Sample PHP script to scrape an Instagram public profile and generate an RSS feed

instagram-to-rss.php

<?php

$target_accounts = array(
        'bikes_as_transportation',
);

foreach ( $target_accounts as $target_user ) {

        $target_user = urlencode( $target_user );

        $results_array = scrape_insta( $target_user );

        $xml = new SimpleXMLElement('<rss/>');
        $xml->addAttribute("version", "2.0");
        $channel = $xml->addChild("channel");

        $channel->addChild("title", sprintf( "%s's photos on Instagram", $target_user ) ) ;
        $channel->addChild("link", sprintf( "https://www.instagram.com/%s/" , $target_user ) );
        $channel->addChild("description", "Instagram Photos");
        $channel->addChild("language", "en-us");

        for ($i = 0; $i < 10; $i++) {

                $feed_item = $results_array['entry_data']['ProfilePage'][0]['graphql']['user']['edge_owner_to_timeline_media']['edges'][$i]['node'];

                $item = $channel->addChild("item");
                $item->addChild("link", sprintf("https://www.instagram.com/p/%s/", $feed_item['shortcode'] ) );

                if ( ! empty( $feed_item['edge_media_to_caption']['edges'][0]['node']['text'] ) ) {
                        $item->addChild("title", $feed_item['edge_media_to_caption']['edges'][0]['node']['text'] );
                } else {
                        $item->addChild("title", sprintf( "Image %s from %s", $feed_item['shortcode'], $target_user ) );
                }

                $mediaGroup = $item->addChild('media:group', '', 'http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/');
                $thumbnail = $mediaGroup->addChild( 'media:thumbnail' );
                $thumbnail->addAttribute( 'url', $feed_item['thumbnail_src'] );

        }

        $filename = '/home/chris/feeds/www/instagram-' . $target_user . '.rss';
        $rss_file = fopen( $filename, 'w' ) or die ("Unable to open $filename!" );
        fwrite( $rss_file, $xml->asXML() );
        fclose( $rss_file );

}

//returns a big old hunk of JSON from a non-private IG account page.
function scrape_insta($username) {

        $options  = array('http' => array('user_agent' => 'https://chrishardie.com/; [email protected]'));
        $context  = stream_context_create($options);

        $insta_source = @file_get_contents('http://instagram.com/'. $username, false, $context );

        if ( ! $insta_source ) {
                return false;
        }

        $shards = explode('window._sharedData = ', $insta_source);

        if ( ! isset( $shards[1] ) ) {
                return false;
        }

        $insta_json = explode(';</script>', $shards[1]);

        if ( is_array( $insta_json ) ) {
                $insta_array = json_decode($insta_json[0], TRUE);
                return $insta_array;
        } else {
                return false;
        }

}