n8n: Pull public Instagram profiles + posts with HTTP Request (no brittle scrapers)

If your n8n Instagram flows keep dying when Instaloader/cookies break, split the problem:

1. Fetch public profile + recent posts as JSON over HTTP
2. Transform into your canonical row (author, caption, timestamp, permalink, media URL)
3. Keep OCR / LLM / storage as separate nodes

Why a hosted public IG API

Meta Graph is great for your Business assets. It will not read arbitrary public competitor profiles. DIY scrapers work until rate limits or layout changes. A pay-per-request public API is often cheaper than Apify actor minutes when you only need profile + posts/comments at 50–200 accounts/week.

Minimal n8n shape

• HTTP Request → RapidAPI Instagram endpoints (profile, posts/Reels, comments, post detail)
• Headers: X-RapidAPI-Key, X-RapidAPI-Host (from the listing playground)
• Map fields → Set / Item Lists → your DB

Free tier (50/mo) is enough to map the schema before you scale to Pro ($14.99) or Ultra ($49.99).

Try it

• Listing: https://rapidapi.com/elijahme2000/api/instagram-scraper-api-real-time-affordable Disclosure: I maintain this API. Public data only — no login, DM, or private content.

What it won’t do

Stories / follower lists / hashtag discovery / DMs — say so upfront; comment with your use case if those matter and we can prioritize.