Instagram User Posts Scraper

Extract recent public Instagram posts and reels by username. This Actor is built for creator research, content analysis, competitor monitoring, brand tracking, and social media reporting workflows that need profile post collections rather than single post details.

No Instagram login, cookies, proxy setup, or browser session is required. Provide a username and the Actor returns available public posts to an Apify dataset. The Actor uses a Scrappa API key configured as the SCRAPPA_API_KEY environment variable; set this secret if you fork or self-deploy the Actor.

What It Does

• Fetches recent public posts and reels from an Instagram user profile.
• Returns post fields such as shortcode, media type, caption, timestamp, likes, comments, plays, media URLs, location, author, and permalink when available.
• Supports pagination with max_id, using the previous response's next_max_id value.
• Saves the full upstream response as OUTPUT in the default key-value store for access to pagination metadata, including more_available and next_max_id, plus raw fields.

Private accounts can still return public metadata that is visible without logging in, but this Actor does not bypass privacy restrictions or access private posts.

Input

Use one Instagram username per run.

Input Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
username	String	Yes	Instagram username to fetch posts for. Use a handle such as natgeo; an optional leading @ is normalized automatically.
max_id	String	No	Pagination cursor from a previous response's next_max_id field.

Example Input

{
  "username": "natgeo"
}

Next page:

{
  "username": "natgeo",
  "max_id": "QVFDcF..."
}

Output

Each run saves one dataset item per returned post. If Scrappa returns zero posts, the dataset remains empty and the full response is still available in the default key-value store as OUTPUT. The exact fields can vary depending on what Instagram returns, but common fields include:

Field	Description
request_username	Username requested in the Actor input.
id	Instagram post ID.
shortcode	Instagram shortcode.
media_type	Post media type, such as image, video, carousel, or reel when returned.
caption	Caption text.
taken_at	Post timestamp.
like_count	Number of likes.
comment_count	Number of comments.
play_count	Number of video plays, when available.
media	Media objects such as thumbnails, images, or videos.
location	Location metadata, when available.
author	Author metadata.
permalink	Instagram post permalink.

Example Output

{
  "request_username": "natgeo",
  "id": "3819535222330010870",
  "shortcode": "DUBtwxGEqz2",
  "media_type": "video",
  "caption": "Post caption text...",
  "taken_at": "2024-01-15T10:30:00+00:00",
  "like_count": 125000,
  "comment_count": 3500,
  "play_count": 5000000,
  "media": [
    {
      "type": "video",
      "thumbnail_url": "https://...",
      "video_url": "https://..."
    }
  ],
  "author": {
    "username": "natgeo"
  },
  "permalink": "https://www.instagram.com/natgeo/p/DUBtwxGEqz2/"
}

Exporting Results

Results are stored in the Actor's default dataset. From Apify, you can export the dataset as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, RSS, or HTML table. Use JSON for nested media fields, and CSV or Excel for spreadsheet-friendly post analysis.

Authentication

This Actor does not require an Instagram account. It does not ask for Instagram credentials, session cookies, or two-factor authentication codes.

Common Use Cases

• Collect recent posts from public creators, brands, publishers, or competitors.
• Build influencer content and engagement reports.
• Monitor reels and post performance over time.
• Export post collections for BI, CRM, or spreadsheet workflows.
• Feed downstream post-detail enrichment workflows with shortcodes or permalinks.

Recommended Workflow

1. Run this Actor with a public Instagram username.
2. Export the dataset for the returned page of posts.
3. Open the OUTPUT key-value store record. If more_available is true, run again with max_id set to the returned next_max_id.
4. Use the exported post URLs or shortcodes with the Instagram Post Info Actor when you need deeper single-post details.

Pricing

$0.20 per 1,000 results. No Instagram login required. Requires SCRAPPA_API_KEY in the Actor environment.

Notes And Limits

• Run one username per Actor run.
• Usernames are normalized before lookup, so a leading @ is removed automatically.
• Availability of fields depends on the public data returned by Instagram and Scrappa.
• This Actor does not access private posts or bypass account privacy settings.