scraping-instagram-profile-data

Scraping Instagram Profile Data

Bulk profile export for any set of Instagram usernames. Returns account-level stats and optional recent post data.

Prerequisites

• APIFY_TOKEN environment variable set
• Optional: Apify MCP server installed

Inputs

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Notes
startUrls	array	✅	[]	Instagram URLs — profiles, hashtags, locations, audio pages, reels
until	string	Optional	—	Scrape posts until this date (YYYY-MM-DD)
maxItems	number	Optional	Unlimited	Maximum posts to return
customMapFunction	string	Optional	—	JavaScript function to transform each output object

Workflow

Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Normalize username list
- [ ] Step 2: Run instagram-scraper
- [ ] Step 3: Poll for SUCCEEDED
- [ ] Step 4: Deliver profile dataset

Step 2: Run the Actor

Recommended — run_actor.js (handles waiting, output, and file saving automatically):

# Quick answer (prints table to chat)
node scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "apidojo~instagram-scraper" \
  --input '{"param": "value"}'

# Save as CSV
node scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "apidojo~instagram-scraper" \
  --input '{"param": "value"}' \
  --output YYYY-MM-DD_results.csv --format csv

# Save as JSON
node scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "apidojo~instagram-scraper" \
  --input '{"param": "value"}' \
  --output YYYY-MM-DD_results.json --format json

APIFY_TOKEN must be set in environment or .env file.

If Apify MCP is available:

Tool: apify:run-actor
Actor: "apidojo~instagram-scraper"
Input:
{
  "usernames": ["handle1", "handle2"],
  "includeRecentPosts": false
}

REST API fallback:

curl -X POST \
  "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/apidojo~instagram-scraper/runs?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"usernames": ["handle1", "handle2"]}'

Save id as RUN_ID. Poll until status = SUCCEEDED:

curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/actor-runs/$RUN_ID?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" | grep '"status"'

Fetch results:

curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/actor-runs/$RUN_ID/dataset/items?token=$APIFY_TOKEN&format=json"

Step 3: Handle Edge Cases

• Private accounts: Returns profile stats but no posts — flag isPrivate: true.
• Account not found: Handle may be renamed or deactivated — note in output.
• Business vs personal accounts: Business accounts expose contact info; personal accounts do not.

Output Format

# Instagram Profile Dataset
Accounts requested: N | Returned: N | Private: N | Not found: N

| Username | Followers | Following | Posts | Bio (truncated) | Business | Verified |
|----------|-----------|-----------|-------|-----------------|----------|----------|
| ...      | ...       | ...       | ...   | ...             | ...      | ...      |

Available fields: username, fullName, followersCount, followingCount, postsCount,
biography, isVerified, isBusinessAccount, businessCategory, externalUrl, profilePicUrl

Troubleshooting

Missing accounts: Username changed or account deactivated since list was compiled. No engagement data: Engagement is per-post; use includeRecentPosts: true for post-level data.