# Instagram Followers Scraper (`thenetaji/instagram-followers-scraper`) Actor

Export the complete follower list of one or more public Instagram accounts. Resume large accounts with a saved cursor and optionally enrich every follower with a full public profile.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/thenetaji/instagram-followers-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [The Netaji](https://apify.com/thenetaji) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Lead generation, Automation
- **Stats:** 271 total users, 0 monthly users, 75.0% runs succeeded, 7 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

Pay per event

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#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

## Instagram Followers Scraper

The Actor collects the accounts that follow one or more public Instagram accounts and returns them as structured records. It is the followers-only counterpart to [Instagram Followers & Followings Scraper](https://apify.com/thenetaji/instagram-followers-followings-scraper): the direction is fixed, so there is no `type` field to set, and no run can be misconfigured to fetch the wrong list.

### Accepted input

| Field | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `username` | array of strings | — | Required. Usernames or profile URLs. |
| `maxItem` | integer | `100` | Maximum followers saved per seed. `0` removes the limit. |
| `enrichProfile` | boolean | `false` | Fetches the full profile for every follower returned. |
| `fullProfileDetails` | boolean | `false` | Extends enrichment to the complete profile payload. |
| `resumeCursor` | string | — | Continues a previous run from where it stopped. |

```json
{
  "username": ["nasa"],
  "maxItem": 500,
  "enrichProfile": false
}
```

`maxItem` applies to each account in `username` independently rather than as a shared total. Three usernames with `maxItem` at 500 can therefore return up to 1,500 records.

### Response fields

One record per follower.

| Field | Contents |
|---|---|
| `username` | Follower's username |
| `full_name` | Display name |
| `id` | Instagram user ID |
| `is_private` | Whether the follower's account is private |
| `is_verified` | Whether the follower's account is verified |
| `profile_pic_url` | Profile image URL |
| `source_username` | The account whose followers list this record came from |
| `enriched` | Whether the full profile was fetched |

```json
{
  "username": "esa",
  "full_name": "European Space Agency",
  "is_verified": true,
  "is_private": false,
  "source_username": "nasa",
  "enriched": false
}
```

`source_username` matters when several seeds are supplied in one run, since the lists are written to a single dataset and would otherwise be indistinguishable.

### Resuming an interrupted run

Followers paginate through an end cursor upstream, normalised here to a flat output. `resumeCursor` accepts a cursor from a previous run and applies it to the **first** username's first page only. It exists to continue a single interrupted stream, not to offset a multi-account run; supplying it alongside several usernames affects only the first, and the rest start from the beginning.

### Behaviour on partial results

Collection ends when the upstream reports no further pages, returns an empty page, or `maxItem` is reached.

Enrichment is applied in batches as pages arrive, so records are written progressively rather than after the whole list is gathered. A profile that fails to enrich is skipped rather than aborting the run.

### Frequently asked questions

**Can the followers of a private account be collected?**
No. Only public accounts expose this list. A private account returns nothing — this reads Instagram's public surface with no logged-in session, and a private account has no such surface.

**Why did a large account return fewer followers than it has?**
Instagram serves this list in bounded pages and stops well short of a complete roster for accounts with large followings. An account with several million followers will not return several million records. What comes back is a substantial sample in Instagram's own ordering, not a census.

**How is this different from Instagram Followers & Followings Scraper?**
Same underlying pagination and output; the direction is fixed to followers instead of being a `type` input. There is no field to set incorrectly, and the Store description and input form stay focused on the one task.

**Does `maxItem` limit the run or each account?**
Each account. It is a per-seed cap rather than a shared total, so the maximum records a run can produce is `maxItem` multiplied by the number of usernames.

**What does `enrichProfile` cost?**
One additional request and one additional billed event per follower returned. On a 1,000-follower run that is 1,000 extra requests, which usually dominates the cost. Collecting the list first and enriching a chosen subset afterwards through [Instagram User Info Scraper](https://apify.com/thenetaji/instagram-user-info-scraper) is generally cheaper.

**How is `resumeCursor` obtained?**
From the pagination state of a previous interrupted run. It applies only to the first username, so it is suited to continuing one stream rather than resuming a multi-account job.

### Related Actors

| Actor | Purpose |
|---|---|
| [Instagram Following Scraper](https://apify.com/thenetaji/instagram-following-scraper) | The same collection for the accounts a seed follows |
| [Instagram Followers & Followings Scraper](https://apify.com/thenetaji/instagram-followers-followings-scraper) | Both directions in a single run, selected per run |
| [Instagram User Info Scraper](https://apify.com/thenetaji/instagram-user-info-scraper) | Full profile details for accounts already collected |
| [Instagram Related Users Scraper](https://apify.com/thenetaji/instagram-related-user-scraper) | Accounts Instagram suggests alongside a seed |

# Actor input Schema

## `username` (type: `array`):

Instagram usernames to scrape

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

Choose whether to scrape followers or followings

## `enrichProfile` (type: `boolean`):

Fetch full profile details for each user (slower, costs more)

## `fullProfileDetails` (type: `boolean`):

Off by default, which returns follower/following counts, biography, bio links and core identity — the fields most runs need, at a fraction of the cost. Turn on to also collect post previews, media count, business category and contact fields. Note that Instagram's full-profile source is currently broken for a sizeable minority of accounts; for those, turning this on costs more and still returns the reduced set.

## `maxItem` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of items to scrape (0 = unlimited)

## `resumeCursor` (type: `string`):

Optional: paste the cursor from a previous run's logs (look for '📍 RESUME CURSOR') to continue where you left off.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "username": [
    "natgeo"
  ],
  "type": "followers",
  "enrichProfile": false,
  "fullProfileDetails": false,
  "maxItem": 100
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `dataset` (type: `string`):

Dataset containing all scraped data

# 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 = {
    "username": [
        "natgeo"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("thenetaji/instagram-followers-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 = { "username": ["natgeo"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("thenetaji/instagram-followers-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "username": [
    "natgeo"
  ]
}' |
apify call thenetaji/instagram-followers-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=thenetaji/instagram-followers-scraper",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/9438cElOFtx9H9H2l/builds/P8hHrqO3veNPSixUJ/openapi.json