What You'll Learn
- • Setting up your development environment
- • Installing the required HTTP client
- • Authenticating with the ScrapeCreators API
- • Making requests to Facebook
- • Handling responses and errors
- • Best practices for production use
Extract posts data from Facebook
Learn how to scrape Facebook posts using Kotlin. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the entire process, from setup to implementation.
First, you'll need a ScrapeCreators API key to authenticate your requests.
Sign up at app.scrapecreators.com to get your free API key with 100 requests.
Make sure you have the following installed:
OkHttp is an HTTP client for Kotlin/Java
implementation "com.squareup.okhttp3:okhttp:4.9.3"
Now let's make a request to the Facebook API using Kotlin. Replace YOUR_API_KEY
with your actual API key.
import java.net.http.HttpClient
import java.net.http.HttpRequest
import java.net.http.HttpResponse
import java.net.URI
import java.net.URLEncoder
import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets
class Scraper {
companion object {
private const val API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY"
private const val BASE_URL = "https://api.scrapecreators.com"
private const val ENDPOINT_PATH = "/v1/facebook/profile/posts"
@JvmStatic
fun main(args: Array<String>) {
try {
val result = scrape()
println("Response: $result")
} catch (e: Exception) {
println("Error: ${e.message}")
}
}
fun scrape(): String {
val client = HttpClient.newHttpClient()
// Build query parameters
val params = mapOf(
"url" to "https://www.facebook.com/pacemorby",
"pageId" to "100063669491743",
"cursor" to "Cg8Ob3JnYW5pY19jdXJzb3IJA..."
)
val queryString = params.entries.joinToString("&") { (key, value) ->
"${key}=${URLEncoder.encode(value, StandardCharsets.UTF_8)}"
}
val url = "${BASE_URL}${ENDPOINT_PATH}?${queryString}"
val request = HttpRequest.newBuilder()
.uri(URI.create(url))
.header("x-api-key", API_KEY)
.header("Accept", "application/json")
.GET()
.build()
val response = client.send(request, HttpResponse.BodyHandlers.ofString())
if (response.statusCode() == 200) {
return response.body()
} else {
throw RuntimeException("HTTP ${response.statusCode()}: ${response.body()}")
}
}
}
}
This endpoint accepts the following parameters:
url
Optional(string)Facebook profile URL
Example: https://www.facebook.com/pacemorby
pageId
Optional(string)Facebook profile page id
Example: 100063669491743
cursor
Optional(string)To paginate through the posts
Example: Cg8Ob3JnYW5pY19jdXJzb3IJA...
Execute your script to test the API connection. You should see a JSON response with Facebook posts data.
✅ Success: You should receive a structured JSON response containing the requested data.
Here's an example of the JSON response you'll receive:
{
"success": true,
"posts": [
{
"id": "1204545088344463",
"text": "I've had such a blast doing the No One Left Behind Challenge this year! Join me this Friday Dec 20 @ 5PM MST to learn about next month's challenge! https://subto.sjv.io/3Jk9Py",
"url": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/486651220706068/",
"permalink": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/486651220706068/",
"author": {
"__typename": "User",
"name": "Pace Morby",
"short_name": "Pace Morby",
"id": "100063669491743"
},
"videoDetails": {
"sdUrl": "https://video-atl3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/o1/v/t2/f2/m69/AQM-5pP3onM9DT-mhIF1lsU_5QIoHD3ezSh_534fSvquBk1J89JZc5j6cQzDP7ksAp5LQGEiJSVYnPWJVYmbgj42.mp4?strext=1&_nc_cat=111&_nc_sid=8bf8fe&_nc_ht=video-atl3-2.xx.fbcdn.net&_nc_ohc=myLadhBf0ekQ7kNvgH7M8Js&efg=eyJ2ZW5jb2RlX3RhZyI6Inhwdl9wcm9ncmVzc2l2ZS5GQUNFQk9PSy4uQzNlLjM2MC5zdmVfc2QiLCJ4cHZfYXNzZXRfaWQiOjExMjIwMjE0NDI4NDEyMTYsInZpX3VzZWNhc2VfaWQiOjEwMTIwLCJkdXJhdGlvbl9zIjo0MSwidXJsZ2VuX3NvdXJjZSI6Ind3dyJ9&ccb=17-1&_nc_zt=28&oh=00_AYEC_emahkqbCvG8fdT8745B6NgR005IOXFslY3cbX8vVQ&oe=67DBF193",
"hdUrl": "https://video-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/o1/v/t2/f2/m69/AQPpb__shxY1O25oSbb2cYJJZdDS1uvPXNvL_wuUl3A5X4oczA14gCptufMdZIQ44Fa1nPHR7BJne11vQR0-kjxg.mp4?strext=1&_nc_cat=110&_nc_sid=5e9851&_nc_ht=video-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net&_nc_ohc=A8zHzpvkW7gQ7kNvgH7rC10&efg=eyJ2ZW5jb2RlX3RhZyI6Inhwdl9wcm9ncmVzc2l2ZS5GQUNFQk9PSy4uQzNlLjcxOC5kYXNoX2gyNjQtYmFzaWMtZ2VuMl83MjBwIiwieHB2X2Fzc2V0X2lkIjoxMTIyMDIxNDQyODQxMjE2LCJ2aV91c2VjYXNlX2lkIjoxMDEyMCwiZHVyYXRpb25fcyI6NDEsInVybGdlbl9zb3VyY2UiOiJ3d3cifQ%3D%3D&ccb=17-1&vs=55aa7ea7f63fa16a&_nc_vs=HBksFQIYOnBhc3N0aHJvdWdoX2V2ZXJzdG9yZS9HQ0RxRHh4LTh0cUt3UFlEQUw2b0RSdTQ0dXQyYm1kakFBQUYVAALIAQAVAhg6cGFzc3Rocm91Z2hfZXZlcnN0b3JlL0dKbUREeHpUY0l2OUotMERBRGd5RVFhbXo2OWZickZxQUFBRhUCAsgBACgAGAAbAogHdXNlX29pbAExEnByb2dyZXNzaXZlX3JlY2lwZQExFQAAJoCqv5ifnv4DFQIoA0MzZSwXQETe2RaHKwIYGWRhc2hfaDI2NC1iYXNpYy1nZW4yXzcyMHARAHUCAA&_nc_zt=28&oh=00_AYHZ0-S4uD1baiPZOqxXl42i74UuWxjyYp-k5Dr7yuQs8w&oe=67DBE6E0",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t15.5256-10/470601406_1890766051448666_5960639905933280594_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s960x960_tt6&_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=be8305&_nc_ohc=J2akzbIcN6YQ7kNvgG1IA8_&_nc_oc=AdjagDgUUwSzsa_e8vqInwXyyB57thjMdZ0w4daZ0kLaM1g4xZsv56Q-2REAPzOzDdesjbOxpKtxdUYKNQetO-u3&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-1.xx&_nc_gid=1q0R8aSRmKitPpFFDxvSfQ&oh=00_AYGj7VpqDzBwgIcAEKdSnqMq2IuwKqbNtTrpNKE6y5EsCQ&oe=67DBEC4D"
},
"reactionCount": 133,
"commentCount": 12,
"videoViewCount": null,
"publishTime": 1734553170,
"topComments": [
{
"id": "Y29tbWVudDoxMjA0NTQ1MDg4MzQ0NDYzXzEzMDU4NDQ3ODM3NjA1ODk=",
"text": "How can I sign up?",
"publishTime": 1734569761,
"author": {
"id": "pfbid02uDNsa8qhySfhQJ83VUcVD5mmVShgxNrtepNZ2TwCsg22xMN3NhdNBQbxPjj2dyr9l",
"name": "BeezMo Jenkins",
"gender": "MALE",
"url": null
}
}
]
},
{
"id": "1177973017668337",
"text": "Getting into real estate isn't easy. But you know what makes it easier? \n\nHaving a team of people working TOGETHER to get their deals!\n\nJoin the NOLB Challenge - Nov 17th-19th to see a full walkthrough on how to get your first deal!\n\nReserve your spot here: NOLBChallenge.com",
"url": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/1548769829113168/",
"permalink": "https://www.facebook.com/reel/1548769829113168/",
"author": {
"__typename": "User",
"name": "Pace Morby",
"short_name": "Pace Morby",
"id": "100063669491743"
},
"reactionCount": 138,
"commentCount": 26,
"videoViewCount": null,
"publishTime": 1731616669,
"videoDetails": {
"sdUrl": "https://video-atl3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/o1/v/t2/f2/m69/AQMFIW3e9oV2zs9L0t7voV8Ki3fR8hTq-aaIH-l38BklHr5OnluDrnN5WZLk4szbPk-URXtJTQSCd8muXdfo0Zj0.mp4?strext=1&_nc_cat=105&_nc_sid=8bf8fe&_nc_ht=video-atl3-2.xx.fbcdn.net&_nc_ohc=BbdgXqRXB-MQ7kNvgFiNHS6&efg=eyJ2ZW5jb2RlX3RhZyI6Inhwdl9wcm9ncmVzc2l2ZS5GQUNFQk9PSy4uQzNlLjM2MC5zdmVfc2QiLCJ4cHZfYXNzZXRfaWQiOjE0NzA5ODkwMzA0MzA3NjksInZpX3VzZWNhc2VfaWQiOjEwMTIwLCJkdXJhdGlvbl9zIjo0NSwidXJsZ2VuX3NvdXJjZSI6Ind3dyJ9&ccb=17-1&_nc_zt=28&oh=00_AYEa1o37H0d2uYdaAtnlEVQD3wyIvQf3-L9AlCM7LsTVwA&oe=67DBE711",
"hdUrl": "https://video-atl3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/o1/v/t2/f2/m69/AQO8YLkiCOyEYG0QEfHaxH2Ir1SwDgiSIn0DaNeo9FgWXucOCd795Hzvq2bVo4ZG0yxL5l0NNuzQTfJAT1uBfczY.mp4?strext=1&_nc_cat=111&_nc_sid=5e9851&_nc_ht=video-atl3-2.xx.fbcdn.net&_nc_ohc=56Pz5OYiUTYQ7kNvgFAqLpy&efg=eyJ2ZW5jb2RlX3RhZyI6Inhwdl9wcm9ncmVzc2l2ZS5GQUNFQk9PSy4uQzNlLjcyMC5kYXNoX2gyNjQtYmFzaWMtZ2VuMl83MjBwIiwieHB2X2Fzc2V0X2lkIjoxNDcwOTg5MDMwNDMwNzY5LCJ2aV91c2VjYXNlX2lkIjoxMDEyMCwiZHVyYXRpb25fcyI6NDUsInVybGdlbl9zb3VyY2UiOiJ3d3cifQ%3D%3D&ccb=17-1&vs=60f8b36f7319b883&_nc_vs=HBksFQIYOnBhc3N0aHJvdWdoX2V2ZXJzdG9yZS9HQUxrYXh5aEsxOHlxTUVFQU1yZUhROGFHLThQYm1kakFBQUYVAALIAQAVAhg6cGFzc3Rocm91Z2hfZXZlcnN0b3JlL0dKOXcxQnNIQjRKdWozOEVBSGRHbVVxNVVaUWpidjRHQUFBRhUCAsgBACgAGAAbAogHdXNlX29pbAExEnByb2dyZXNzaXZlX3JlY2lwZQExFQAAJuLghKrq9pwFFQIoA0MzZSwXQEaSj1wo9cMYGWRhc2hfaDI2NC1iYXNpYy1nZW4yXzcyMHARAHUCAA&_nc_zt=28&oh=00_AYHkBwqncbOAkzlqRtuZ0eQ8QHog1WAQg3R82Q4drDl1Mg&oe=67DBDF5B",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://scontent-atl3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t15.5256-10/466866876_1271142887643537_2312089751444611039_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s960x960_tt6&_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=be8305&_nc_ohc=JbZ1MpDcaTMQ7kNvgGZJGtJ&_nc_oc=AdguYBOJ5RZQRq5_rQzInbYxAjpzdP-_Qo-yTRIJBabw-26kNKGCII6-bChYEA__EMKp-hO9k216n7PmviYZfEM5&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-2.xx&_nc_gid=1q0R8aSRmKitPpFFDxvSfQ&oh=00_AYFT7RLoadj2r2vEgFDNURnmKe6MyX8WHO6PIpQ731AwNA&oe=67DBF3C6"
},
"topComments": [
{
"id": "Y29tbWVudDoxMTc3OTczMDE3NjY4MzM3Xzk3MDAzMjYwNDk1NTg0Ng==",
"text": "I'm in",
"publishTime": 1732158216,
"author": {
"id": "pfbid0VvEMYiX5n4A4SpFMHp7yMAdtMRPV6vXZ9MtWY1Dsz4q8EPZdSrcB8JPiUEeUsZZtl",
"name": "Ray Bales",
"gender": "MALE",
"url": "https://www.facebook.com/people/Ray-Bales/pfbid0VvEMYiX5n4A4SpFMHp7yMAdtMRPV6vXZ9MtWY1Dsz4q8EPZdSrcB8JPiUEeUsZZtl/"
}
}
]
},
{
"id": "1866425187502168",
"text": "Pace Morby is joined Jared Morrison on this episode of Get Creative, a young entrepreneur in the SubTo community who has been learning the ropes from Pace and recently decided to make the leap into Real Estate full time.",
"url": "https://www.facebook.com/pacemorby/videos/1866425187502168/",
"permalink": "https://www.facebook.com/pacemorby/videos/1866425187502168/",
"author": {
"__typename": "User",
"name": "Pace Morby",
"short_name": "Pace Morby",
"id": "100063669491743"
},
"reactionCount": 124,
"commentCount": 51,
"videoViewCount": 3209,
"publishTime": 1727319674,
"videoDetails": {
"sdUrl": "https://video-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/o1/v/t2/f2/m69/AQOzqRyree2mh4It52sA1YxVXzQqne_rX6qGJi4uojEmYneuKthdglmy8cuhg1iAuSbDIhUwHobq_CYVBPuzz1cA.mp4?strext=1&_nc_cat=110&_nc_sid=5e9851&_nc_ht=video-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net&_nc_ohc=UQ6UrNgEADUQ7kNvgFaZacJ&efg=eyJ2ZW5jb2RlX3RhZyI6Inhwdl9wcm9ncmVzc2l2ZS5GQUNFQk9PSy4uQzNlLjY0MC5kYXNoX2xpdmVfbWRfZnJhZ18yX3ZpZGVvIiwieHB2X2Fzc2V0X2lkIjo1MTIwNDMyMjQ3NzM2MTcsInZpX3VzZWNhc2VfaWQiOjEwMTI1LCJkdXJhdGlvbl9zIjoyMDM2LCJ1cmxnZW5fc291cmNlIjoid3d3In0%3D&ccb=17-1&vs=6712e7739b2a8e04&_nc_vs=HBksFQIYOnBhc3N0aHJvdWdoX2V2ZXJzdG9yZS9HSUNXbUFDcXVnQnI3cnNkQUVjaGdIVUlSelpBYnY0R0FBQUYVAALIAQAVAhg6cGFzc3Rocm91Z2hfZXZlcnN0b3JlL0dQejlmaHZzdGpsTnlTZ0RBTUpzYUZwQVRUQnRidjRHQUFBRhUCAsgBACgAGAAbAogHdXNlX29pbAExEnByb2dyZXNzaXZlX3JlY2lwZQExFQAAJuLPrajr7OgBFQIoA0MzZSwXQJ_Td87ZFocYGWRhc2hfbGl2ZV9tZF9mcmFnXzJfdmlkZW8RAHUCAA&_nc_zt=28&oh=00_AYEuJStxX0QCSzj-UDimfF_YUKDSL2JnzRsxHGqlOmWPnQ&oe=67DBE308",
"hdUrl": "https://video-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/o1/v/t2/f2/m69/AQOzqRyree2mh4It52sA1YxVXzQqne_rX6qGJi4uojEmYneuKthdglmy8cuhg1iAuSbDIhUwHobq_CYVBPuzz1cA.mp4?strext=1&_nc_cat=110&_nc_sid=5e9851&_nc_ht=video-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net&_nc_ohc=UQ6UrNgEADUQ7kNvgFaZacJ&efg=eyJ2ZW5jb2RlX3RhZyI6Inhwdl9wcm9ncmVzc2l2ZS5GQUNFQk9PSy4uQzNlLjY0MC5kYXNoX2xpdmVfbWRfZnJhZ18yX3ZpZGVvIiwieHB2X2Fzc2V0X2lkIjo1MTIwNDMyMjQ3NzM2MTcsInZpX3VzZWNhc2VfaWQiOjEwMTI1LCJkdXJhdGlvbl9zIjoyMDM2LCJ1cmxnZW5fc291cmNlIjoid3d3In0%3D&ccb=17-1&vs=6712e7739b2a8e04&_nc_vs=HBksFQIYOnBhc3N0aHJvdWdoX2V2ZXJzdG9yZS9HSUNXbUFDcXVnQnI3cnNkQUVjaGdIVUlSelpBYnY0R0FBQUYVAALIAQAVAhg6cGFzc3Rocm91Z2hfZXZlcnN0b3JlL0dQejlmaHZzdGpsTnlTZ0RBTUpzYUZwQVRUQnRidjRHQUFBRhUCAsgBACgAGAAbAogHdXNlX29pbAExEnByb2dyZXNzaXZlX3JlY2lwZQExFQAAJuLPrajr7OgBFQIoA0MzZSwXQJ_Td87ZFocYGWRhc2hfbGl2ZV9tZF9mcmFnXzJfdmlkZW8RAHUCAA&_nc_zt=28&oh=00_AYEuJStxX0QCSzj-UDimfF_YUKDSL2JnzRsxHGqlOmWPnQ&oe=67DBE308",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://scontent-atl3-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t15.5256-10/461312532_1733514994134084_3133899825757197059_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s960x960_tt6&_nc_cat=109&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=50ce42&_nc_ohc=xKIMJ6frN9kQ7kNvgHK8vTF&_nc_oc=AdhRFzUKkuQ0qae1BFbvvmYGaJ_plQD4RFn3z0xxfoFtc-ds-cxZwEN7dSj0Y4SR3lWORs-Gf8qv5TZQnFqVK4GM&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-3.xx&_nc_gid=1q0R8aSRmKitPpFFDxvSfQ&oh=00_AYGYyhxcf7jzJS-G8ptyiPCJP9Usw2jD7tGK7Xqrfnl3WA&oe=67DBCD47"
},
"topComments": [
{
"id": "Y29tbWVudDoxODY2NDI1MTg3NTAyMTY4XzM4NzQxNDAzNjI4MDUzNDA=",
"text": "YO EVERYONE!!!! Drop your Q's and we will try to get to them when we can",
"publishTime": 1727319870,
"author": {
"id": "100063669491743",
"name": "Pace Morby",
"gender": "NEUTER",
"url": "https://www.facebook.com/pacemorby"
}
}
]
}
],
"cursor": "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"
}
Check that your response includes the expected fields:
success
(boolean)posts
(object)cursor
(string)Implement comprehensive error handling and retry logic for failed requests. Log errors properly for debugging.
Cache responses when possible to reduce API calls and improve performance. Consider data freshness requirements.
Never expose your API key in client-side code. Use environment variables and secure key management practices.
When scraping multiple posts, consider batching requests to maximize throughput while staying within rate limits.
Use asynchronous processing in Kotlin to handle multiple requests concurrently and improve overall performance.
Analyze Facebook posts to understand market trends, competitor analysis, and audience insights.
Track performance metrics, engagement rates, and content trends across Facebook posts.
Identify potential customers and business opportunities throughFacebook data analysis.
Check your API key is correct and properly formatted in the x-api-key header.
You ran out of credits and need to buy more.
The resource might not exist or be private.
Temporary server issue. Implement retry logic with exponential backoff.
ScrapeCreators offers 100 free API calls to get started. After that, pricing starts at $10 for 5k requests with volume discounts available.
Scraping publicly available data is fair game, and we only collect public data. So anything that you can see in an incognito browser is what we collect.
There is no rate limit! So you can scrape as fast as you want!
All API responses are returned in JSON format, making it easy to integrate with any programming language or application.
Yes! This tutorial focuses on core Kotlin HTTP concepts that work with any framework. The API calls remain the same regardless of your specific Kotlin setup.
For large datasets, implement pagination, use streaming responses where available, and consider storing data in a database for efficient querying.
Get started with 100 free API calls. No credit card required.