Gab Scraper Actor for Apify

Scrape public Gab profiles together with posts from those profiles, direct Gab post URLs, and saved Gab post URL datasets into an Apify dataset.

What This Actor Is Best For

• Scraping a known Gab post URL
• Scraping a known Gab username or profile
• Building a larger dataset in two steps: profile discovery first, hydration second

Before You Run

• Residential proxy is the most reliable mode, but it is also the most expensive.
• Direct post URLs are the most reliable input.
• Keyword, search, tag, hash, and explore discovery inputs were removed because they were too unreliable and costly.

What To Expect

• Direct post URL runs: Usually the most reliable. Best choice when you already know the exact post you want.

• Username runs: Return the profile record and posts discovered from that profile.

• discoveryOnly: true runs: Return lightweight post_url items from supported profile discovery. Best for a cheaper first-pass collection.

• Two-step runs: Best option when you want more volume at a lower cost.

Inputs

• usernames Add Gab usernames like support or @support. Username runs return the profile plus posts discovered from that profile.

• postUrls Add direct Gab post URLs when you already know the exact posts you want.

• startUrls Add only direct Gab post URLs or direct Gab profile URLs.

• sourceDatasetId Use this when you want to hydrate post_url records from an earlier discovery run.

• discoveryOnly Turn this on if you only want discovered post URLs from username/profile discovery instead of full post records.

• proxyMode Use direct for the cheapest runs, apify for a middle ground, or residential for the highest reliability.

• maxItems Sets how many results you want back.

Output

The Actor can return:

• profile Public profile details

• post Full post records

• post_url Lightweight discovered post URLs

Recommended Test Inputs

Profile Test

{
  "usernames": ["support"],
  "postUrls": [],
  "startUrls": [],
  "sourceDatasetId": "",
  "discoveryOnly": false,
  "maxItems": 10
}

Direct Post Test

{
  "usernames": [],
  "postUrls": [
    "https://gab.com/TerrenceKWilliams/posts/105647844879148303"
  ],
  "startUrls": [],
  "sourceDatasetId": "",
  "discoveryOnly": false,
  "maxItems": 1
}

Dataset Hydration Test

{
  "usernames": [],
  "postUrls": [],
  "startUrls": [],
  "sourceDatasetId": "YOUR_DATASET_ID",
  "discoveryOnly": false,
  "maxItems": 25
}

Best Low-Cost Workflow

Step 1: profile discovery

{
  "proxyMode": "apify",
  "usernames": ["support"],
  "postUrls": [],
  "startUrls": [],
  "sourceDatasetId": "",
  "discoveryOnly": true,
  "maxItems": 50
}

Step 2: hydrate the discovery dataset

{
  "proxyMode": "apify",
  "usernames": [],
  "postUrls": [],
  "startUrls": [],
  "sourceDatasetId": "YOUR_DATASET_ID",
  "discoveryOnly": false,
  "maxItems": 50
}

Cheapest Reliable Inputs

• Direct postUrls Cheapest way to get full posts because the actor can skip discovery entirely.

• usernames Good when you need profile data and a manageable amount of profile-linked post discovery.

• sourceDatasetId Good when you already have a list of post URLs from a previous run.

Common Reasons For Low Or Zero Results

• The username or post URL does not resolve publicly on Gab
• The profile exposes fewer posts than your maxItems target
• Gab blocks or rate-limits the current connection mode
• The source dataset does not contain usable post_url items

Limitations

• Public data only
• Keyword, search, tag, hash, and explore inputs are no longer supported
• Direct post URLs are the most reliable path
• Username-based discovery can still vary if Gab blocks or changes page structure
• The actor will fail fast if residential Apify Proxy is unavailable