Instagram Highlights Scraper

Instagram Highlights Scraper

Instagram Highlights Scraper is a fast, automated Instagram highlights extractor that collects public profile highlight metadata at scale. It solves the pain of manual checks and screen recording by streaming structured results into an Apify dataset in real time — ideal for marketers, developers, data analysts, and researchers who want to export Instagram highlights for analysis, reporting, or archiving workflows. This Instagram highlights scraper tool focuses on reliability and scale so you can power downstream pipelines that save Instagram highlights online or enrich competitor research.

What data / output can you get?

Below are the exact fields produced by the actor and pushed to the Apify dataset. Results are exportable as JSON or CSV.

Data type	Description	Example value
input_url	Profile URL that was processed	https://www.instagram.com/swarnika.verma_/
username	Resolved Instagram username	swarnika.verma_
user_id	Numeric Instagram user ID	72037592921
type	Record type identifier	instagram_highlights
id	Highlight ID (unique)	highlight:18069978917514346
title	Highlight title	Luxe🛍️
cover_media	Highlight cover image URL	https://scontent-iad3-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-15/528310306_1486885775636090_4883732409687731720_n.jpg?...
success	Whether the item was scraped successfully	true
error	Error message when scraping fails (null on success)	null
timestamp	ISO-8601 UTC timestamp when the item was created	2026-04-07T09:40:00.000Z

Note: On failures, the actor still streams an item with success=false and error populated, while id/title/cover_media may be null.

Key features

• ⚡ Real-time dataset streaming — Each highlight item is pushed immediately with Actor.pushData, enabling live dashboards and pipelines.
• 🧱 Robust block handling — Automatic detection of HTTP 429/403 with a fail-fast strategy and exponential backoff to minimize wasted time.
• 🌐 Smart proxy fallback — Starts with no proxy, then falls back to datacenter, then residential (up to 3 attempts). Once residential is used, “sticky” mode keeps it stable for the rest of the run.
• 🧾 Flexible inputs — Accepts full profile URLs and usernames (with or without @). Handles legacy object format with { "url": "..." } too.
• 📈 Built for batches — Process multiple profiles in one run to export Instagram highlights in bulk for cross-account analysis.
• 🐍 Developer-friendly — Python-based Apify Actor with structured JSON/CSV-ready outputs and detailed, step-by-step logs for observability.
• 🔓 Public-only collection — Designed to work on publicly accessible profiles without login flows.

How to use Instagram Highlights Scraper - step by step

1. 🔑 Sign in to Apify and open the Instagram Highlights Scraper actor.
2. 📥 Add input targets in startUrls — Supported formats include:
   • Full profile URLs: https://www.instagram.com/username/
   • Usernames: username or @username
   • Legacy object format also works: { "url": "https://www.instagram.com/username/" } Note: Shortcodes may trigger an input validation error (“Shortcode detected...”) and are not resolved automatically.
3. 🛡️ Configure proxyConfiguration as needed — By default, the actor can use Apify Proxy. On 429/403, it fails fast and falls back to datacenter, then residential with up to 3 attempts and sticky mode thereafter.
4. ▶️ Start the run — The actor loads each profile, resolves tokens, retrieves the user_id, and fetches highlights via Instagram’s GraphQL endpoints.
5. 📡 Watch logs — You’ll see DATA_PUSH and compact item summaries (user=
6. 💾 Download results — Open the default dataset to export JSON or CSV with fields: input_url, username, user_id, type, id, title, cover_media, success, error, timestamp.
7. 💡 Pro Tip: Use the dataset’s API to feed downstream workflows (e.g., an Instagram highlights archiver or a custom “instagram story highlights downloader” pipeline that consumes these metadata records).

Use cases

Use case name	Description
Marketing & branding analysis	Analyze highlight titles and coverage to benchmark storytelling and branding across competitors and influencers.
Competitor monitoring	Track new highlight IDs and covers over time to understand campaign cadence and themes.
Campaign reporting	Quantify and export Instagram highlights across multiple accounts for centralized reporting in JSON/CSV.
Academic & social research	Collect public highlight metadata at scale for longitudinal studies and cultural trend analysis.
Content audit & taxonomy	Build inventories of highlight titles and IDs to inform content governance and naming conventions.
API pipeline seeding	Use the structured output to drive a downstream “download Instagram story highlights online” or “instagram highlights backup” workflow that you manage.

Why choose Instagram Highlights Scraper?

A production-ready, resilient extractor for public Instagram highlight metadata — purpose-built for accuracy, scale, and repeatability.

• ✅ Accuracy-first extraction with structured, consistent fields for analytics.
• 🚀 Scales from a handful of profiles to bulk runs with reliable backoff and proxy fallbacks.
• 🧩 Developer access via Apify datasets and logs, plus clean JSON/CSV-ready output.
• 🔒 Public data only — no login flows; avoids private profiles by design.
• 🛡️ Infrastructure-grade resilience — automatic block detection, fail-fast behavior, and sticky residential mode when needed.
• 🖥️ Server-side actor — no “download Instagram highlights Chrome extension” risks; runs on Apify for stability and observability.

Is it legal / ethical to use Instagram Highlights Scraper?

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

Best-practice guidelines:

• 🛡️ Only collect data from public profiles you’re permitted to analyze.
• ⚖️ Review and respect Instagram’s Terms of Service and applicable laws (e.g., GDPR/CCPA).
• 🔒 Avoid scraping private accounts or sensitive personal information.
• 📝 Consult your legal team for edge cases or redistribution questions.

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), username (username or @username), or highlight shortcode (ABC123DEF45). The actor resolves each to the profile and scrapes all highlights (title, ID, cover image, success/error, timestamp). Perfect for bulk extraction across many accounts.
  • Default: ["https://www.instagram.com/mrbeast/"] (prefill)
  • 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 } (prefill)
  • Required: No

Note on inputs: While the schema description mentions highlight shortcodes, the current logic validates URLs/usernames and may return an input validation error for shortcodes (“Shortcode detected but username extraction from shortcode requires additional API calls”).

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?stp=dst-jpg_s150x150_tt6&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=102&_nc_oc=Q6cZ2QHUWK6vaXGNCoYDhjQXGERlmgGMsdOxNbIZo-AZGYTi4L-ksMYMlWHVmTzIkGOJugs&_nc_ohc=8EPeT9qfb0cQ7kNvwGb59m6&_nc_gid=WYmGBPucNZqXS0VGYUrlGw&edm=AGXveE0BAAAA&ccb=7-5&oh=00_AfatukvJ3Yls9ZQmMab8U-_iK7EgngyQanwAZZc0fGEcRw&oe=68D9C3BB&_nc_sid=522435",
    "success": true,
    "error": null,
    "timestamp": "2026-04-07T09:40:00.000Z"
  },
  {
    "input_url": "https://www.instagram.com/unknown-user/",
    "username": "unknown-user",
    "user_id": null,
    "type": "instagram_highlights",
    "id": null,
    "title": null,
    "cover_media": null,
    "success": false,
    "error": "Residential proxy failed after 3 attempts",
    "timestamp": "2026-04-07T09:41:12.000Z"
  }
]

Notes:

• On success, id/title/cover_media are populated alongside username and user_id.
• On errors, success=false and error contains the reason; id/title/cover_media may be null.

FAQ

Is this an instagram story highlights downloader?

✅ Not directly. This actor exports structured metadata (IDs, titles, cover image URLs, timestamps) for public profiles. You can combine the output with your own downstream process if you need a “download Instagram highlights” or “instagram highlights to mp4” workflow.

Can I bulk download Instagram highlights with this?

✅ You can bulk export Instagram highlight metadata across many profiles. For a full “bulk download Instagram highlights” pipeline, use this dataset as input to a downloader you control.

Do I need to log in or provide cookies?

❌ No. The actor targets public profiles and does not implement login flows. It fetches profile pages and GraphQL data without authentication.

What profiles are supported?

✅ Public profiles. The scraper is designed for publicly accessible Instagram profiles. Private accounts or gated content are not supported.

What happens if Instagram blocks requests?

✅ The actor detects 429/403 as platform blocks and fails fast for quick fallback. It starts without a proxy, falls back to datacenter, then to residential (up to 3 attempts), and stays sticky on residential for stability.

What fields are included in the export?

✅ The dataset contains: input_url, username, user_id, type, id, title, cover_media, success, error, timestamp. These are streamed in real time as items are found.

Can I use the results to save Instagram highlights online?

✅ Yes — as metadata. Use the exported IDs and titles to drive your own “instagram highlights archiver” or “instagram highlights backup” workflows that handle media retrieval.

Is there a free trial?

✅ The Apify listing includes trial minutes (e.g., 120 trial minutes) so you can evaluate the actor. Check the actor’s pricing panel on Apify for the current plan details.

Final thoughts

Instagram Highlights Scraper is built for fast, reliable extraction of public highlight metadata at scale. With real-time streaming, robust proxy fallbacks, and clean JSON/CSV outputs, it gives marketers, analysts, and developers the structured signals they need to compare brands, monitor campaigns, and seed automation workflows. Developers can tap the Apify dataset API to connect this actor to custom pipelines, including instagram highlights download tool chains. Start extracting smarter, scalable highlight insights for your marketing, research, or data engineering stack today.