shortcodes.
  • Required: No
  • Default: None

• maxReels (integer)

  • Description: Maximum number of reels to scrape per profile
  • Required: No
  • Default: 10
  • Min/Max: 1 … 1000

• proxyConfiguration (object)

  • Description: Choose which proxies to use. If Instagram rejects the proxy, a residential proxy will be used as a fallback.
  • Required: No
  • Default: None (prefill: { "useApifyProxy": false })

Example JSON output

{
  "username": "cristiano",
  "scraped_at": 1758818318.2891665,
  "sort_order": "newest",
  "max_comments": 50,
  "reel_id": "3727980973477364718",
  "shortcode": "DO8cvGViIPu",
  "reel_url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DO8cvGViIPu/",
  "author_username": "alnassr",
  "author_full_name": "نادِي النصر السعودي",
  "author_is_verified": true,
  "author_profile_pic_url": "https://scontent-iad3-2.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-19/....jpg",
  "caption_text": "🎥 On the 95th Saudi National Day...",
  "like_count": 1258268,
  "comment_count": 12381,
  "play_count": 37796913,
  "view_count": 0,
  "video_duration": 47.5,
  "media_type": 2,
  "video_url": "https://scontent-iad3-2.cdninstagram.com/o1/v/t2/f2/....mp4",
  "thumbnail_url": "https://scontent-iad3-2.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/....jpg",
  "taken_at": 1758630037,
  "taken_at_iso": "2026-09-23T12:00:37",
  "hashtags": ["nationalday", "saudi"],
  "mentions": ["cristiano"],
  "hashtags_count": 2,
  "mentions_count": 1,
  "audio_title": "Original audio",
  "audio_artist": "alnassr",
  "tagged_users": ["cristiano"],
  "tagged_users_count": 1,
  "coauthor_usernames": ["cristiano"],
  "coauthor_count": 1,
  "is_paid_partnership": false,
  "has_audio": true,
  "can_viewer_save": true,
  "reel_data": {
    "media": {
      "pk": "3727980973477364718",
      "code": "DO8cvGViIPu",
      "user": { "username": "alnassr", "is_verified": true }
    }
  }
}

Notes:

• All fields above are pushed per reel. The reel_data object contains the full raw payload for advanced use.
• Some fields may be empty or zero if not present on the source post (e.g., audio metadata, view_count).

FAQ

Is there a free or online way to try this Instagram Reels scraper?

Yes. You can run the actor on Apify with free monthly credits for smaller jobs. This lets you validate fields and performance before scaling.

Can I integrate it with Python?

Yes. Use Apify’s REST API or SDKs from Python to pull datasets, schedule runs, and wire results into notebooks or pipelines as a Python Instagram Reels scraper workflow.

Does this work like an Instagram Reels downloader?

The actor returns direct video_url and thumbnail_url fields, which you can use in a downstream downloader step. For batch download Instagram Reels workflows, chain a separate downloader to store media files.

Is there an Instagram Reels comments scraper?

This actor does not return full comments. If you need complete comment threads, use a dedicated comments actor and join by reel_id or shortcode.

Can I automate runs and connect to my tools?

Yes. Schedule runs on Apify and export datasets (JSON/CSV/Excel) or consume via API. You can integrate with automation tools like Make or Zapier for end-to-end Instagram Reels scraping automation.

Do I need to log in to scrape?

No. The actor targets public content and does not require login or cookies. For private profiles or non-public data, the actor will not extract information.

Is this safer than app/apk-based scrapers?

Yes. It runs in the Apify cloud and provides structured datasets via API and exports, avoiding risky extensions or APKs.

Can I input direct reel links or shortcodes?

Yes. The urls input accepts profile URLs, usernames, reel shortcodes, and post shortcodes. The actor normalizes these and resolves the underlying profile automatically.

Closing thoughts

Instagram Reels Scraper is built for fast, reliable extraction of public Instagram Reels data at scale. With proxy-aware resilience, structured outputs, and flexible exports, it empowers marketers, developers, analysts, and researchers to run Instagram Reels analytics, social listening, and competitor tracking with confidence. Connect the dataset API to your Python pipelines, automate schedules, and export Instagram Reels to CSV or JSON for BI. Start extracting smarter today and turn public reels into actionable insights.