How to Scrape Facebook Ad Library Ads with Java

Extract ads data from Facebook Ad Library

☕ Using Java

Overview

Learn how to scrape Facebook Ad Library ads using Java. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the entire process, from setup to implementation.

What You'll Learn

  • • Setting up your development environment
  • • Installing the required HTTP client
  • • Authenticating with the ScrapeCreators API
  • • Making requests to Facebook Ad Library
  • • Handling responses and errors
  • • Best practices for production use

What You'll Get

  • • Access to ads data
  • • JSON formatted responses
  • • Real-time data access
  • • Scalable solution
  • • Error handling patterns
  • • Performance optimization tips

Prerequisites

1. API Key

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.

2. Development Environment

Make sure you have the following installed:

  • • Java and its dependencies
  • • A code editor (VS Code, Sublime, etc.)
  • • Basic understanding of API requests
  • • Command line interface access

Step 1: Install HTTP Client

Apache HttpClient is a robust HTTP client for Java

maven
mvn dependency:add -DgroupId=org.apache.httpcomponents -DartifactId=httpclient -Dversion=4.5.13

Step 2: API Implementation

Now let's make a request to the Facebook Ad Library API using Java. Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual API key.

Java
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;
import java.util.Map;
import java.util.stream.Collectors;

public class Scraper {
private static final String API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY";
private static final String BASE_URL = "https://api.scrapecreators.com";
private static final String ENDPOINT_PATH = "/v1/facebook/adLibrary/search/ads";

public static void main(String[] args) {
try {
String result = scrape();
System.out.println("Response: " + result);
} catch (Exception e) {
System.err.println("Error: " + e.getMessage());
}
}

public static String scrape() throws Exception {
HttpClient client = HttpClient.newHttpClient();
// Build query parameters
Map<String, String> params = Map.of(
"query", "running",
"search_type", "keyword_unordered",
"ad_type", "all",
"country", "ALL",
"status", "ACTIVE",
"media_type", "ALL",
"start_date", "2025-01-05",
"end_date", "2025-02-16",

Step 3: Testing Your Code

API Parameters

This endpoint accepts the following parameters:

queryRequired(string)

Keyword to search for

Example: running

search_typeOptional(select)

If you want to search by exact phrase or not

Example: keyword_unordered

ad_typeOptional(select)

Search for all ads or only political and issue ads

Example: all

countryOptional(string)

This can only be one country. It has to be the 2 letter code for the country. It defaults to ALL.

Example: ALL

statusOptional(select)

Status of the ad. Defaults to ACTIVE.

Example: ACTIVE

media_typeOptional(select)

Media type of the ad. Defaults to ALL. Meme just means the ad has text and an image. No clue why they call it meme.

Example: ALL

start_dateOptional(string)

Impressions start date. Needs to be in YYYY-MM-DD format.

Example: 2025-01-05

end_dateOptional(string)

Impressions end date. Needs to be in YYYY-MM-DD format.

Example: 2025-02-16

cursorOptional(string)

Cursor to paginate through results

Example: AQHRYLVDkoMkvGv7yK1rcce-vJmKiKv330R4v3j9KHSOaYvmF1bq1QkotG0rgW8Fkrj-

trimOptional(boolean)

Set to true for a trimmed down version of the response

Example: false

Run Your Code

Execute your script to test the API connection. You should see a JSON response with Facebook Ad Library ads data.

✅ Success: You should receive a structured JSON response containing the requested data.

Expected Response

Here's an example of the JSON response you'll receive:

Sample Response
{
"searchResults": [
{
"ad_archive_id": "615470338018648",
"ad_id": null,
"archive_types": [],
"categories": [
"UNKNOWN"
],
"collation_count": 1,
"collation_id": "888075953335279",
"contains_digital_created_media": false,
"contains_sensitive_content": false,
"currency": "",
"end_date": 1740729600,
"entity_type": "PERSON_PROFILE",
"fev_info": null,
"finserv_ad_data": {
"is_deemed_finserv": false,
"is_limited_delivery": false
},
"gated_type": "ELIGIBLE",
"has_user_reported": false,
"hidden_safety_data": false,
"hide_data_status": "NONE",
"impressions_with_index": {
"impressions_text": null,
"impressions_index": -1
},
"is_aaa_eligible": false,
"is_active": true,
"is_profile_page": false,
"menu_items": [],
"page_id": "115531458627129",
"page_is_deleted": false,
"page_name": "JNB Stables Labradoodles",

Verify Response Structure

Check that your response includes the expected fields:

  • ✓searchResults(object)
  • ✓searchResultsCount(number)
  • ✓cursor(string)

Best Practices

1

Error Handling

Implement comprehensive error handling and retry logic for failed requests. Log errors properly for debugging.

2

Caching

Cache responses when possible to reduce API calls and improve performance. Consider data freshness requirements.

3

Security

Never expose your API key in client-side code. Use environment variables and secure key management practices.

Performance Tips

Batch Requests

When scraping multiple ads, consider batching requests to maximize throughput while staying within rate limits.

Async Processing

Use asynchronous processing in Java to handle multiple requests concurrently and improve overall performance.

Common Use Cases

Market Research

Analyze Facebook Ad Library ads to understand market trends, competitor analysis, and audience insights.

Content Analytics

Track performance metrics, engagement rates, and content trends across Facebook Ad Library ads.

Lead Generation

Identify potential customers and business opportunities throughFacebook Ad Library data analysis.

Troubleshooting

Common Errors

401 Unauthorized

Check your API key is correct and properly formatted in the x-api-key header.

402 Payment Required

You ran out of credits and need to buy more.

404 Not Found

The resource might not exist or be private.

500 Server Error

Temporary server issue. Implement retry logic with exponential backoff.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to scrape Facebook Ad Library ads?

ScrapeCreators offers 100 free API calls to get started. After that, pricing starts at $10 for 5k requests with volume discounts available.

Is it legal to scrape Facebook Ad Library data?

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.

How fast can I scrape Facebook Ad Library ads?

There is no rate limit! So you can scrape as fast as you want!

What data format does the API return?

All API responses are returned in JSON format, making it easy to integrate with any programming language or application.

Can I use this with other Java frameworks?

Yes! This tutorial focuses on core Java HTTP concepts that work with any framework. The API calls remain the same regardless of your specific Java setup.

How do I handle large datasets?

For large datasets, implement pagination, use streaming responses where available, and consider storing data in a database for efficient querying.

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