Instagram Basic Scraper

Extracts post summaries and direct media download links from public Instagram profiles. Supports up to 10 usernames per run, fetching up to 12 recent posts per user. No login required.

Overview

This actor is a lightweight scraper for public Instagram content. It returns structured data including direct URLs for images and videos, along with post metadata like likes, comments, and timestamps. It's designed for simple, batch extraction of recent posts without browser emulation.

Key Features

• Batch Processing: Input an array of up to 10 Instagram usernames.
• Multiple Media Types: Extracts images, videos, and carousel posts.
• Direct Download Links: Provides ready-to-use URLs for media files.
• Rich Metadata: Includes likes, comment counts, timestamps, captions, and dimensions.
• Fast Setup: Starts quickly using a simple API call.

How to Use

Provide an array of public Instagram usernames (without the '@' symbol) as the input. The actor will scrape the most recent posts for each.

Input Parameters

Example Input:

{
  "usernames": ["nick_saraev", "itsmakehq", "natgeo"]
}

Output Format

The actor outputs an array of items, one for each scraped post. Each item is a JSON object containing the post's details.

Common fields for all posts:
* username, postUrl, mediaType, title/description, likes, comments, timestamp
* scrapedAt, success, dimensions, owner (object with id and username)

Media-specific fields:
* For images/videos: mediaDownloadUrl (string), displayUrl, isVideo
* For videos only: videoUrl, videoViewCount, hasAudio
* For carousels: mediaDownloadUrl is an array of objects, each with type, url, width, and height. Note: this basic version primarily extracts the carousel's cover image.

Example Output (Video Post):

{
  "username": "nick_saraev",
  "postUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DNj0JScvl7j/",
  "mediaDownloadUrl": "https://scontent-iad3-1.cdninstagram.com/o1/v/t2/f2/m86/AQMh7pAfj96Ea-DUbiKd6d0w_wMVJMRqBuHssi0urrO5o3vJBo7fC7j3axHi-peogirRTcHEQ3oQK3CqNASBf4sWVpPaF77k7wFeIDg.mp4",
  "mediaType": "video",
  "title": "Comment \"VIDEO\" to get this free open-source AI video model...",
  "likes": 2278,
  "comments": 1746,
  "timestamp": "2025-08-20T02:12:16.000Z",
  "scrapedAt": "2025-08-20T22:36:56.082Z",
  "isVideo": true,
  "videoViewCount": 19224,
  "hasAudio": true
}

Guidelines & Limitations

Use For:
* Analyzing public content across multiple accounts.
* Research, education, or content backup projects.
* Simple integration of Instagram content into other applications.

Do Not Use For:
* Large-scale commercial scraping.
* Accessing private accounts.
* High-frequency automated requests that violate Instagram's Terms of Service.

Technical Limits:
* Max 10 usernames per batch.
* Max 12 most recent posts per user.
* Carousel posts: Extracts cover media, not all items in the carousel.
* Media URLs may expire after scraping.
* Functionality depends on Instagram's public structure and may break due to platform changes.

Support

• Documentation
• Community Forum
• Issue Reporting

Ready to scrape? Start now →

Use this tool responsibly and in compliance with Instagram's Terms of Service.