By 2025, the web scraping remains one of the best ways to quickly collect data on the Internet.
You intend to web scraping on Instagrambut you don't know how it works?
Here is a clear guide to understand how to web scrap on Instagram in 2025.
The different ways to scrap on Instagram
Before going into detail, here is a quick reminder of the web scraping : this is a technique that allowsextract data automatically from a website, including Instagram.
For the scraping on Instagramyou can choose between two methods:
1. Use web scraping tools
If you don't know how to code, don't panic! There are ready-to-use scraping tools who can extract the data you need on Instagram.
These complete, automated solutions allow you to easily collect information online, without any technical skills.
Visit three web scraping tools really effective for extracting data on Instagram:
- 💡 Bright Data
- 🤖 Apify
- 🕷️ ScrapFly
Bright Data
A benchmark in its field, Bright Data provides powerful package of servicesIt is a comprehensive solution that offers advanced proxies, an integrated scraping browser, and specialized APIs.
His Instagram Scraper is a feature designed for simplify data extraction on Instagram (profiles, posts, hashtags), without having to deal with the technical complexities.
For more information, please visit our full review of Bright Data.
Apify
Apify is a platform dedicated to the development andexecution of scrapers. It operates via "actors" (Actors), and pre-built or customized scripts according to your needs.
His Instagram Scraper is also a pre-built solution that you can launch in just a few clicks to collect information on specific Instagram accounts, posts or hashtags.
Visit our review of Apify to find out why it's right for developers and non-developers alike.
ScrapFly
ScrapFly is a Powerful web scraping API Designed to simplify data extraction from any website, including Instagram.
It offers proxy management and blocking bypass features that allow you toextract large-scale dataThis API is particularly appreciated for its efficiency and ease of integration.
ScrapFly has a module specifically designed for Instagram. You can use it to quickly extract Instagram data. without complex configuration.
Want to learn more about these tools? Check out our complete guide to scraping tools.
2. Opt for "home-made" solutions with Python
Do you prefer to have total control over your project? If you have development skills, you can code your own Instagram scraper in Python !
To do this, you'll need to through libraries (or programming frameworks) to help you every step of the way.
Here are the main ones Python libraries used :
- ➡️ BeautifulSoup
This library allows you toanalyze HTML and XML from a web page, including Instagram pages, to easily extract data from them.
BeautifulSoup is easy to handle and works very well for basic analysis tasks.
👉 Visit our article dedicated to the web scraping in Python with BeautifulSoup for more details!
- ➡️ Selenium
This browser automation tool is often used in conjunction with BeautifulSoup.
Selenium allows you to simulate user actions (click, scroll...) on a web page, which is very useful on sites like Instagram that load content dynamically.
👉 We explain it all in our complete guide to the web scraping with Selenium.
- ➡️ Playwright
Developed by Microsoft, Playwright is a a more modern and powerful alternative to Selenium.
This web browser control tool offers advanced functionalities and a best performance for automating your Instagram scraping.
Playwright is increasingly popular with developers for its reliability.
How do you scrap Instagram in 2025?
Scraping Instagram requires a real methodology: a scraping project generally follows several key stages that require technical skills. Here's how it works:
- ✅ Define the objective and target data
Specify what you want to extract from Instagram (e.g., an influencer's number of followers, comments under a post, trending hashtags) and why.
- ✅ Choosing the right tool
Select the approach (scraping tool or Python code) based on your skills, budget, and the scope of your Instagram scraping project.
- ✅ Proxy and anti-blocking configuration
Instagram blocks IP addresses that make too many requests. To avoid this, you need to set up proxies and avoidance techniques.
- ✅ Script/tool execution
Launch your program or tool to extract targeted data on Instagram.
- ✅ Data processing and storage
Once collected, Instagram data needs to be cleaned, organized and stored in a usable format (CSV, JSON, database).
- ✅ Analysis and interpretation
Examine Instagram data to derive actionable insights that meet your initial objective (e.g. identify trends, insights into user behavior).
Why web scraping on Instagram?
With billions of posts and interactions every day, Instagram is a gold mine of data for businesses, researchers, marketers and developers. Scraper Instagram is very useful for :
- 📊 Competitive intelligence & market analysis
➡️ To identify trends, observe popular content and track emerging hashtags.
- 🤝 Influence marketing
➡️ To find influencers, track their performance and measure engagement.
- 📚 Academic or commercial research
➡️ For sociological studies, sentiment analysis, and user behavior.
- 📰 Content aggregation
➡️ To automatically collect public content from Instagram (posts, reels, hashtags, profiles) and centralize it in a single interface.
FAQs
What's the difference between using a scraping tool (like Bright Data or Apify) and coding your own scraper in Python?
Scraping tools are often ready to use, with a graphical interface and customer support. It's the perfect solution if you don't want to code or don't know how to.
Conversely, coding in Python is for you if you want a total control and maximum flexibility for your Instagram project. But of course, this solution requires technical skills.
👉 The right choice depends on your skills and the complexity of your project.
On the budget side, scraping tools are more expensive than coding your own Instagram scraper. However, they do offer greater time savingsbecause everything is already configured.
Can you scrape private data or private accounts on Instagram?
NO. In its terms of use, Instagram prohibits unauthorized access to private data.
Scraping is limited to public data (Instagram accounts, publications or hashtags visible without logging in).
⚠️ It is therefore illegal to scrape private accounts on Instagram, as this exposes you to legal proceedings.
Why is it crucial to use proxies to scrape Instagram?
instagram limits requests by IP. If the same address makes too many requests, it will quickly be blocked.
This is where proxies come in! They allow you to:
- 👉 Running multiple IPs to simulate human traffic
- 👉 Bypass Instagram blocks
- 👉 Avoid being detected as a bot
Proxies are therefore essential for guarantee reliability and durability an Instagram scraper.
Depending on your needs and budget, you can choose between two types of proxies:
- 🌐 Residential : more discreet, but more expensive.
- 🌐 Datacenter : faster, but more detectable.
Is Instagram web scraping legal in 2025?
The legality of scraping remains a gray area on Instagram's side:
✅ Scraping public data is tolerated if you respect the TOU and privacy.
❌ Scraping private or protected data is prohibited and liable to prosecution.
It is therefore essential to act responsibly, transparently and with respect for privacy.
Out-of-the-box solutions or homemade Python scripting, it's not the Instagram scraping methods that are missing.
It's up to you to choose the method that best suits your needs and budget. And if you have any other tools to recommend for scraping Instagram, feel free to share them in the comments!
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