Prerequisites
- A Bright Data account
- cURL, Python 3, or Node.js 18+ installed
1
Get your API key
Go to the user settings page in your Bright Data account and create an API key, or use one you already have.If you don’t have an account yet, sign up at brightdata.com. New accounts get 5,000 free credits every month, no credit card required. See the free tier.
2
Send a request
We’ll use the Profiles endpoint with a synchronous request. Replace You should see a
YOUR_API_KEY with your API key:200 status code and a JSON array. A 202 means the scrape needs longer than 1 minute; see the note below. Processing time varies with target-site conditions and scraper workload.A synchronous request waits up to 1 minute. If the Bright Data LinkedIn Scraper API needs longer, the response is HTTP
202 with a snapshot_id instead of profile data, and collection continues asynchronously. Fetch the result with the async workflow or have it pushed to you with webhook delivery.3
Review the response
The Bright Data LinkedIn Scraper API returns a JSON array with structured profile data:Each profile object carried 42 top-level fields when captured on September 6, 2026, covering identity, location, current company, follower counts and social activity. See the full response schema.
Since November 13, 2025, LinkedIn has restricted public access to the Position, Experience and Education fields. Fill rates for those three dropped from 50-64 percent to roughly 2 percent, and they now return sticky data from cache rather than a fresh scrape. All other fields refresh normally. See LinkedIn data policy change for the full field status table and alternatives.
Common questions
Can I scrape multiple profiles in one request?
Yes. Add more objects to the input array. Synchronous requests support up to 20 URLs. For larger batches, use the async/trigger endpoint.
Getting a 401 or 403 error?
Verify your API key is correct and hasn’t expired. Create a new API key in Account settings. See the authentication guide for details.Request is timing out?
Synchronous requests have a 1-minute timeout. If the request exceeds this limit, the API returns HTTP202 with a snapshot_id and finishes the job asynchronously. Use the async workflow for large batches.
Empty or partial response data?
Verify the LinkedIn profile URL is publicly accessible and correctly formatted. The URL should follow the patternhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/username.
Do I have to call the API directly?
No. The Bright Data SDKs, the CLI and coding-agent tools call the same Scraper API, so you can start from whichever fits your stack.Next steps
Endpoints
One request per endpoint, each with a captured response.
Async batch requests
Scrape hundreds of URLs in a single batch job.
Set up webhooks
Receive results automatically when scraping completes.