⚡ parth-dl — Instagram Downloader CLI by Saksham Pathak (Parthmax)

parth-dl is a fast, open-source Instagram Reels, Posts, and Profile Picture Downloader built entirely in Python.
It provides a clean and reliable command-line interface (CLI) for developers who want to extract or download public Instagram media without using any third-party APIs, tokens, or logins.

🧠 Designed for automation • ⚙️ Developer-friendly • 🪶 Zero Dependencies • 🔐 Secure-by-default

Keywords: instagram downloader, python instagram downloader, reels downloader, instagram scraper, insta video downloader, parth-dl, parthmax, saksham pathak, python cli, open source downloader

---

Built by @parthmax_ — Minimal, Fast, and Developer-Centric.

---

🧩 About

parth-dl is not another bloated downloader. It’s a developer-oriented, dependency-free toolkit that leverages Instagram’s underlying page and GraphQL data endpoints to extract high-resolution media metadata and files.

It uses a multi-layered extraction pipeline with intelligent fallback logic to ensure successful downloads of Instagram Reels, Photos, Carousels, and Profile Pictures, even when APIs change or fail.

Built for:

• 🧰 Developers who need a CLI or API-level integration
• 🤖 Automation scripts and research tools
• 🧪 Learning projects exploring web scraping and data extraction

---

🎬 Demo

Quickly download Instagram reels, posts, or profile pictures — directly from your terminal.

---

🚀 Features

• ✅ Reels Downloader — Fetches full reels with synchronized audio and video
• ✅ Post Downloader — Supports single and multi-image/carousel posts
• ✅ Profile Picture Downloader — Downloads HD profile images instantly
• ✅ Zero Dependencies — Pure Python, no external libraries
• ✅ Smart Rate Limiting — Avoids IP bans and throttling
• ✅ Exponential Backoff & Retry Logic — Resilient against network or request failures
• ✅ Cross-Platform CLI Tool — Works seamlessly on macOS, Linux, and Windows
• ✅ Public Data Only — No login, tokens, or authentication required
• ✅ Python API Ready — Use as a package in your own projects or automation scripts

---

⚡ Installation

🔹 From PyPI

Install the latest stable release directly from PyPI:

pip install parth-dl

🔹 From Source

If you prefer the latest development version:

git clone https://github.com/parthmax2/parth-dl.git
cd parth-dl
pip install -e .

---

🧠 Usage

💻 CLI Examples

# Download a Reel (with audio)
parth-dl https://www.instagram.com/reel/ABC123/

# Download a single post
parth-dl https://www.instagram.com/p/XYZ456/

# Download carousel/multi-image post
parth-dl https://www.instagram.com/p/POST789/

# Download profile picture
parth-dl https://www.instagram.com/username/

# Custom output file
parth-dl https://www.instagram.com/reel/ABC123/ -o my_video.mp4

# List all available formats
parth-dl https://www.instagram.com/reel/ABC123/ --list-formats

# Verbose mode for debugging
parth-dl https://www.instagram.com/reel/ABC123/ -v

🐍 Python API Example

You can also integrate parth-dl directly into your Python code:

from parth_dl import InstagramDownloader

dl = InstagramDownloader(verbose=True)

# Download directly
dl.download("https://www.instagram.com/reel/ABC123/")

# Fetch metadata only
info = dl.get_info("https://www.instagram.com/reel/ABC123/")
print(info)

Quick one-liner:

from parth_dl import download
download("https://www.instagram.com/reel/ABC123/")

---

🧬 Internal Architecture

parth-dl/
├── parth_dl/
│   ├── __init__.py      # Package entry and exports
│   ├── core.py          # Main orchestrator and command handler
│   ├── extractors.py    # Multi-layer data extraction (GraphQL, Embed, API, HTML)
│   ├── utils.py         # Retry logic, sanitization, rate limiting
│   └── cli.py           # CLI interface for end users
├── setup.py
├── README.md
└── requirements.txt     # (Empty — no dependencies)

✨ Technical Highlights

• 4-layer fallback extraction → ensures maximum reliability
• Token bucket rate limiter (30 req/min) → avoids bans
• Jittered exponential backoff → smooth handling of transient errors
• URL and filename sanitization → prevents injection and invalid filenames
• CLI-friendly architecture → extensible, testable, and minimal

---

🔒 Security & Ethics

• 100% standard library → no external dependencies, no supply chain risk
• Input validation → prevents malicious URL injections
• Timeout-safe HTTP requests → avoids hangs and freezes
• Ethical scraping → adheres to fair-use and ToS boundaries

⚠️ Use responsibly. For educational, personal, and research use only. You are solely responsible for complying with Instagram’s ToS and applicable laws.

---

🧰 Developer Notes

This project was engineered with:

• 🐍 Python 3.7+
• 🧩 Modular, extensible design
• 💬 Clean CLI with argparse
• 🧪 Error-tolerant architecture for production-safe automation
• 🌐 Tested with multiple Instagram endpoints and URL patterns

If you’re a developer looking to embed Instagram download functionality into your automation pipeline, CLI tools, or data research systems — parth-dl is a perfect, lightweight foundation.

---

🔗 Related Projects

• FaceAging AI — AI-based Face Aging & Transformation Web App
• FALCON — Fake News Analysis & Verification System
• Dynamic QR Redirector — FastAPI-powered dynamic QR generator and redirect manager

All open-source developer tools by Saksham Pathak (Parthmax).

---

🤝 Contributing

Contributions, suggestions, and PRs are welcome!

1. Fork this repository
2. Create a new branch (feature/new-idea)
3. Commit your improvements
4. Push and open a PR 🚀

If you build something cool using parth-dl, feel free to share it on social media and tag @parthmax_.

---

📝 License

MIT License — See LICENSE for full text. Provided “as is” without warranty. The author is not responsible for misuse or policy violations.

---

👤 Author

Saksham Pathak (Parthmax) 🎯 Generative AI Engineer | Python Developer | Open Source Creator

• 📷 Instagram
• 💼 LinkedIn
• 🤗 Hugging Face
• 🧑‍💻 GitHub
• ✉️ Email

---

⭐ Star the repo if you love it! 💡 Built with ❤️ and Python by Parthmax