Facebook Video Downloader Actor

Overview

This Apify actor extracts metadata from Facebook videos without downloading the files. It processes video URLs to return titles, authors, durations, thumbnails, available resolutions, and other data. It's built for batch analysis, handling 100+ URLs in a single run, and includes features like auto-retry and proxy rotation. Typical runtime is 10-25 seconds per URL.

Key Features

• Core Metadata Extraction: Retrieves full video titles (including emojis/hashtags), author IDs/names, precise duration, and a list of available video resolutions.
• Media Data: Provides URLs for thumbnails in multiple sizes and extracts aspect ratio and FPS data when available.
• Bulk Processing: Accepts an array of video URLs and outputs structured data in JSON or CSV format.
• Technical Features: Includes JSON-LD schema extraction, detailed error logging, and is configured for future storage integration via the Apify key-value store.

How to Use

1. Prepare your input configuration (see Input section).
2. Run the actor with your list of Facebook video URLs (posts, reels, or direct video links).
3. Retrieve the structured metadata output.

Input

Configure the actor using a JSON object. The video_urls array is required.

{
  "video_urls": [
    { "url": "https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18zL4zNBNJ/", "method": "GET" }
  ],
  "requested_resolution": "1080p",
  "use_key_value_store": false
}

Output

The actor returns a dataset of items, one for each processed URL. The structure varies slightly based on the use_key_value_store setting.

Example Output (use_key_value_store: false):

{
  "video_url": "https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18zL4zNBNJ/",
  "general_metadata": {
    "title": "WILD ENDING! Final 8 Minutes of Korea Republic v Germany | 2018 #FIFAWorldCup",
    "author": "FIFA World Cup",
    "thumbnail": "https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/......",
    "duration": "00:08:54"
  },
  "found_resolution": "1080p",
  "download_links": {
    "merged_video": "https://video-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/......",
    "video_only": "https://video-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/......",
    "audio_only": "https://video-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/......"
  }
}

Example Output (use_key_value_store: true):

{
  "video_url": "https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18zL4zNBNJ/",
  "general_metadata": {
    "title": "WILD ENDING! Final 8 Minutes of Korea Republic v Germany | 2018 #FIFAWorldCup",
    "author": "FIFA World Cup",
    "thumbnail": "https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/l.jpg?"
  },
  "found_resolution": "Nonep",
  "download_links": {
    "merged_video": "https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/video.mp4?"
  }
}

Notes & Troubleshooting

• Use Case: This actor is for metadata extraction and analysis only; it does not download video files.
• Data Source: For best results, use videos from public profiles, pages, or groups. The author field may be missing for private or certain shared content.
• Output Links: The download_links object provides URLs where the video could be accessed, but downloading via these links may require additional handling and is subject to Facebook's access controls.