How to Scrape LinkedIn Companies with Kotlin

Extract company data from LinkedIn

📱 Using Kotlin

Overview

Learn how to scrape LinkedIn companies using Kotlin. 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 LinkedIn
• Handling responses and errors
• Best practices for production use

What You'll Get

• Access to companies 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.

2. Development Environment

Make sure you have the following installed:

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

Step 1: Install HTTP Client

OkHttp is an HTTP client for Kotlin/Java

gradle

implementation "com.squareup.okhttp3:okhttp:4.9.3"

Step 2: API Implementation

Now let's make a request to the LinkedIn API using Kotlin. Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual API key.

Kotlin

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/linkedin/company"
        
        @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://linkedin.com/company/shopify"
            )
            
            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()}")
            }
        }
    }
}

Step 3: Testing Your Code

API Parameters

This endpoint accepts the following parameters:

urlRequired(string)

The URL of the LinkedIn company page to get

Example: https://linkedin.com/company/shopify

Run Your Code

Execute your script to test the API connection. You should see a JSON response with LinkedIn companies 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

{
  "success": true,
  "name": "Shopify",
  "description": "Shopify is a leading global commerce company, providing trusted tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business of any size. Shopify makes commerce better for everyone with a platform and services that are engineered for reliability, while delivering a better shopping experience for consumers everywhere. Shopify powers millions of businesses in more than 175 countries and is trusted by brands such as Allbirds, Gymshark, PepsiCo, Staples, and many more.\n\nFind all our jobs here: www.shopify.com/careers",
  "location": {
    "city": "Ottawa",
    "state": "ON",
    "country": "CA"
  },
  "employeeCount": 23591,
  "website": "https://www.shopify.com",
  "logo": "https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D560BAQG_KjTcNcrLVw/company-logo_200_200/B56ZZolTV.HUAU-/0/1745511331439/shopify_logo?e=2147483647&v=beta&t=D2saVg58cKnwEiDQgFgzvwL24mTRM_cPuU1ndv6kL2U",
  "coverImage": "https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D563DAQGruQL8kvBvnw/image-scale_191_1128/B56ZanR4DSGoAs-/0/1746563203576/shopify_cover?e=2147483647&v=beta&t=rHubhVZZZSU_1V8tCeBpwL80OG3bNBjzBNEWFO24qa4",
  "slogan": "Make commerce better for everyone",
  "similarPages": [
    {
      "link": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/airbnb",
      "name": "Airbnb",
      "image": "https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/C560BAQFhfl32crIGIw/company-logo_100_100/company-logo_100_100/0/1630637496980/airbnb_logo?e=2147483647&v=beta&t=idNQqoBZi6dZq6iG78J5GTOsNV_ltJf7ITo7zYZ6VWg"
    },
    {
      "link": "https://se.linkedin.com/company/spotify",
      "name": "Spotify",
      "image": "https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/C560BAQFkDzx_7dqq3A/company-logo_100_100/company-logo_100_100/0/1631377935713?e=2147483647&v=beta&t=AiRi3YW2R5kYKHbxsjkdQ_d1RuH6Yk98ePBwANPPDhc"
    }
  ],
  "industry": "Software Development",
  "size": "10,001+ employees",
  "founded": 2006,
  "headquarters": "Ottawa, ON",
  "type": "Public Company",
  "specialties": [
    "ecommerce",
    "API",
    "applications",
    "customer service",
    "hardware",
    "marketplace",
    "AR/VR",
    "marketing automation",
    "User Experience",
    "Design",
    "Production Engineering",
    "POS",
    "Payments",
    "Software Engineering",
    "Finance",
    "Retail",
    "Mobile Apps",
    "Instagram",
    "Google Pay",
    "Dropshipping",
    "and Shipping"
  ],
  "funding": {
    "numberOfRounds": 4,
    "lastRound": {
      "type": "Series C",
      "date": "2014-01-11T00:00:00.000Z",
      "amount": "US$ 100.0M"
    },
    "investors": [
      {
        "name": "OMERS Ventures",
        "crunchbaseUrl": "https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/omers-ventures",
        "image": "https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/sync/v2/D4E38AQEnDf6SgPOjAQ/crunchbase_investor_logo_100/crunchbase_investor_logo_100/0/1748147400909?e=1749146400&v=beta&t=V974RcVsrtQI1mZcqXPoKT8kutQoYneu8pjbjm5Un8E"
      },
      {
        "name": "Insight Partners",
        "crunchbaseUrl": "https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/insight-partners",
        "image": "https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/sync/v2/D4D38AQFO97oeFlJ74A/crunchbase_investor_logo_100/crunchbase_investor_logo_100/0/1748455429708?e=1749146400&v=beta&t=tRrAum9TLOKCquXN5bY65BaBsv_04RXSVKRzPt3BTcE"
      }
    ]
  },
  "employees": [
    {
      "name": "🇨🇦 Todd Jefferson",
      "title": "Staff Software Developer at Shopify",
      "link": "https://ca.linkedin.com/in/toddjefferson",
      "image": "https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/C4E03AQHg-rFtEf9qpw/profile-displayphoto-shrink_100_100/profile-displayphoto-shrink_100_100/0/1583259322606?e=2147483647&v=beta&t=uBFwlGCBbgFmwrP8f29P4nIDJCgZ1YEyyntBzpR9j30"
    },
    {
      "name": "Joseph Smarr",
      "title": "Principal Engineer @ Shopify",
      "link": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/jsmarr",
      "image": "https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/C5603AQG6JPHHDSVF_g/profile-displayphoto-shrink_100_100/profile-displayphoto-shrink_100_100/0/1600306045236?e=2147483647&v=beta&t=SYwM63n268TcHjRQFbsz1EXXcGkXxKnYKNqNVUwDjA8"
    }
  ],
  "posts": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.linkedin.com/posts/shopify_shopifys-design-vision-brings-horizon-into-activity-7331699854873620480-R_N8",
      "datePublished": "2025-05-23T15:17:41.770Z",
      "text": "In the era of AI, design matters more than ever. And we’re not just keeping pace—we’re leading the way.\n\nDesigners at Shopify take an unconventional approach to the design process: embracing imperfection, doing the unorthodox, and obsessing over every detail. Roles are fluid and leads stay close to the craft.\n\nThe Summer ’25 Edition is so tactile you can practically feel it. It’s packed with interactive elements, fluid animations, and, as usual, a lot of Easter eggs. Horizon Drive is an homage to old driving games, straight out of an arcade. \n\nBut nothing this Edition captures our design vision more than Horizon. \n\nHorizon blends beautiful visuals with practical features that streamline the design process. No more scrolling and guessing. Just quick design choices and built-in AI to code the rest. \n\nShopify design leaders Maggie Fost, Kevin Clark, and Katarina Batina share how our design philosophy shaped the Summer ’25 Edition: https://lnkd.in/e-Q-DmCR"
    }
  ]
}

Verify Response Structure

Check that your response includes the expected fields:

✓success(boolean)
✓name(string)
✓description(string)
✓location(object)
✓employeeCount(number)
... and 14 more fields

Best Practices

Error Handling

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

Caching

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

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 companies, consider batching requests to maximize throughput while staying within rate limits.

Async Processing

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

Common Use Cases

Market Research

Analyze LinkedIn companies to understand market trends, competitor analysis, and audience insights.

Content Analytics

Track performance metrics, engagement rates, and content trends across LinkedIn companies.

Lead Generation

Identify potential customers and business opportunities throughLinkedIn 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.

Need Help?

Documentation More Tutorials

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to scrape LinkedIn companies?

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 LinkedIn 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 LinkedIn companies?

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 Kotlin frameworks?

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.

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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