Instagram Comment Scraper A fast and reliable Instagram comment scraper that extracts comments and replies from Instagram posts and reels. Built for speed with parallel processing and designed to handle large-scale comment extraction efficiently. ## 🚀 Features - Fast Scraping: Parallel processing with 20 concurrent workers for rapid comment extraction - Flexible Options: Scrape parent comments only or include all replies - Smart Limiting: Control total output with configurable comment limits - Rich Data: Includes usernames, profile pictures, timestamps, like counts, and more - Cookie Authentication: Simple browser cookie-based login (no password needed) - Multiple Posts: Process multiple Instagram posts in a single run ## 📋 Input ### Required Parameters | Parameter | Type | Description | |-----------|------|-------------| | cookies | array | Instagram session cookies from your browser (must include sessionid) | | post_urls | array | List of Instagram post/reel URLs to scrape | ### Optional Parameters | Parameter | Type | Default | Description | |-----------|------|---------|-------------| | comment_limit | integer | 0 | Maximum comments per post (0 = unlimited). Counts total including replies. | | include_replies | boolean | true | Include comment replies or parent comments only | ### Example Input json { "cookies": [ { "name": "sessionid", "value": "61854802805%3AWqlSMdeVKE7hbp%3A12%3AAYhi...", "domain": ".instagram.com" }, { "name": "csrftoken", "value": "gNxSok0dLs17TXtgZc0ylsCuObChSEsv", "domain": ".instagram.com" } ], "post_urls": [ "https://www.instagram.com/p/ABC123XYZ/", "https://www.instagram.com/reels/DEF456UVW/" ], "comment_limit": 100, "include_replies": true } ## 📤 Output Each comment is saved as a separate item in the dataset with the following structure: json { "comment_id": "18075851018258413", "username": "john_doe", "user_id": "123456789", "profile_pic_url": "https://instagram.com/.../profile.jpg", "text": "Amazing content! 🔥", "created_at": "2024-12-18 11:24:58", "timestamp": 1734522298, "like_count": 15, "is_reply": false, "reply_count": 3, "media_id": "3788472140946025433" } ### Reply Comments Replies include an additional field: - parent_comment_id: ID of the parent comment this is replying to ### Field Descriptions | Field | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | comment_id | string | Unique Instagram comment ID | | username | string | Username of the commenter | | user_id | string | Instagram user ID | | profile_pic_url | string | URL to user's profile picture | | text | string | Comment text content | | created_at | string | Human-readable timestamp (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS) | | timestamp | integer | Unix timestamp | | like_count | integer | Number of likes on the comment | | is_reply | boolean | Whether this is a reply to another comment | | reply_count | integer | Number of replies (parent comments only) | | parent_comment_id | string | Parent comment ID (replies only) | | media_id | string | Instagram post/reel ID | ## 🍪 How to Get Instagram Cookies ### Method 1: Browser Extension (Recommended) 1. Install a cookie extension: - Chrome/Edge: Cookie-Editor - Firefox: Cookie-Editor 2. Export cookies: - Log into Instagram in your browser - Open the cookie extension - Click "Export" and select "JSON" format - Copy the entire JSON array 3. Paste into input: - Paste the cookies array into the cookies field in the actor input ### Method 2: Manual Export 1. Open Instagram and log in 2. Open browser DevTools (F12) 3. Go to Application/Storage → Cookies → https://instagram.com 4. Find sessionid cookie and copy its value 5. Create a minimal cookies array: json { "cookies": [ { "name": "sessionid", "value": "YOUR_SESSION_ID_HERE", "domain": ".instagram.com" } ] } ⚠️ Important: The sessionid cookie is required. Without it, authentication will fail. ## ⚙️ How It Works ### Comment Limit Behavior The comment_limit parameter controls the total number of comments returned per post: #### With include_replies: true - Fetches parent comments and their replies - Returns up to comment_limit total comments (parent + replies combined) - Example: comment_limit: 50 might return 35 parent comments + 15 replies = 50 total #### With include_replies: false - Fetches only parent comments - Returns up to comment_limit parent comments - Example: comment_limit: 50 returns exactly 50 parent comments, no replies #### With comment_limit: 0 - Scrapes ALL comments (no limit) - Fetches everything available on the post ### Performance - Parent Comments: ~15-20 comments per second - Replies: 20 concurrent workers for parallel extraction - Typical Performance: 1,000 comments in 1-2 minutes ## 🔧 Use Cases - Social Media Analytics: Track engagement and sentiment on posts - Competitor Research: Analyze comments on competitor content - Influencer Marketing: Gather audience feedback data - Customer Service: Monitor brand mentions and questions - Research: Collect data for academic or market research ## ⚠️ Limitations & Notes - Cookie Expiration: Session cookies expire after some time (usually days/weeks). You'll need to refresh them periodically. - Rate Limiting: Built-in delays to avoid Instagram's rate limits. Don't modify these. - Private Posts: Your logged-in account must have access to private posts. - Disabled Comments: Posts with disabled comments will return empty results. - Large Posts: Posts with 10,000+ comments may take several minutes to complete. ## 🐛 Troubleshooting ### "sessionid not found in cookies" - Make sure you exported cookies correctly - Verify the sessionid cookie is present in the array ### "Login failed" - Your cookies may have expired - export fresh cookies - Make sure you're logged into Instagram in your browser ### "Failed to extract media ID" - Check that the URL is correct and accessible - Ensure the post exists and hasn't been deleted ### Slow Performance - Large posts with many comments naturally take longer - Reduce comment_limit for faster results - Set include_replies: false to skip reply fetching ## 🤝 Support For bugs, feature requests, or questions: - Open an issue on the actor's page - Contact Apify support - Check the Apify documentation ## 📜 License This actor is provided as-is for use on the Apify platform. ## ⚖️ Legal & Ethics - Terms of Service: Use of this actor should comply with Instagram's Terms of Service - Rate Limiting: The actor includes built-in delays to be respectful of Instagram's servers - Data Privacy: Be mindful of user privacy when collecting and using comment data - Responsible Use: Use this tool ethically and legally