> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.brightdata.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# LinkedIn Scraper API
> Use the Bright Data [LinkedIn Scraper API](https://brightdata.com/products/web-scraper/linkedin) to extract structured data from profiles, companies, jobs and posts. Handles up to 20 URLs per request.
Send a LinkedIn URL, get structured JSON back. The Bright Data LinkedIn Scraper API handles proxies, CAPTCHAs, and parsing so you can focus on your data pipeline.
New to Bright Data? [Create a free account](https://brightdata.com/products/web-scraper/linkedin?hs_signup=1\&utm_source=docs) and get **5,000 free credits every month**, no credit card required. That's up to **5,000 LinkedIn records** to start scraping. See the [free tier](/general/account/billing-and-pricing/free-tier).
## How it works
You send one or more LinkedIn URLs to the Bright Data LinkedIn Scraper API. Bright Data handles the scraping infrastructure and returns clean, structured JSON.
```text theme={null}
Your app --> Bright Data API --> Structured JSON
POST /datasets/v3/scrape
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY
```
All requests use a `dataset_id` to specify the data type (profiles, companies, jobs, or posts) and return results in JSON, NDJSON, or CSV.
## What the response looks like
A single record returned by the Bright Data LinkedIn Scraper API on September 6, 2026, trimmed to the fields shown. Run the request yourself in the [quickstart](/products/scrapers/linkedin/quickstart).
```json theme={null}
{
"name": "Satya Nadella",
"city": "Redmond, Washington, United States",
"country_code": "US",
"current_company": {
"name": "Microsoft",
"company_id": "microsoft",
"title": "Chairman and CEO",
"location": "Greater Seattle Area"
},
"followers": 12151763,
"about": "As chairman and CEO of Microsoft, I define my mission and that of my company as empowering every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.",
"id": "satyanadella",
"position": "Chairman and CEO at Microsoft",
"url": "https://ar.linkedin.com/in/satyanadella",
"educations_details": "The University of Chicago Booth School of Business"
}
```
## Supported data types
Identity, location, current company, follower counts. Discover profiles by name or keyword.
Employee counts, funding data, specialties, affiliated organizations.
Salary data, requirements, application links. Discover jobs by keyword or search URL.
Post content, engagement metrics, hashtags, comments. Discover posts by company or profile.
## Request methods
The Bright Data Scraper API supports two request methods. Choose based on your volume and latency needs.
| Method | Endpoint | Best for |
| :--------------- | :--------------------------------------------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------ |
| **Synchronous** | `/scrape` | Real-time lookups, up to 20 URLs |
| **Asynchronous** | [`/trigger`](/products/scrapers/scrapers-library/async-requests) | Batch jobs, 20 or more URLs, production pipelines |
Learn more in [Understanding sync vs. async requests](/concepts/sync-vs-async).
Both endpoints accept the inputs as a bare JSON array, which is what every example on this page uses, or as an object with an `input` array. Use the object form when you also send `custom_output_fields` or `limit_per_input` on either endpoint, or a `deliver` block on `/trigger`. See [Request body](/api-reference/scrapers/synchronous-requests#request-body).
## Capabilities and limits
| Capability | Detail |
| :----------------------------- | :---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Output formats** | JSON, NDJSON, CSV |
| **Max URLs per sync request** | 20 |
| **Max URLs per async request** | Unlimited, up to 1 GB of input per job |
| **Data freshness** | Real-time (scraped on demand) |
| **Delivery options** | API download, [webhook](/products/scrapers/scrapers-library/data-delivery), [Amazon S3](/products/scrapers/scrapers-library/data-delivery), Snowflake, Azure, GCS ([all destinations](/products/scrapers/scrapers-library/data-delivery)) |
| **Pricing** | Pay per successful record ([see pricing](https://brightdata.com/pricing/web-scraper)) |
## Common questions
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](/products/scrapers/linkedin/data-policy-change) for the full field status table and alternatives.
### Is the data scraped in real time?
Yes. Each request triggers a live scrape, with one exception: the Position, Experience and Education fields have been served from cache since LinkedIn restricted them on November 13, 2025 (see the note above). Every other field is fresh. Processing time varies with target-site conditions and scraper workload. The Bright Data LinkedIn Scraper API does not publish a fixed response time. A synchronous request waits up to 1 minute, then returns HTTP `202` with a `snapshot_id` and continues asynchronously. Discovery requests always run asynchronously and take longer depending on result volume.
### Why do response times change over time?
LinkedIn changes how its pages are served, and the Bright Data LinkedIn Scraper API collectors are updated to match. A collector update can change how long a scrape takes even when the success rate stays the same. For production workloads, build against the [async workflow](/products/scrapers/scrapers-library/async-requests) or [webhook delivery](/products/scrapers/scrapers-library/data-delivery) so a longer run does not break the integration.
### What is the difference between URL collection and discovery?
**URL collection** scrapes a specific LinkedIn page you provide (e.g., a profile URL). **Discovery** finds LinkedIn pages matching search criteria (e.g., "software engineers in San Francisco") and scrapes the results. Discovery is accepted on both endpoints. On `/scrape` it usually runs past the 1-minute limit and returns HTTP `202` with a `snapshot_id`, so use the async [`/trigger`](/products/scrapers/scrapers-library/async-requests) endpoint for discovery.
### How is this different from scraping using proxies or Web Unlocker API?
When scraping using proxies or Web Unlocker API, you still need to write and maintain your own parsing logic and update it whenever the target site changes its page structure. The Bright Data Scraper API handles the entire stack: proxy rotation, anti-bot bypassing and parsing. You send a URL or keyword and get clean, structured JSON back, with no scraping infrastructure or parser maintenance on your end.
## Next steps
Scrape your first LinkedIn profile in 5 minutes.
One request per endpoint, each with a captured response.
Endpoint specs, parameters, and response schemas.