How to scrape public Facebook data (no-code)
Apify's Facebook scrapers extract public page data, posts, reviews, and group content from Facebook. Scraping private data or bypassing login restrictions is not supported.
Facebook is a common source for brand monitoring, local business research, and community listening. This guide walks through public-page and public-post scraping on Apify using pre-built Actors, no programming required.
Before you start: compliance and scope
- Public data only. If a visitor without an account (or without joining a group) cannot see it, do not expect scrapers to ethically or safely collect it.
- Terms and law. Meta’s Terms of Service and your local rules still apply. This article is not legal advice; see scraping legality for general context.
- No credential bypass. Actors are not a way to harvest private inboxes, closed groups you do not belong to, or logged-in-only feeds.
Step-by-step: scrape a public Facebook Page
- Open the Store. Browse Facebook scrapers on Apify and pick an Actor that matches your object type (page metadata, posts, comments, ads, or public groups).
- Open the Actor console. Click Try for free (or equivalent) to reach the run screen in the Apify Console.
- Paste inputs. Add one or more public Page URLs (and optional filters such as max posts, date ranges, or language), following the Actor’s input schema.
- Tune run options. Set memory and timeout conservatively on first runs; increase after you see stable success.
- Start the run. Use Start and watch logs for soft blocks; if you see repeated failures, reduce volume and consider residential proxies where the Actor allows them (Apify Proxy).
- Download data. When the run finishes, export the dataset from Storage as JSON, CSV, or Excel.
Data you can extract (public content)
Exact fields depend on the Actor and what Meta exposes without login. Typical public categories:
| Data category | Examples (when publicly visible) | Common Actor focus |
|---|---|---|
| Page profile | Name, category, follower counts, website, address, phone | Pages scraper |
| Posts | Text, time, permalink, reaction totals, comment counts | Posts scraper |
| Comments / threads | Comment text, author display name, timestamps | Comments scraper |
| Reviews | Rating, review text (if shown publicly) | Reviews-oriented Actors |
| Public groups | Posts visible to non-members (if the group allows it) | Groups scraper |
| Ad Library | Creative metadata available in Meta’s Ad Library | Ads Library scrapers |
Anything that requires logging in, friend relationships, or private messaging is out of scope for these tools.
Popular Apify starting points
Use these as examples, and always read the latest input schema on the listing:
- Facebook Pages Scraper: Page-level metadata and post feeds for public Pages.
- Facebook Posts Scraper: Post content and engagement signals for public posts.
- Facebook Comments Scraper: Threads on specific public post URLs.
For the full catalog, use Browse Facebook scrapers →.
Proxies and reliability
Facebook aggressively filters automated traffic. For production or large URL lists:
- Prefer residential proxy groups when the Actor supports them.
- Follow the proxy strategy learning path for rotation, session, and backoff patterns.
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| name | Facebook page name | Example Coffee |
| url | Canonical page URL | https://www.facebook.com/examplecoffee |
| likes | Page likes (if shown) | 128430 |
| followers | Followers (if shown) | 130215 |
| categories | Business categories | Coffee shop |
| posts[].text | Post body text | New seasonal roast is here. |
| posts[].likes | Reaction count snapshot | 842 |
Schemas vary by Actor; this illustrates the shape of page + posts data.
{
"name": "Example Coffee",
"url": "https://www.facebook.com/examplecoffee",
"likes": 128430,
"followers": 130215,
"categories": ["Coffee shop"],
"posts": [
{
"text": "New seasonal roast is here.",
"date": "2025-11-02T15:10:00.000Z",
"likes": 842,
"comments": 56
}
]
}
What you can do with public Facebook data
- Brand monitoring: Track public mentions and page updates for owned and competitor properties.
- Local lead research: Enrich publicly listed hours, phone numbers, and websites for brick-and-mortar chains.
- Market listening: Measure themes and engagement on public posts and comments.
- Ad transparency: Study creatives surfaced in the Ad Library with Ads-focused Actors.
Legality depends on jurisdiction, use case, and Meta’s terms. Apify Actors focus on publicly visible pages and posts, but that is not legal advice. Consult counsel and read our scraping legality overview.
No. These workflows are designed for public data. You should not use scrapers to bypass authentication or access private account areas.
No. If content requires membership or friendship to view, it is outside the scope of responsible public-data scraping.
The Graph API is permissioned and use-case limited. Store Actors can surface many public web representations of Pages and posts, but they do not grant magical API access to restricted endpoints.
The Page or post may not be truly public, Meta may be serving a challenge to the Actor’s IP, or the input URL may be malformed. Retry with fewer URLs, verify visibility in a logged-out browser, and add residential proxies if supported.
Most Facebook Actors bill pay-per-event (a set price per page, post, or comment scraped). Check the Pricing tab on the listing for the exact per-result rate, and remember the free plan includes monthly credits to experiment.
Common mistakes and fixes
Runs fail or return empty results.
Confirm every target URL is publicly visible in a logged-out browser, reduce concurrency, and add residential proxies via Apify Proxy if the Actor supports it.
I need data behind a login.
Apify’s Facebook Actors are intended for public content only. Do not attempt to bypass authentication or scrape non-public data.
