Instagram Highlights Scraper

Instagram Highlights Scraper

Instagram Highlights Scraper is a fast, scalable Apify actor that extracts story highlight metadata from public Instagram profiles — including highlight IDs, titles, and cover image URLs — and streams structured records to your dataset in real time. It solves the pain of manual checking or screen recording by automating bulk highlight collection for marketers, developers, data analysts, and researchers. As an Instagram highlights extractor and IG highlights downloader alternative, it outputs clean JSON/CSV you can analyze or pipeline at scale.

What data / output can you get?

Below are the exact fields this actor pushes to the Apify dataset during a run. Each item represents one highlight from a processed profile.

Data type	Description	Example value
input_url	The source profile URL that was processed	https://www.instagram.com/swarnika.verma_/
username	Instagram username resolved from the input	swarnika.verma_
user_id	Numeric Instagram user ID for the profile	72037592921
type	Record type (constant for this actor)	instagram_highlights
id	Unique highlight identifier	highlight:18069978917514346
title	Highlight title as displayed on the profile	Luxe🛍️
cover_media	URL of the highlight cover image	https://scontent-iad3-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-15/...jpg
success	Whether the highlight record was extracted successfully	true
error	Error message if any (null when success is true)	null
timestamp	UTC ISO timestamp when the item was produced	2026-04-02T07:23:10.123456+00:00

Notes:

• Results are streamed in real time to the default dataset. You can export as JSON or CSV directly from Apify.
• cover_media may be null if a cover URL is not available for a given highlight.
• If an input is invalid or blocked, you’ll still get a record with success set to false and an error message.

Key features

• ⚡ Real-time streaming output Pushes each highlight to the Apify dataset immediately as it’s found, so you can monitor progress and start analysis without waiting for the run to finish.

• 🛡️ Smart proxy fallback & block handling Automatically detects HTTP 429/403 blocks and fail-fast falls back from no proxy → datacenter → residential. Once residential is used, it sticks for the rest of the run for stability. Includes exponential backoff and retries.

• 📚 Bulk multi-profile input Accepts multiple inputs in startUrls, including profile URLs (https://www.instagram.com/username), usernames (with or without @), or highlight shortcodes per the input schema. Ideal for a bulk Instagram highlights downloader-style workflow across many accounts.

• 🔁 Resilient rate-limit strategy Randomized delays, exponential backoff, and robust retry logic reduce detection and improve completion rates on larger batches.

• 📁 Clean JSON/CSV exports Structured records are easy to analyze, share, or pipe into dashboards and BI tools. Perfect for “Instagram highlights saver” use cases that need repeatable, structured data.

• ✅ Success/error transparency Each item includes success and error fields, plus a timestamp, so you can audit runs and handle edge cases programmatically.

• 🧰 Built on Apify’s Python stack Implemented with the Apify Python SDK and aiohttp for performance and reliability — a production-ready, automated Instagram highlights scraping tool.

How to use Instagram Highlights Scraper – step by step

1. Sign in to Apify
   Create or log in to your Apify account.

2. Open the actor
   Find “Instagram Highlights Scraper” in the Apify Store and click Try for free.

3. Add input targets
   Paste one or more Instagram profiles into the startUrls input (one per line). Accepted formats include:

• Full profile URLs: https://www.instagram.com/mrbeast/
• Usernames: mrbeast or @mrbeast
• Highlight shortcodes (per schema). If a shortcode can’t be resolved to a username, the item will return success=false with an error.

4. Configure proxy (optional)
   Use proxyConfiguration to choose your proxy. On 429/403, the actor automatically falls back to datacenter and then residential, with sticky residential enabled once used.

5. Start the run
   Click Start. The actor loads profile pages, extracts required tokens, resolves user_id, and queries highlights.

6. Watch real-time results
   Each highlight is pushed to the dataset instantly with fields like id, title, and cover_media. Check the run logs for progress and proxy strategy updates.

7. Export your data
   Go to the run’s Dataset and export as JSON or CSV. Use the results in analytics dashboards, market research, or brand monitoring workflows.

Pro tip: For large batches (e.g., a bulk Instagram highlights downloader workflow across many public profiles), list all targets in startUrls. If the actor hits platform blocks, it will automatically switch to residential and stick to it for the rest of the run for better stability.

Use cases

Use case name	Description
Marketing & branding analysis	Analyze highlight titles and cover images across competitors to understand positioning and storytelling patterns.
Competitor monitoring	Track new or updated highlights on public profiles for campaign insights and timing.
Content planning & audit	Inventory highlight structures and cover visuals to inform content calendars and brand refreshes.
Academic & trend research	Build datasets from public profiles to study cultural trends and narrative formats.
Social analytics pipelines	Export structured outputs and feed them into BI tools for ongoing reporting.
Agency-scale bulk extraction	Run a bulk Instagram highlights downloader-style process by listing many profiles and exporting JSON/CSV for team use.

Why choose Instagram Highlights Scraper?

This solution is built for precision, automation, and reliability on public Instagram profiles.

• 🎯 Accurate, structured output with per-item success/error status
• 🛡️ Robust proxy strategy with automatic fallback and sticky residential for stability
• ⚡ Real-time streaming to the dataset for faster time-to-insight
• 📁 Clean JSON/CSV exports ready for analytics and automation
• 🧩 Developer-friendly Apify actor that fits into existing data pipelines
• 🔍 A reliable Instagram highlights viewer and downloader alternative that focuses on structured metadata and cover image URLs from public profiles

In short: a fast, reliable Instagram highlights archiver tool for teams that need scalable, structured results — not brittle browser extensions.

Is it legal / ethical to use Instagram Highlights Scraper?

Yes — when used responsibly. This actor is designed for public Instagram profiles and returns structured metadata (e.g., highlight IDs, titles, cover image URLs).

Guidelines to keep it compliant:

• Only target publicly available profiles and content
• Respect platform Terms of Service and applicable laws (e.g., GDPR/CCPA)
• Do not use the tool for spam or unauthorized redistribution
• Avoid scraping private accounts or sensitive personal data
• Consult your legal team for edge cases or jurisdiction-specific questions

Input parameters & output format

Example JSON input

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

Parameters

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

• proxyConfiguration (object, optional)
  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; once residential is used, it stays “sticky” for stability.
  Default (prefill): { "useApifyProxy": true }

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": "2026-04-02T07:23:10.123456+00:00"
  }
]

Notes:

• username, user_id, id, and cover_media come from the profile and highlights GraphQL responses and may be null if not found.
• On invalid inputs (e.g., malformed URL or unsupported shortcode resolution), the actor emits a record with success=false and an error message.

FAQ

Do I need to log in or provide cookies?

No. The actor works on public profiles and does not require login inputs. It extracts required tokens from the public profile page and queries the public GraphQL endpoints.

Can this download Instagram highlights?

It focuses on structured metadata and cover image URLs, making it a dependable Instagram highlights saver for analytics. It does not export the full story media items themselves.

Does it work for private accounts?

No. The actor targets public profiles. Private accounts or restricted content will not return highlight data.

How many highlights can it process?

It processes all story highlights returned for each public profile and scales across multiple profiles in one run. Automatic proxy fallback helps sustain throughput when blocks occur.

What fields are included in the output?

Each highlight record includes input_url, username, user_id, type, id, title, cover_media, success, error, and timestamp. Results stream in real time to the dataset.

How does it handle rate limits or blocks?

HTTP 429/403 responses trigger the fallback policy: no proxy → datacenter → residential, with retries and sticky residential for the rest of the run, improving stability.

Can I run a bulk Instagram highlights downloader workflow?

Yes. Add many profile URLs or usernames to startUrls and run a single job. You’ll get a consolidated dataset you can export to JSON or CSV and process further.

What happens if I pass an invalid input or shortcode?

Invalid inputs are validated and return a record with success=false and a descriptive error so you can troubleshoot or clean lists programmatically.

Closing thoughts

Instagram Highlights Scraper is built for fast, reliable extraction of highlight metadata from public profiles. With real-time streaming, robust proxy fallback, and clean JSON/CSV exports, it’s ideal for marketers, analysts, researchers, and developers. Run it on single profiles or at scale for bulk Instagram highlights downloader-style workflows, then integrate the dataset into your analytics pipelines. Start extracting smarter highlight insights today.