# Scrapeclaw - Instagram Scraper (`scrapeclaw/scrapeclaw---instagram-scraper`) Actor

Part of ScrapeClaw (https://scrapeclaw.cc/) — a suite of production-ready, agentic social media scrapers for Instagram, YouTube, X/Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook. Built with Python & Playwright. No API keys required.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/scrapeclaw/scrapeclaw---instagram-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Scrapeclaw](https://apify.com/scrapeclaw) (community)
- **Categories:** AI, Lead generation, Social media
- **Stats:** 5 total users, 0 monthly users, 0.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.00 / actor start

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## 📸 Instagram Profile Scraper

> Part of **[ScrapeClaw](https://www.scrapeclaw.cc/)** — a suite of production-ready, agentic social media scrapers for Instagram, YouTube, X/Twitter, and Facebook. Built with Python & Playwright. No API keys required.

[![ScrapeClaw](https://img.shields.io/badge/ScrapeClaw-Visit%20Site-blue?style=flat-square)](https://www.scrapeclaw.cc/)
[![ClawHub](https://img.shields.io/badge/ClawHub-View%20Skill-green?style=flat-square)](https://clawhub.ai/ArulmozhiV/instagram-scraper)
[![Buy Me a Coffee](https://img.shields.io/badge/Buy%20Me%20a%20Coffee-PayPal-yellow?style=flat-square\&logo=paypal)](https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/arulmozhivelu)

***

### What Is This?

A browser-based Instagram scraper that discovers and extracts structured data from **public Instagram profiles** — without any official API. It uses Playwright for full browser automation with built-in anti-detection, fingerprinting, and human behavior simulation to scrape at scale reliably.

Two-phase workflow:

1. **Discovery** — Find Instagram profiles by location and category via Google Custom Search
2. **Scraping** — Extract full profile data, stats, posts, and media using a real browser session

***

### Features

| Feature | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| 🔍 **Discovery** | Find profiles by city and category automatically |
| 🌐 **Browser Simulation** | Full Playwright browser — renders JavaScript, handles logins |
| 🛡️ **Anti-Detection** | Browser fingerprinting, stealth scripts, human behavior simulation |
| 📊 **Rich Data** | Profile info, follower counts, bios, posts, engagement stats |
| 🖼️ **Media Download** | Profile pics and content thumbnails saved locally |
| 💾 **Flexible Export** | JSON and CSV output formats |
| 🔄 **Resume Support** | Checkpoint-based resume for interrupted sessions |
| ⚡ **Smart Filtering** | Auto-skip private accounts, low-follower profiles, empty accounts |
| 🔁 **Session Reuse** | Saves login state to skip re-login on subsequent runs |
| 🌍 **Residential Proxy** | Built-in proxy manager supporting 4 major providers |

***

### Installation

```bash
## Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/Scrapeclaw/instagram-scraper.git
cd instagram-scraper

## Install Python dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

## Install Playwright browsers
playwright install chromium
```

#### Environment Setup

Create a `.env` file in the project root:

```env
## Instagram credentials (required)
INSTAGRAM_USERNAME=your_username
INSTAGRAM_PASSWORD=your_password

## Google Custom Search API (optional, for discovery)
GOOGLE_API_KEY=your_google_api_key
GOOGLE_SEARCH_ENGINE_ID=your_search_engine_id

## Residential proxy (optional — see Proxy section below)
PROXY_ENABLED=false
PROXY_PROVIDER=brightdata
PROXY_USERNAME=your_proxy_user
PROXY_PASSWORD=your_proxy_pass
PROXY_COUNTRY=us
PROXY_STICKY=true
```

***

### Usage

#### Discover Profiles

```bash
## Discover fashion influencers in Miami
python main.py discover --location "Miami" --category "fashion"

## Discover fitness influencers in New York
python main.py discover --location "New York" --category "fitness"

## Return JSON output (for agent integration)
python main.py discover --location "Miami" --category "fitness" --output json
```

#### Scrape

```bash
## Scrape a single profile by username
python main.py scrape --username influencer123

## Scrape from a discovery queue file
python main.py scrape data/queue/Miami_fashion_20260220.json

## Run headless
python main.py scrape --username influencer123 --headless
```

#### Manage & Export

```bash
## List available queue files
python main.py list

## Export all scraped data to JSON + CSV
python main.py export --format both
```

***

### Output Data

Each scraped profile is saved to `data/output/{username}.json`:

```json
{
  "username": "example_user",
  "full_name": "Example User",
  "bio": "Fashion blogger | NYC",
  "followers": 125000,
  "following": 1500,
  "posts_count": 450,
  "is_verified": false,
  "is_private": false,
  "influencer_tier": "mid",
  "category": "fashion",
  "location": "New York",
  "profile_pic_local": "thumbnails/example_user/profile_abc123.jpg",
  "content_thumbnails": [
    "thumbnails/example_user/content_1_def456.jpg",
    "thumbnails/example_user/content_2_ghi789.jpg"
  ],
  "post_engagement": [
    {"post_url": "https://instagram.com/p/ABC123/", "likes": 5420, "comments": 89}
  ],
  "scrape_timestamp": "2026-02-20T14:30:00"
}
```

#### Influencer Tiers

| Tier | Followers |
|------|-----------|
| nano | < 1,000 |
| micro | 1,000 – 10,000 |
| mid | 10,000 – 100,000 |
| macro | 100,000 – 1M |
| mega | > 1,000,000 |

***

### Configuration Reference

Edit `config/scraper_config.json` to customise behaviour:

```json
{
  "proxy": {
    "enabled": false,
    "provider": "brightdata",
    "country": "",
    "sticky": true,
    "sticky_ttl_minutes": 10
  },
  "google_search": {
    "enabled": true,
    "api_key": "",
    "search_engine_id": "",
    "queries_per_location": 3
  },
  "scraper": {
    "headless": false,
    "min_followers": 1000,
    "download_thumbnails": true,
    "max_thumbnails": 6,
    "delay_between_profiles": [5, 10],
    "timeout": 60000
  }
}
```

***

### Project Structure

```
instagram-scraper/
├── main.py               # CLI entry point
├── scraper.py            # Playwright browser scraper
├── discovery.py          # Google-based profile discovery
├── anti_detection.py     # Fingerprinting & stealth
├── proxy_manager.py      # Residential proxy integration
├── config/
│   └── scraper_config.json
├── data/
│   ├── output/           # Scraped JSON files
│   ├── queue/            # Discovery queue files
│   └── browser_fingerprints.json
└── thumbnails/           # Downloaded profile & content images
```

***

### Part of ScrapeClaw

This scraper is one of several tools in the **[ScrapeClaw](https://www.scrapeclaw.cc/)** collection:

| Scraper | Description | Links |
|---------|-------------|-------|
| 📸 **Instagram** | Profiles, posts, media & follower counts | [GitHub](https://github.com/Scrapeclaw/instagram-scraper) · [ClawHub](https://clawhub.ai/ArulmozhiV/instagram-scraper) |
| 📘 **Facebook** | Pages, groups, posts & engagement data | [GitHub](https://github.com/Scrapeclaw/facebook-scraper) · [ClawHub](https://clawhub.ai/ArulmozhiV/facebook-scraper) |
| 🎥 **YouTube** | Channels, subscribers & video metadata | [GitHub](https://github.com/Scrapeclaw/youtube-scrapper) · [ClawHub](https://clawhub.ai/ArulmozhiV/youtube-scrapper) |
| 🐦 **X / Twitter** | Tweets, profiles & engagement metrics | [GitHub](https://github.com/Scrapeclaw/twitter-scraper) · [ClawHub](https://clawhub.ai/ArulmozhiV/x-twitter-scraper) |

All scrapers share the same anti-detection foundation, proxy support, and JSON/CSV export pipeline.

***

### 🚀 ScrapeClaw Customised Solutions

> **We build, you own.** No per-credit fees. Stop renting data — own your entire scraping infrastructure.

ScrapeClaw offers two commercial offerings for teams and businesses that need more than open-source:

#### 📦 Tailored Datasets

Get pre-scraped or on-demand datasets built around your exact industry, platform, or niche — delivered ready for analysis.

- Industry-specific social media datasets on demand
- Custom extraction logic ("Skills") for your use case
- One-time delivery or recurring data feeds
- Output in CSV, JSON, or direct database delivery

👉 [**Request a Dataset →**](https://www.scrapeclaw.cc/)

#### 🏗️ Private Infrastructure Setup ★ High Value

We deploy a turnkey ScrapeClaw system on your own servers — you own 100% of the infrastructure and the data.

- 🔒 **Privacy & Compliance** — data never leaves your network, ideal for FinTech & Health
- 🤖 **Self-Healing Agents** — AI-powered scrapers that adapt when sites change
- 💸 **Slash API Costs** — stop paying $1–5 per 1K requests; scrape 1M rows at flat infra cost
- Includes **1 month of managed maintenance & support**

👉 [**Book a Strategy Call →**](https://www.scrapeclaw.cc/)

***

### ☕ Support This Project

If this tool saves you time or helps your workflow, consider buying me a coffee — it keeps the project maintained and new scrapers coming!

[![Buy Me a Coffee via PayPal](https://img.shields.io/badge/☕%20Buy%20Me%20a%20Coffee-PayPal-blue?style=for-the-badge\&logo=paypal)](https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/arulmozhivelu)

👉 **[paypal.me/arulmozhivelu](https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/arulmozhivelu)**

***

### Disclaimer

This tool is intended for scraping **publicly available** data only. Always comply with Instagram's Terms of Service and your local data privacy regulations. The author is not responsible for any misuse.

***

*Built by [ScrapeClaw](https://www.scrapeclaw.cc/) · [View all scrapers](https://www.scrapeclaw.cc/#scrapers)*

# Actor input Schema

## `mode` (type: `string`):

full = discover usernames then scrape them; discovery\_only = only find usernames; scrape\_profiles = scrape the profileUsernames list directly.

## `instagramUsername` (type: `string`):

Instagram account username used to log in. Required for scraping.

## `instagramPassword` (type: `string`):

Instagram account password. Stored securely as a secret.

## `categories` (type: `array`):

Content categories to discover (fashion, beauty, fitness, food, travel, tech, etc.).

## `locations` (type: `array`):

Cities or regions to search within.

## `profileUsernames` (type: `array`):

List of Instagram usernames to scrape directly. Used when mode = scrape\_profiles.

## `maxProfiles` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of profiles to scrape (0 = unlimited).

## `minFollowers` (type: `integer`):

Skip profiles with fewer followers than this value (0 = no filter).

## `downloadThumbnails` (type: `boolean`):

If enabled, profile pictures and content thumbnails are stored in the actor's Key-Value store.

## `maxThumbnailsPerProfile` (type: `integer`):

Number of content post thumbnails to download per profile.

## `googleApiKey` (type: `string`):

Google API key for Custom Search. If not set, DuckDuckGo is used as fallback.

## `googleSearchEngineId` (type: `string`):

Google Custom Search Engine ID (cx). Required only if googleApiKey is set.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Apify proxy settings. Residential proxies recommended for Instagram.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "mode": "full",
  "categories": [
    "fashion",
    "beauty",
    "fitness",
    "food",
    "travel",
    "lifestyle"
  ],
  "locations": [
    "New York",
    "Los Angeles",
    "Miami",
    "Chicago",
    "San Francisco"
  ],
  "profileUsernames": [
    "natgeo",
    "leomessi",
    "cristiano"
  ],
  "maxProfiles": 50,
  "minFollowers": 1000,
  "downloadThumbnails": false,
  "maxThumbnailsPerProfile": 6,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  }
}
```

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true,
        "apifyProxyGroups": [
            "RESIDENTIAL"
        ]
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("scrapeclaw/scrapeclaw---instagram-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": True,
        "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"],
    } }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("scrapeclaw/scrapeclaw---instagram-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  }
}' |
apify call scrapeclaw/scrapeclaw---instagram-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,scrapeclaw/scrapeclaw---instagram-scraper"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/CaTWuPNG9rGheI1Hw/builds/MYQRbauXN1eXwhv7M/openapi.json