the web scraping It is possible to do this on Instagram, but the platform actively blocks bots. In 2026, there are two approaches that work: using a turnkey solution as Bright Data, Apify Where ScrapFly, or write your own scraper in Python.
This way, you'll get public data : profiles, posts, Reels, comments, or followers.
The different ways to scrap on Instagram
the web scraping is a technique that allows you to’extract data automatically from a website, including Instagram. To scrape Instagram, you have two main approaches: using a turnkey solution, or write your own scraper in Python. The choice depends mainly on your technical level and the scale you're aiming for.
1. Use web scraping tools
If you don't know how to code, don't panic. There are ready-to-use scrapers that retrieve the public data you need from Instagram for you. You can get your data without any technical skills, and it can often be exported directly to CSV or in JSON.
Visit three effective tools To extract data from Instagram:
- Bright Data : the most comprehensive, designed for large-scale use
- Apify : versatile, with scrapers ready to run in the cloud
- ScrapFly : an API that's easy to integrate into your code
Bright Data
An industry leader, Bright Data provides advanced proxies, a built-in scraping browser, and Specialized APIs. Her Instagram Scraper is designed to simplify data extraction: profiles, posts, hashtags, followers, or comments. You provide the URLs of the profiles you want to scrape, and you get a file CSV Where JSON free. A free plan is available to try out the platform.
To learn more, check out our full review of Bright Data.
Apify
Apify is a platform dedicated to’Running scrapers in the cloud. It operates via "actors" (Actors), pre-built scripts or ones you can customize to suit your needs. Its Instagram Scraper Get started in just a few clicks: Enter the URLs of the profiles or hashtags you want to target, collect data on accounts, posts, and Reels, then export everything to CSV Where JSON. A free plan is available to get you started.
Check out our review of Apify to see why it's a good fit for both developers and beginners.
ScrapFly
ScrapFly is a Web scraping API Designed to simplify data extraction from any website, including Instagram. It handles proxies and bypasses blocks in the background. We appreciate how easy it is to integrate into a Python or JavaScript script, without any complex configuration. A free plan lets you test the API before upgrading to a paid subscription.
Check out our A Comprehensive Guide to Web Scraping Tools To learn more.
2. Opt for "home-made" solutions with Python
Do you want a total control on your project? If you have some background in development, you can code your own Instagram scraper in Python. You’ll be building on libraries that help you at every step: queries, page analysis, data extraction, and exporting data to CSV or JSON. Here are the three main ones.
BeautifulSoup
BeautifulSoup allowsparse the HTML from a web page to extract data. It's easy to use and perfect for basic analysis. Here's a simple example of how to parse a retrieved page:
- from bs4 import BeautifulSoup
- soup = BeautifulSoup(html, “html.parser”)
- meta = soup.find(“meta”, property=”og:description”)
Please note: Instagram loads a large portion of its content by JavaScript. BeautifulSoup So doing it alone isn't always enough, which is why the following two tools are useful.
Selenium
Selenium is a browser automation tool, often used in conjunction with BeautifulSoup. It simulates user actions (clicking, scrolling) on the page. This is very useful on Instagram, which loads its posts and profiles dynamically.
Playwright
Developed by Microsoft, Playwright is a a more modern alternative at Selenium. It offers better performance for automating your Instagram scraping and is gaining popularity among developers for its reliability.
How do you scrap Instagram in 2026?
Instagram scraping requires a solid methodology. Whether you use a ready-made tool or your own Python script, a scraping project always follows the same Key Steps. Here's how it works, step by step.
1. Define the objective and the data to be extracted
Start by specifying what you want to extract from Instagram. It could be the number of followers from an influencer, the comments under a post, the list of profiles following an account, or the hashtags trends within a specific topic. Be specific about the type of data you're targeting: scraping Reels, likes, or public profiles requires different setups.
2. Choose the right tool
Either you use a Ready-to-use Instagram scraper as Bright Data Where Apify, or you can write your own Python scraper. For occasional use, a tool is enough. For large-scale, automated scraping, code gives you more control. The choice depends on your skills, your budget, and the scope of the project.
3. Configure proxies and anti-blocking
Instagram blocks the IP addresses that send too many requests in a short period of time: this is what's known as the rate-limiting. Without protection, your scraper will get cut quickly.
The solution is the proxies, which change your IP address with every request. With Bright Data, proxy rotation is handled automatically via the API. In Python, you can include a proxy directly in your request:
- proxies = {‘http’: ‘http://user:pass@ip:port’}
Also add a time interval between each request and one user-agent to avoid being tracked. Depending on your needs and budget, you can choose between two types of proxies:
- Residential : more discreet, but more expensive
- Data Center : faster, but easier to detect
4. Run the script or tool
Run your scraper to collect the targeted data on Instagram. It crawls the public pages, reads HTML or queries an API, and then returns the requested information. Some scrapers use an official or unofficial API, which returns data directly in the specified format JSON. You can also provide a list of’Profile URLs to be processed in batches.
5. Process and store data
Once collected, the data must be cleaned, organized, and stored in a usable format. The most common formats are the CSV (editable in Excel), the JSON or a database. A well-organized CSV file lets you sort and filter your profiles, posts, or comments in just a few seconds.
6. Analyze and interpret the results
Examine your data to draw concrete insights from it. You can identify trends, measure the’commitment a profile or track user behavior related to a hashtag. It is this step that transforms raw data into truly useful insights for your original goal.
Why web scraping on Instagram?
With billions of posts and interactions every day, Instagram is a real treasure trove of public data. Web scraping allows you to collect this data on a large scale for analysis. The same principle applies to other networks as well, such as Facebook Where TikTok. Here are the use cases where scraping Instagram is a real game-changer.
Competitive Intelligence and Market Analysis
You extract the posts, Reels, and hashtags the top performers on a competitor's profile. In practice, you identify trends, posting frequency, and the formats that generate the most likes and feedback. This data helps you quickly adjust your own strategy.
Influencer Marketing
This is the most common business use case. You scrape profiles that use a specific hashtag or post about a given topic. You collect their number of followers, their commitment rate and their public contact information (work email, website). The API or scraper returns this data in JSON format, ready to be filtered.
Academic Research and Data Analysis
Researchers scrape Instagram for their sociological studies or the’sentiment analysis. By collecting thousands of comments and captions using web scrapers, they study user behavior on a large scale. The format JSON Where CSV This then facilitates statistical analysis.
Content Aggregation and Centralization
You can automate the collection of public data (posts, Reels, profiles) to consolidate it into a single interface. This is useful for a brand that wants to monitor its community, or for a media outlet that aggregates trends by hashtag. In any case, you only access public data and you organize them to save a considerable amount of time compared to manual data collection.
FAQs
What's the difference between using a scraping tool (like Bright Data or Apify) and coding your own scraper in Python?
Tools such as Bright Data Where Apify are ready-to-use. You get a graphical user interface, a dedicated API, customer support, and direct export to CSV or JSON. It’s the ideal solution if you don’t want to code. Budget-wise, a turnkey tool costs more than a homemade scraper, but you save a tremendous amount of time since everything is already set up (proxies, IP rotation, block management).
Programming in Python, on the other hand, gives you a total control and maximum flexibility. You choose exactly which data to extract, from which profiles, and in which format. This approach, however, requires real technical skills.
Can you scrape private data or private accounts on Instagram?
No. In its Terms of Use, Instagram prohibits unauthorized access to private data. Data scraping therefore remains limited to public data : Public profiles, posts, Reels, and hashtags are visible without logging in. Scraping a private account exposes you to legal proceedings : To be avoided at all costs.
Why is it crucial to use proxies to scrape Instagram?
instagram limits the number of requests per IP address. If a single IP address sends too many requests in a short period of time, it is quickly blocked. Proxies are used to:
- Rotate multiple IP addresses to simulate a human trafficking
- Bypass the automatic locks from Instagram
- Avoid being detected as a bot
They are therefore essential to ensuring the reliability and durability of your scraper, especially on a large scale.
Is Instagram web scraping legal in 2026?
The legality of scraping remains a gray area. It all depends on the type of data you're retrieving:
- Scrape public data is allowed as long as you comply with the Terms of Service and respect users' privacy
- Scrape private or protected data is prohibited and subject to prosecution
In the United States, the case hiQ v. LinkedIn confirmed in 2022 that scraping public data does not constitute unlawful access within the meaning of the CFAA. Be careful, though: hiQ was ultimately found liable on other grounds in the final ruling. The legal framework therefore primarily protects access to public data, without amounting to a complete green light.
In Europe, the RGPD imposes strict requirements whenever you handle personal data, even if it is public. The guiding principle remains to act in a way that responsible, transparent, and respectful privacy.
Whether it’s a ready-to-use solution or a custom Python script, there’s no shortage of ways to scrape Instagram. It’s up to you to choose the one that best fits your needs and budget. And if you use other effective tools for scraping Instagram, share them in the comments.
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