Snapchat Spotlight Scraper

Snapchat Spotlight Scraper — Views, Shares, Creator & Media Data

Snapchat Spotlight Scraper turns any Spotlight video link into structured JSON — creator username, view count, share count, boost count, caption, hashtags and the direct video file URL, read straight out of Snapchat's own page data. No login, no browser automation, no manually screenshotting view counts off a phone. Paste one link or a thousand, and each result saves to the dataset the moment it's scraped. Start a run on Apify and watch matched rows appear live.

What is Snapchat Spotlight Scraper?

Snapchat Spotlight Scraper is an Apify Actor that fetches one or more public Snapchat Spotlight video pages and extracts creator, engagement and media metadata into one structured dataset row per video. It reads the same JSON data block Snapchat's own web client renders the page from, so no Snapchat account, cookie or login is required — the source code sends a plain, unauthenticated HTTP request for every URL. It's built for social media analysts, marketers tracking creator performance, and developers feeding Spotlight metadata into an AI agent or a data pipeline.

What Snapchat Spotlight data is publicly available to scrape?

Snapchat serves full Spotlight video metadata — captions, engagement counts, creator identity and the direct video file — to any visitor, logged in or not; the scraper reads exactly that public page, nothing more.

Data Category	Publicly available (no login)	Gated behind
Video caption, hashtags, upload date	✅	—
View, share, boost, comment and recommend counts	✅	—
Creator username, display name, profile link	✅	—
Direct video file URL and thumbnail	✅	—
Video duration and resolution (width/height)	✅	—
Comment text and commenter identities	❌	Snapchat app
Creator's other posts, follower count, friend graph	❌	Snapchat app / login
Snap Score, private stories, friends-only content	❌	Login + friendship

Snapchat Spotlight Scraper only returns publicly visible data — what any visitor sees. Nothing behind a login wall.

What data can I extract with Snapchat Spotlight Scraper?

Snapchat Spotlight Scraper returns three groups of data for every video: identity and creator fields, engagement and media metrics, and AI-generated enrichment plus run metadata.

🎥 Video & creator identity fields

Field Name	Description
spotlightId	The canonical Spotlight video id, extracted from the URL or the page data
spotlightUrl	The canonical, working Spotlight link for this video
url	Same value as spotlightUrl, kept for backward compatibility
creator	Nested object: { name, username, url, thumbnailUrl, snapcodeUrl } for the video's creator
creatorUsername	The creator's Snapchat username
creatorDisplayName	The creator's public display name
creatorProfileUrl	Link to the creator's public Snapchat profile
description	The video's caption text
hashtags	Hashtags Snapchat tagged directly on the video (sparse — most videos don't carry this field)
hashtagsFromCaption	Hashtags parsed out of the caption text itself — the reliable, high-coverage companion to hashtags
thumbnailUrl	Direct link to the video's thumbnail image
contentUrl	Direct link to the video file
dateUploaded	Upload timestamp, ISO 8601 (UTC)

📊 Engagement & media metrics

Field Name	Description
viewCount	Total views
shareCount	Total shares
boostCount	Total boosts
commentCount	Total comments
recommendCount	Total recommends
durationMs	Video duration in milliseconds
width	Video width in pixels
height	Video height in pixels

✨ AI enrichment & run metadata

Field Name	Description
llmTitle	AI-generated title for the video, as provided by Snapchat's own page metadata
llmDescription	AI-generated description for the video, as provided by Snapchat's own page metadata
llmKeywords	AI-generated keywords for the video, as returned by Snapchat (type as supplied by the source, typically a string)
outcome	ok, notFound, or unreadable — see Output
status	OK, NOT_FOUND, or ERROR
error	Error message when status is not OK; null otherwise
scrapedAt	Timestamp this row was scraped, ISO 8601 (UTC)

🤖 Add-on: Need additional Snapchat data?

Need every public Spotlight video from one creator instead of a specific link? Snapchat User Spotlight Scraper pulls a creator's full Spotlight history in one run. Need to find creators before you scrape their videos? Snapchat Popular Accounts Scraper discovers public Snapchat profiles by keyword and returns subscriber counts, verification status and cross-platform links.

How does Snapchat Spotlight Scraper differ from the official Snapchat API?

Snapchat's official Creator Discovery / Public Profile API (part of the Snapchat Marketing API) returns aggregate, profile-level creator statistics to approved business partners — it does not let you fetch engagement data for an arbitrary Spotlight video by URL, which is exactly what Snapchat Spotlight Scraper does directly (verified against developers.snap.com, checked 2026-08-15).

Feature	Snapchat Marketing API (Creator Discovery)	Snapchat Spotlight Scraper
Access model	Bearer token, business/partner account required	Runs on Apify — no Snapchat account needed
Data granularity	Aggregate creator-level stats, e.g. a rolling recent Spotlight view total	Per-video row: exact view, share, boost, comment and recommend counts
Lookup method	Search/discover creators by follower count, country and engagement filters — no arbitrary video-by-URL lookup	Paste any Spotlight video URL directly
Approval process	Requires partner/business approval	None — provide URLs and run
Media access	Direct video file retrieval is not documented	Returns the direct video file URL (contentUrl) and thumbnail

Use the Marketing API if you're an approved brand partner discovering creators for paid collaborations at the profile level. Use Snapchat Spotlight Scraper when you need consistent, per-video engagement data for specific Spotlight links without a partner application.

How to use Snapchat Spotlight Scraper

No setup beyond an Apify account is required — the Actor runs entirely on the Apify platform.

1. Open Snapchat Spotlight Scraper on the Apify Store and click Start.
2. Paste one or more Spotlight video links into urls (one per line) — the only required input.
3. Optionally set maxItems to cap how many links are processed, and leave skipDuplicateSpotlights at its default so each unique video is only fetched once.
4. Configure proxyConfiguration if you want requests routed through Apify Proxy, or leave it as a direct connection.
5. Click Start. Results save to the dataset live, one row per video, and download as JSON, CSV, Excel or the other formats Apify datasets support.

How to scale to bulk Spotlight video extraction

urls accepts a full list, not a single link — paste as many Spotlight video URLs as you have, one per line, and every one is processed within the same run. Set maxItems to bound a run to a specific number of links regardless of how many are pasted, and leave skipDuplicateSpotlights enabled (the default) so two links that resolve to the same Spotlight id — a plain link and one carrying Snapchat's own "Copy link" tracking parameters — are only fetched once. There is no separate batch or pagination parameter; the array itself is the bulk mechanism.

What can you do with Snapchat Spotlight video data?

• 📊 A social media analyst tracking creator performance uses viewCount, shareCount and recommendCount to rank a creator's recent Spotlight videos by reach.
• 🎯 A brand marketer vetting influencer partners uses creatorUsername, creatorProfileUrl and description to confirm a creator's content niche before reaching out.
• 🔬 A researcher studying short-video engagement patterns uses durationMs, hashtagsFromCaption and dateUploaded to correlate video length and topic against view counts over time.
• 🏢 A media buyer archiving campaign creative uses contentUrl and thumbnailUrl to pull the exact video asset tied to each Spotlight link into a report.
• 🤖 An AI engineer building a content-monitoring agent feeds llmTitle, llmDescription and llmKeywords into a RAG index so the agent can answer questions about a batch of Spotlight videos without reprocessing the raw video file.

Because output is typed JSON and the Actor runs behind a standard Apify API call, any agent framework that can trigger an HTTP request can drive Snapchat Spotlight Scraper as a tool.

How does Snapchat Spotlight Scraper handle rate limits and blocking?

Snapchat Spotlight Scraper fetches each page with a plain HTTP request (no headless browser) and retries up to 3 times per URL if a request hits a temporary hiccup — HTTP 401, 403, 409, 429, 500, 502, 503, 504 or 509 — waiting between attempts, capped at 10 seconds. ⚠️ If you leave proxyConfiguration at its default, the first retry after a hiccup switches every remaining request in that run to Apify's residential proxy tier; if you explicitly set a proxy configuration (including explicitly choosing no proxy), that exact choice is used for every attempt and is never overridden. A link that returns HTTP 404 is not treated as dead automatically — Snapchat serves a full, real-looking page even for a removed video, so the Actor checks whether the requested video actually appears in that page's own feed data before classifying it as unavailable. If a video still can't be read after 3 attempts, the row is saved with status: "ERROR" instead of failing the whole run.

⬇️ Input

Parameter	Required	Type	Description	Example Value
urls	Yes	array	One Snapchat Spotlight video link per line. Accepts a plain link, a link with a trailing slash, a link with extra query parameters (including the ones Snapchat's own "Copy link" button adds), or a username-scoped link (https://www.snapchat.com/@username/spotlight/<id>). Example: https://www.snapchat.com/spotlight/<id>	["https://www.snapchat.com/spotlight/W7_EDlXWTBiXAEEniNoMPwAAYdW94bXd5dmF5AYv9OiSkAYv9OiP4AAAAAQ"]
maxItems	No	integer	Stop after this many links from urls have been processed. Example: 100 processes at most 100 links. 0 processes every link. Default is 0. Minimum: 0.	100
skipDuplicateSpotlights	No	boolean	When two input links point at the same Spotlight video, fetch and save it only once. Default is true.	true
proxyConfiguration	No	object	Use Apify Proxy or run without a proxy. Leave empty to start with a direct connection.	{"useApifyProxy": true}

Example input

{
  "urls": [
    "https://www.snapchat.com/spotlight/W7_EDlXWTBiXAEEniNoMPwAAYdW94bXd5dmF5AYv9OiSkAYv9OiP4AAAAAQ",
    "https://www.snapchat.com/spotlight/W7_EDlXWTBiXAEEniNoMPwAAYc3JvZXBkY3ZhAZ_gEb4pAZ_gEb0UAAAAAw"
  ],
  "maxItems": 50,
  "skipDuplicateSpotlights": true,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}

⬆️ Output

Every run pushes typed, normalized JSON to the Apify dataset — one row per input link, consistent field names whether the video was read successfully or not. Download results as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML or via the Apify API. Only videos that were read successfully (status: "OK") are billed as a row_result event; rows for videos that were not found or could not be read (status: "NOT_FOUND" or "ERROR") are still saved to the dataset but are not charged — filter on status == "OK" (or outcome == "ok") if you only want billed, successful rows.

Example output

A successfully scraped video:

{
  "outcome": "ok",
  "spotlightId": "W7_EDlXWTBiXAEEniNoMPwAAYdW94bXd5dmF5AYv9OiSkAYv9OiP4AAAAAQ",
  "spotlightUrl": "https://www.snapchat.com/spotlight/W7_EDlXWTBiXAEEniNoMPwAAYdW94bXd5dmF5AYv9OiSkAYv9OiP4AAAAAQ",
  "url": "https://www.snapchat.com/spotlight/W7_EDlXWTBiXAEEniNoMPwAAYdW94bXd5dmF5AYv9OiSkAYv9OiP4AAAAAQ",
  "creator": {
    "name": "Jordan Rivers",
    "username": "jordanrivers",
    "url": "https://www.snapchat.com/add/jordanrivers",
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://cf-st.sc-cdn.net/d/creator_thumb_abc123.jpg",
    "snapcodeUrl": "https://app.snapchat.com/web/deeplink/snapcode?username=jordanrivers"
  },
  "creatorUsername": "jordanrivers",
  "creatorDisplayName": "Jordan Rivers",
  "creatorProfileUrl": "https://www.snapchat.com/add/jordanrivers",
  "description": "Wait for it... 🐶 #dogsoftiktok #funny",
  "hashtags": [],
  "hashtagsFromCaption": ["#dogsoftiktok", "#funny"],
  "viewCount": 482913,
  "shareCount": 1204,
  "boostCount": 356,
  "commentCount": 89,
  "recommendCount": 512,
  "dateUploaded": "2026-07-30T14:22:10Z",
  "durationMs": 18240,
  "width": 1080,
  "height": 1920,
  "thumbnailUrl": "https://cf-st.sc-cdn.net/d/thumb_xyz789.jpg",
  "contentUrl": "https://cf-st.sc-cdn.net/d/video_xyz789.mp4",
  "llmTitle": "Dog reacts to owner's surprise homecoming",
  "llmDescription": "A short clip showing a dog's excited reaction as its owner arrives home, set to upbeat music.",
  "llmKeywords": "dog, pet, surprise, homecoming, funny",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-08-15T09:41:02Z",
  "status": "OK",
  "error": null
}

A video that no longer exists:

{
  "outcome": "notFound",
  "url": "https://www.snapchat.com/spotlight/dead_id_example",
  "spotlightId": "dead_id_example",
  "status": "NOT_FOUND",
  "error": "This Spotlight video is no longer available.",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-08-15T09:41:12Z"
}

How does it work?

Snapchat Spotlight Scraper requests each Spotlight page over plain HTTP, optionally through Apify Proxy, using the same URL structure Snapchat's own web client uses — no headless browser or JavaScript rendering is involved. Snapchat's server renders the page around a single embedded JSON block (__NEXT_DATA__); the Actor parses that block directly instead of scraping visible HTML text, so it reads the same structured data the Spotlight page is actually built from. Before treating a video as unavailable, it checks for positive evidence in that data — a dead Spotlight id still returns a full-looking page listing dozens of unrelated videos, so the Actor confirms the requested id is genuinely absent and no creator data was found before returning a not-found row. Only publicly visible data is extracted, and the output schema stays the same regardless of how Snapchat's page layout changes, because it depends on the underlying data block rather than the rendered HTML.

Integrations

Snapchat Spotlight Scraper runs like any Apify Actor — call it from your own code, chain it into a no-code workflow, or trigger it on a schedule.

Calling Snapchat Spotlight Scraper programmatically

from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_APIFY_API_TOKEN>")
run = client.actor("snapchat-spotlight-scraper").call(run_input={
    "urls": ["https://www.snapchat.com/spotlight/W7_EDlXWTBiXAEEniNoMPwAAYdW94bXd5dmF5AYv9OiSkAYv9OiP4AAAAAQ"],
    "maxItems": 50,
})

for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item["creatorUsername"], item["viewCount"])

Works in Go, Ruby, Node.js, cURL — any language that can make an HTTP request.

No-code tools (n8n, Make, LangChain)

In n8n, use the Apify node (or an HTTP Request node authenticated with your Apify API token) pointed at this Actor's run endpoint to trigger a scrape from any workflow trigger. In Make, the Apify app's "Run an Actor and Get Dataset Items" module does the same without writing code. In LangChain, load results straight from the Apify dataset with the framework's Apify dataset loader and pass typed rows into a retriever or agent tool.

⚖️ Is it legal to scrape Snapchat Spotlight videos?

Scraping publicly available Snapchat Spotlight video pages is generally lawful — the data extracted here (captions, engagement counts, creator identity and video files) is what Snapchat serves to any visitor without logging in. Snapchat Spotlight Scraper returns only that publicly available data; it does not access private stories, chats, friend-only content or anything behind a login wall. Because Spotlight rows include a creator's username, display name and public content, this qualifies as personal data under GDPR and CCPA once you store or process it — you're responsible for having a lawful basis for storage and use, honoring deletion requests, and complying with Snapchat's own Terms of Service for your specific use case. Consult legal counsel if your use case involves bulk storage of personal data.

❓ Frequently asked questions

What Snapchat Spotlight fields does Snapchat Spotlight Scraper return?

viewCount, shareCount, creatorUsername, description and contentUrl are the top fields — see What data can I extract for the full list across identity, engagement and AI-enrichment groups.

Does Snapchat Spotlight Scraper require a Snapchat account or login?

No. The Actor sends a plain, unauthenticated HTTP request with only a browser-like User-Agent header — no cookies, session token or Snapchat login is used or required.

How many Spotlight videos can I extract in one run?

As many as you list in urls — there's no hard cap in the Actor. Set maxItems above its default of 0 to bound a run to a specific number of links.

What happens if a Spotlight video is deleted or unavailable?

The row is saved with outcome: "notFound", status: "NOT_FOUND" and an error message instead of failing the run, and the run continues with the remaining links. Because Snapchat serves a full-looking page even for a dead video id, the Actor confirms the id is genuinely missing from that page's own feed data before classifying it this way, rather than trusting the HTTP status code alone.

Can I scrape multiple Snapchat Spotlight videos at once?

Yes. urls accepts one link per line in a single run, and skipDuplicateSpotlights (default: true) deduplicates links that resolve to the same Spotlight id before any request is made.

Does Snapchat Spotlight Scraper work with Claude, ChatGPT and other AI agent tools?

It's callable as a standard HTTP-triggered Apify Actor by any agent framework that can call a REST API and pass a JSON input. No MCP server is documented for this Actor.

Does Snapchat Spotlight Scraper return data in a format LLMs can use directly?

Yes. Output is typed, normalized JSON with consistent field names across runs — no HTML parsing or selectors required. Pass it directly to an LLM, index it into a vector store, or feed it to an agent tool.

What happens when Snapchat changes its layout or anti-bot system?

The scraper is maintained and its output schema is designed to stay stable regardless of Snapchat's page layout, because it reads the embedded data block rather than the rendered HTML. No specific update turnaround time is published.

Can I use Snapchat Spotlight Scraper without managing proxies or browser infrastructure?

Yes. The Actor makes plain HTTP requests — no browser to configure — and handles proxy routing, an automatic residential-proxy fallback on repeated hiccups, and retries internally; you only need to supply URLs.

Which Snapchat Spotlight fields work best for AI training data and RAG indexing?

For RAG, index description, llmDescription and llmKeywords — the highest-information text fields. For training data, viewCount, shareCount, durationMs and dateUploaded are the most consistently structured, typed fields across records.

How does Snapchat Spotlight Scraper compare to other Snapchat Spotlight scrapers?

No competitor listings were verified for this comparison, so no third-party claims are made here. What's verifiable from this Actor's own source code: it deduplicates by canonical Spotlight id before making any request, distinguishes a genuinely dead link from a temporary block using the page's own feed data rather than trusting the HTTP status alone, adds AI-generated llmTitle/llmDescription/llmKeywords fields alongside the raw engagement counts, and pushes failed or not-found rows to the dataset without charging for them.

🔗 Related scrapers

Scraper	What it extracts
Snapchat User Spotlight Scraper	Every public Spotlight video from a given creator's profile — views, shares, comments, boosts, captions, hashtags
Snapchat Popular Accounts Scraper	Public Snapchat profiles by keyword — subscriber counts, verification badge, business category, snapcode
TikTok Scraper	TikTok video metadata and engagement stats
Instagram Post Details Scraper	Likes, comments, captions and owner profile details from Instagram post, reel and TV URLs
Facebook Video Transcript Extractor	Transcripts and metadata extracted from Facebook videos
YouTube Video Summarizer	AI-generated summaries of YouTube videos

💬 Your feedback

Found a bug, or need a Spotlight field this Actor doesn't return yet? Let us know — message Scraper Engine through this Actor's Issues tab on Apify Console, or leave a review on the Store listing. Reports get triaged directly against the source code behind this README.