Developer tutorial
How to scrape Instagram comments with cURL (2026)
This tutorial shows how to scrape Instagram comments in cURL using the SocialCrawl API. You get each comment's text, author, like count, timestamp, and reply count for a given post URL, with cursor pagination from one GET request, with no Instagram developer account, proxies, or HTML parsing. The code below is runnable as-is, and the response underneath it is a real, unedited call.
Code tested July 2026
How it works
- 1Get a free API keyCreate a SocialCrawl account and copy your API key from the dashboard. Every new account starts with free credits.
- 2Set up cURLUse curl, which ships with macOS, Linux, and Windows 10 and later.
- 3Call the Instagram Post Comments endpointSend a GET request to /v1/instagram/post/comments with your API key in the x-api-key header and the `url` parameter.
- 4Read the responseParse the JSON. SocialCrawl returns each comment's text, author, like count, timestamp, and reply count for a given post URL, with cursor pagination in one normalized schema, so you write no HTML parsing or proxy code.
The code
A real, unedited response from the request above.
curl -G "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/instagram/post/comments" \
-H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
--data-urlencode "url=https://www.instagram.com/p/DXidPIVDU6M/"[ RESPONSE ]
{
"success": true,
"platform": "instagram",
"endpoint": "/v1/instagram/post/comments",
"data": {
"items": [
{
"comment": {
"id": "18117485308668753",
"url": null,
"parent_id": null,
"post_id": null,
"text": "Tons of Anarchy",
"author": {
"username": "jarredsj26",
"display_name": null,
"avatar_url": "https://scontent-mad2-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-19/687186353_18588797374033702_3901722029751450674_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e0_s150x150_tt6&_nc_cat=104&ig_cache_key=GLGh9Sgm70eoaQpCADK8pouDsyU2bmNDAQAB1501500j-ccb7-5&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=669407&efg=eyJ2ZW5jb2RlX3RhZyI6InByb2ZpbGVfcGljLnd3dy4xMDgwLkMzIn0%3D&_nc_ohc=ls2w_0CyrAYQ7kNvwG4h8s4&_nc_oc=AdozgAd59OMY9RC2nwTdXLSGNI-Voyv-tGKPX_T7JpBw2tBcGTyvFPTMQ8YWWldPPWg&_nc_ad=z-m&_nc_cid=0&_nc_zt=24&_nc_ht=scontent-mad2-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_gid=psQMb0zYldpmJHjks4TXtg&_nc_ss=783ba&oh=00_AQAo_e5sNdsrSJOwtePDWzvQrrs5koY2FWVjkl5g0cDHIA&oe=6A634198",
"verified": false
},
"engagement": {
"likes": 39181,
"replies": 112
},
"flags": {
"pinned": null,
"deleted": false
},
"published_at": "2026-05-02T19:24:27.000Z"
}
},
{
"comment": {
"id": "18046487261746100",
"url": null,
"parent_id": null,
"post_id": null,
"text": "That bike wasn’t originally that color it just can’t breathe",
"author": {
"username": "scotthilliard82",
"display_name": null,
"avatar_url": "https://scontent-mad1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-19/627516221_17977973213970637_4902965198421977432_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e0_s150x150_tt6&_nc_cat=106&ig_cache_key=GD0jZyXNQDMT394-AFhpC-be1ApEbmNDAQAB1501500j-ccb7-5&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=669407&efg=eyJ2ZW5jb2RlX3RhZyI6InByb2ZpbGVfcGljLnd3dy4xMDgwLkMzIn0%3D&_nc_ohc=DCDLSFjamsEQ7kNvwGmULdo&_nc_oc=AdodTsudedtmxWFuIToJITn--pW9UrcN4wnvVAMdLo0gr2XA4lcMgxG32_bq0HDdHQM&_nc_ad=z-m&_nc_cid=0&_nc_zt=24&_nc_ht=scontent-mad1-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_gid=psQMb0zYldpmJHjks4TXtg&_nc_ss=783ba&oh=00_AQD5iVBxq71OBhR4ApsldTLxYEtPljqajycLU6lmLed3Vg&oe=6A63519A",
"verified": false
},
"engagement": {
"likes": 25398,
"replies": 48
},
"flags": {
"pinned": null,
"deleted": false
},
"published_at": "2026-04-25T05:29:20.000Z"
}
}
],
"next_cursor": "{\"cached_comments_cursor\":\"18050174852518170\",\"bifilter_token\":\"GgYYgQEA0bljp4upQABR6wvEwV1AALQTrj4vHUAA9LykotgtQADmxENlpKc_AP47nyoXUEAAJOwsUDzvPwAGynjb_5Q_AOEblJVHfz8ATuhF3MjJPwA6etk2olVAAHQSzZQeU0AAsAjaR3hHQABkcN70XtE_AHAGbDq6CEIA-5JhUs8vQAAA\"}",
"total": 3262,
"dropped": 0
},
"credits_used": 5,
"credits_remaining": 9999,
"request_id": "req_example000000",
"cached": false,
"pagination": {
"next_cursor": "sc.eyJ2IjoyLCJjIjoie1wiY2FjaGVkX2NvbW1lbnRzX2N1cnNvclwiOlwiMTgwNTAxNzQ4NTI1MTgxNzBcIixcImJpZmlsdGVyX3Rva2VuXCI6XCJHZ1lZZ1FFQTBibGpwNHVwUUFCUjZ3dkV3VjFBQUxRVHJqNHZIVUFBOUx5a290Z3RRQURteEVObHBLY19BUDQ3bnlvWFVFQUFKT3dzVUR6dlB3QUd5bmpiXzVRX0FPRWJsSlZIZno4QVR1aEYzTWpKUHdBNmV0azJvbFZBQUhRU3paUWVVMEFBc0FqYVIzaEhRQUJrY043MFh0RV9BSEFHYkRxNkNFSUEtNUpoVXM4dlFBQUFcIn0iLCJwIjoiY3Vyc29yIn0",
"has_more": true,
"page_size": 15
}
}Prefer another language?
FAQ
Have a question? We got answers
Find answers to frequently asked questions about SocialCrawl's API, pricing, and capabilities.
Contact usDo I need a Instagram developer account to scrape Instagram comments?
No. SocialCrawl handles authentication and proxies upstream, so you never register a Instagram app, manage OAuth tokens, or run your own scrapers. One API key returns Instagram data directly.
What does the Instagram Post Comments endpoint return?
It returns each comment's text, author, like count, timestamp, and reply count for a given post URL, with cursor pagination. The response is normalized into SocialCrawl's unified schema, identical in shape across every platform.
How much does it cost to scrape Instagram comments?
Each call costs a small number of credits, and new accounts start with free credits. There are no monthly minimums, so you pay only for the calls you make.
Can I use this cURL code in production?
Yes. The snippet on this page is the real request against the live API. For production, add error handling and follow the response cursor to paginate through large result sets.
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