Facebook Search Groups Results Scraper

Scrapes Facebook groups from search results, extracting key details like group name, description, privacy status, member count, activity, and URL. Useful for lead generation and social media research.

Key Features

• Multi-Query Search: Scrape using multiple Facebook search URLs (format: https://www.facebook.com/search/groups/?q=your_query).
• Cookie Authentication: Requires logged-in Facebook session cookies to access search results.
• Configurable Scraping: Set limits for the number of groups and control scroll delays to avoid blocks.
• Proxy Support: Optional proxy configuration for reliable, repeated runs.
• Structured Output: Returns clean, structured data in JSON, CSV, Excel, and other Apify-supported formats.

How to Use

1. Prepare Cookies: Log into Facebook in your browser. Use the EditThisCookie extension to export your session cookies.
2. Configure Input: In the actor's input, paste the cookies and add your search URLs to the startUrls array.
3. Set Parameters:
   • maxGroups: Limit the total number of groups to scrape.
   • minDelay / maxDelay: Set a random delay range (in seconds) between scrolls to mimic human behavior and prevent blocking.
4. (Optional) Configure Proxy: Enable proxyConfiguration for better reliability, especially for large jobs.
5. Run: Start the actor. It will navigate the search results, scroll, and extract data.

Input

The actor expects a JSON input configuration. Here's an example for searching "medical" groups:

{
  "cookies": [
    {
      "name": "c_user",
      "value": "1248804295",
      "domain": ".facebook.com"
    }
  ],
  "startUrls": [
    { "url": "https://www.facebook.com/search/groups/?q=medical" }
  ],
  "maxGroups": 100,
  "minDelay": 2,
  "maxDelay": 5,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"]
  }
}

Output

The actor outputs an array of objects, each representing a scraped Facebook group. Data is saved to the dataset and can be downloaded in various formats.

Example output items:

[
  {
    "photo": "https://scontent-ord5-2.xx.fbcdn.net/...",
    "groupName": "Medical Updates",
    "groupDescription": "Medical Updates",
    "isPublic": "Public",
    "numberOfMembers": "7K members",
    "postActivity": "3 posts a day",
    "link": "https://www.facebook.com/groups/gastro2016/..."
  }
]

Support

• Report issues or request features via the actor's Issues section on Apify.
• Contact the author:
  • Website: https://muhamed-didovic.github.io/
  • Email: muhamed.didovic@gmail.com
  • Other Actors: https://apify.com/memo23?fpr=python_automation