Instaloader

4.15.4

Download pictures (or videos) along with their captions and other metadata from Instagram.

Verified 13 Oct 2026
pip 4.15.4
MIT
13k stars

Source on GitHub · PyPI release · Markdown

Install and run

otlite install instaloader
Installs instaloader==4.15.4 into its own virtualenv. otlite lists what it will install and asks before it starts.
otlite run instaloader -- u:johndoe
instaloader receives instaloader johndoe

No otlite yet? Install it in one line

curl -fsSL https://get.otinstaller.com/otlite | sh

Linux and macOS, no Docker. It uses your Python and pipx when both are there, and otherwise brings its own Python. About otlite · otlite docs

What it takes

Typed inputs after -- become Instaloader's own arguments. Anything else after -- passes through unchanged, so every option of the tool still works.

Input	With otlite	`instaloader` receives
Username`u:`	`otlite run instaloader -- u:johndoe`	`instaloader johndoe`

What a run leaves

Every run is saved under results/ where you run otlite (or --output, or OTLITE_RESULTS_DIR): what the tool printed, a sidecar with how it ran, and an envelope.

results/instaloader/johndoe/<time>_instaloader_johndoe_<run id>.txt
results/instaloader/johndoe/<time>_instaloader_johndoe_<run id>.meta.json
results/instaloader/johndoe/<time>_instaloader_johndoe_<run id>.envelope.json

{
  "envelope": 1,
  "tool": "instaloader@4.15.4",
  "runtime": "otlite",
  "input": { "target": "johndoe" },
  "case": null,
  "started_at": "…", "ended_at": "…", "duration_ms": …,
  "exit_code": 0,
  "status": "complete",
  "entities": [{ "type": "url", "value": "…" }, …],
  "warnings": [],
  "output": { "path": "results/instaloader/johndoe/<time>_instaloader_johndoe_<run id>.txt", "sha256": "…", "bytes": … }
}

The envelope's shape, the same for every tool; values elided. Its entities are the emails, domains, IP addresses and URLs found in the output, or the tool's own when it prints them.

otlite results --tool instaloader

otlite extract instaloader

otlite diff instaloader johndoe

List the saved runs, pull out every indicator, or compare the two latest runs against the same target.

With other tools

These run it with every other installed tool that takes the same input, a few at a time, and save each run:

otlite run --all u:johndoe

otlite auto johndoe

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