# Facebook Hashtag Scraper 🏷️ (`scraper-engine/facebook-hashtag-scraper`) Actor

🏷️ Facebook Hashtag Scraper pulls relevant hashtag data from Facebook for faster trend research and content planning. 📈 Boost reach, discover audience interests, and optimize campaigns—perfect for marketers, creators, and analysts.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/scraper-engine/facebook-hashtag-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Scraper Engine](https://apify.com/scraper-engine) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, SEO tools, Lead generation
- **Stats:** 1 total users, 0 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $4.99 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.

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

## 🏷️ Facebook Hashtag Scraper

Collect **public Facebook posts by hashtag** — fast, structured, and ready to export.
Feed in one or more hashtags (bulk supported), and the Actor streams clean records
(post text, media type, likes, comments, shares, total engagement, video views, date,
and a direct link) straight into your dataset in **real time**.

### ⭐ Why Choose This Actor?

- **Bulk hashtags** — scrape many hashtags / search terms in a single run.
- **Real-time output** — every post is saved the moment it's found, so a long run never loses data.
- **Smart connection** — starts on a direct connection and automatically upgrades to datacenter then residential proxies only if Facebook pushes back.
- **Clean, engagement-rich data** — likes, comments, shares, total engagement and video views per post.
- **Two ready-made table views** — a posts overview and an engagement breakdown.

### ✨ Key Features

| Feature | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| 🏷️ Bulk hashtags | Pass a list of hashtags / search terms |
| 🎯 Max posts | Cap how many posts to collect per hashtag |
| 🔁 Auto pagination | Pages through results until the cap or end is reached |
| 🌐 Proxy escalation | Direct → Datacenter → Residential (sticky), residential retried up to 3× |
| 💾 Live saving | Results pushed per post, not at the end |
| 📊 Table views | Posts Overview + Engagement Breakdown |

### 📥 Input

| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|-------|------|----------|-------------|
| `hashtags` | array | ✅ | Hashtags / search terms (the leading `#` is optional) |
| `maxItems` | integer | — | Max posts per hashtag (default 50) |
| `c_user` | string | ✅ | Your Facebook `c_user` cookie |
| `xs` | string | ✅ | Your Facebook `xs` cookie |
| `proxyConfiguration` | object | — | Apify proxy settings |

#### Example input

```json
{
  "hashtags": ["#nyc", "#travel"],
  "maxItems": 50,
  "c_user": "100000000000000",
  "xs": "your-xs-cookie-value",
  "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true }
}
```

> 🔑 **Where do the cookies come from?** Log into Facebook in your browser, open DevTools →
> Application → Cookies → `https://www.facebook.com`, and copy the values of `c_user` and `xs`.
> These identify a logged-in session so Facebook returns full public search results. Refresh
> them when they expire.

### 📤 Output

Each post is one dataset record:

```json
{
  "hashtag": "#nyc",
  "permalink": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/1375957764375375/",
  "content": "Episode 728: I think all drinks should be fizzy!! #subwaytakes #nyc",
  "media_type": "video",
  "like_count": 989,
  "comment_count": 64,
  "share_count": 26,
  "total_engagement": 1079,
  "video_views_count": 0,
  "date": "2026-06-17 16:57:35",
  "success": true
}
```

| Field | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| `hashtag` | The hashtag / search term this post came from |
| `permalink` | Direct link to the post |
| `content` | Post text |
| `media_type` | `video`, `photo`, `album`, `link`, or `text` |
| `like_count` / `comment_count` / `share_count` | Engagement counts |
| `total_engagement` | likes + comments + shares |
| `video_views_count` | Video view count (when available) |
| `date` | Post creation time (UTC) |

### 🚀 How to Use (Apify Console)

1. Log in at [console.apify.com](https://console.apify.com) → **Actors**.
2. Open **Facebook Hashtag Scraper**.
3. Add your hashtags, set **Max posts per hashtag**, and paste your `c_user` + `xs` cookies.
4. Pick a proxy (default Apify proxy is fine).
5. Click **Start** and watch the log fill up in real time. 🎉
6. Open the **Output** tab — switch between **Posts Overview** and **Engagement Breakdown**.
7. Export to JSON / CSV / XLSX.

### 🤖 Use via API

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/%3CACTOR_ID%3E/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{"hashtags":["#nyc"],"maxItems":50,"c_user":"...","xs":"..."}'
```

### 💡 Best Use Cases

- Social listening & trend tracking for a hashtag
- Competitor / campaign monitoring
- Content research and inspiration
- Engagement benchmarking across hashtags

### 💳 Pricing

This Actor uses a **pay-per-event** model. You are charged per **post scraped**
(`post-scraped`). You only pay for the data you actually receive.

### ❓ FAQ

**Do I need cookies?** Yes — Facebook only returns full public search results to a
logged-in session. Provide your own `c_user` and `xs`.

**Why did a run stop early?** Either the hashtag has no more posts, or your cookies
expired. Refresh them and re-run.

**Is a proxy required?** No. The Actor starts direct and only escalates to proxies if
Facebook blocks the request.

### ⚖️ Legal & Compliance

This Actor collects only **publicly available** data. You are responsible for complying
with Facebook's Terms of Service and applicable laws (GDPR, CCPA, etc.). Do not scrape
private or non-public content.

### 🛟 Support

Found a bug or want a new field? Open an issue on the Actor's **Issues** tab.

# Actor input Schema

## `hashtags` (type: `array`):

One or more hashtags or search terms to scrape (bulk supported). Example: #nyc, #travel, #foodie. The leading # is optional.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

How many posts to collect for each hashtag before stopping.

## `c_user` (type: `string`):

The `c_user` value from your logged-in Facebook cookies. Required to access public search results.

## `xs` (type: `string`):

The `xs` value from your logged-in Facebook cookies. Required together with c\_user. Refresh these when they expire.

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

The scraper starts with a direct connection (no proxy). If Facebook blocks it, it automatically escalates to a datacenter proxy, then a residential proxy. Configure your preferred Apify proxy here.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "hashtags": [
    "#nyc"
  ],
  "maxItems": 10,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}
```

# 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 = {
    "hashtags": [
        "#nyc"
    ],
    "maxItems": 10,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("scraper-engine/facebook-hashtag-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 = {
    "hashtags": ["#nyc"],
    "maxItems": 10,
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": True },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("scraper-engine/facebook-hashtag-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 '{
  "hashtags": [
    "#nyc"
  ],
  "maxItems": 10,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}' |
apify call scraper-engine/facebook-hashtag-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,scraper-engine/facebook-hashtag-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/EbEPJKy9wsAZYkgOO/builds/yr9mVUirg29GqdrGs/openapi.json