Scraping Instagram Comments

Raw data collection. No assumed use case — returns the full dataset for downstream analysis.

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Inputs

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Notes
startUrls	array	Optional	[]	Instagram post URLs
postIds	array	Optional	[]	Instagram post IDs
maxItems	number	Optional	Unlimited	Maximum comments to return
customMapFunction	string	Optional	—	JavaScript function to transform each output object

How to Run

Using run_actor.js (recommended)

# Quick answer (table)
node scripts/run_actor.js --actor "apidojo~instagram-comments-scraper" --input '{"startUrls": ["https://www.instagram.com/p/POSTCODE/"], "maxItems": 100}'

# Save as CSV
node scripts/run_actor.js --actor "apidojo~instagram-comments-scraper" --input '{"startUrls": ["https://www.instagram.com/p/POSTCODE/"], "maxItems": 100}' --output results.csv --format csv

# Save as JSON
node scripts/run_actor.js --actor "apidojo~instagram-comments-scraper" --input '{"startUrls": ["https://www.instagram.com/p/POSTCODE/"], "maxItems": 100}' --output results.json --format json

REST API fallback

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/apidojo~instagram-comments-scraper/runs" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"startUrls": ["https://www.instagram.com/p/POSTCODE/"], "maxItems": 100}'

If Apify MCP is available: Use the Apify MCP call_actor tool with actor apidojo~instagram-comments-scraper and the input above.

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Output Fields

Field	Type	Description
postId	string	Parent post ID
type	string	Always comment
id	string	Comment ID
userId	string	Commenter user ID
message	string	Comment text
createdAt	string	Comment timestamp (ISO 8601)
likeCount	number	Likes on comment
replyCount	number	Number of replies
user.id	string	Commenter ID
user.username	string	Commenter @username
user.fullName	string	Commenter full name
user.profilePicUrl	string	Commenter profile picture
isRanked	boolean	Whether comment is ranked/top

Edge Cases

• Private post: Returns 0 results. Tell user the post or account is private.
• Deleted post: Returns error. Verify URL is correct.
• Few comments: Normal — post may genuinely have low engagement.
• Missing fields: Some users may not have fullName or isVerified; handle gracefully.
• Rate limit: Reduce maxItems or run at off-peak time.