Scraping Instagram Posts by Hashtag

Raw Instagram post dataset for any hashtag. Returns post-level metadata including engagement and author info.

Prerequisites

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

Inputs

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Notes
startUrls	array	Optional	[]	Instagram hashtag search URLs
keyword	string	Optional	—	Hashtag keyword to search (e.g. fitness)
getReels	boolean	Optional	false	Include Reels in results
getPosts	boolean	Optional	true	Include regular posts in results
until	string	Optional	—	Date filter (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 hashtag input
- [ ] Step 2: Run instagram-scraper
- [ ] Step 3: Poll for SUCCEEDED
- [ ] Step 4: Deliver post 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-hashtag-scraper" \
  --input '{"param": "value"}'

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

# Save as JSON
node scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "apidojo~instagram-hashtag-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-hashtag-scraper"
Input:
{
  "keywords": ["tag1", "tag2"],
  "maxItems": 100,
  "mediaType": "all"
}

REST API fallback:

curl -X POST \
  "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/apidojo~instagram-hashtag-scraper/runs?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"keywords": ["tag1"], "maxItems": 100}'

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

• Banned hashtag: Instagram hides some hashtags — returns 0. Try parent category.
• Only top posts returned: Instagram limits hashtag feeds; very popular tags may return only top posts.
• Private account posts: Post metadata visible but media URL may be restricted.

Output Format

# Instagram Post Dataset: #<hashtag>
Posts collected: N | Media type: all/image/video

| Post ID | Author | Caption (truncated) | Likes | Comments | Type | Timestamp |
|---------|--------|---------------------|-------|----------|------|-----------|
| ...     | ...    | ...                 | ...   | ...      | ...  | ...       |

Available fields: id, ownerUsername, caption, likesCount, commentsCount, type,
timestamp, url, mediaUrl, hashtags, mentions

Troubleshooting

0 results: Hashtag may be banned or restricted by Instagram. Rate limiting: Keep maxItems ≤ 200 per run; space runs 5 minutes apart.