Instagram · Post Beta

Instagram Post API

Returns a public Instagram post, reel or carousel: the caption with its hashtags and mentions, the author and any collaborators, the publish time, every carousel item's image or video URL with its size, duration and alt text, and the like, comment and (for single videos) view counts. Accepts post, reel, tv, instagr.am and share links or a raw shortcode.

GET https://staging.socialtap.dev/v1/instagram/post

Try it in the playground Quickstart

From 1 credit per request
Sources: Public page

Use cases

Track engagement on influencer and brand posts
Monitor competitors' reels and campaigns
Collect captions, hashtags and tags for social listening
Archive post media and metadata
Verify sponsored-post deliverables

Example request

Send a GET request with your key in the x-api-key header.

cURL

curl -G 'https://staging.socialtap.dev/v1/instagram/post' \
  --data-urlencode 'url=https://www.instagram.com/p/De1S3KpCXf0/' \
  -H "x-api-key: $SOCIALTAP_API_KEY"

TypeScript

const params = new URLSearchParams({
  url: "https://www.instagram.com/p/De1S3KpCXf0/",
});
const res = await fetch(`https://staging.socialtap.dev/v1/instagram/post?${params}`, {
  headers: { "x-api-key": process.env.SOCIALTAP_API_KEY ?? "" },
});
const body = await res.json();
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`${body.error.code}: ${body.error.message}`);
const { data, meta } = body;
console.log(data, meta.credits_charged);

Python

import os

import requests

res = requests.get(
    "https://staging.socialtap.dev/v1/instagram/post",
    params={"url": "https://www.instagram.com/p/De1S3KpCXf0/"},
    headers={"x-api-key": os.environ["SOCIALTAP_API_KEY"]},
)
body = res.json()
if not res.ok:
    raise RuntimeError(f"{body['error']['code']}: {body['error']['message']}")
data, meta = body["data"], body["meta"]
print(data, meta["credits_charged"])

package main

import (
	"encoding/json"
	"fmt"
	"log"
	"net/http"
	"net/url"
	"os"
)

func main() {
	q := url.Values{}
	q.Set("url", "https://www.instagram.com/p/De1S3KpCXf0/")
	req, err := http.NewRequest("GET", "https://staging.socialtap.dev/v1/instagram/post?"+q.Encode(), nil)
	if err != nil {
		log.Fatal(err)
	}
	req.Header.Set("x-api-key", os.Getenv("SOCIALTAP_API_KEY"))
	res, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
	if err != nil {
		log.Fatal(err)
	}
	defer res.Body.Close()
	var body struct {
		Data  json.RawMessage `json:"data"`
		Meta  map[string]any  `json:"meta"`
		Error *struct {
			Code    string `json:"code"`
			Message string `json:"message"`
		} `json:"error"`
	}
	if err := json.NewDecoder(res.Body).Decode(&body); err != nil {
		log.Fatal(err)
	}
	if body.Error != nil {
		log.Fatalf("%s: %s", body.Error.Code, body.Error.Message)
	}
	fmt.Println(string(body.Data), body.Meta["credits_charged"])
}

Parameters

Name	Type	Description	Example
`url` required	`string` max 2,048 chars	Instagram post, reel or carousel URL (instagram.com/p/…, /reel/…, /reels/…, /tv/…, /<username>/p/…, m.instagram.com, instagr.am, instagram.com/share/… links) or a raw shortcode. Tracking params and img_index are ignored: the whole post is returned.	`https://www.instagram.com/reel/De1S3KpCXf0/`

url takes Instagram post and video links. A link of another kind or platform fails free with invalid_input, naming the endpoint that takes it. Parameters not listed here are rejected (with a suggestion for a likely typo), so a misspelled one never silently changes nothing: see Requests.

Every endpoint also accepts max_age, fields.

Example response

A 200 response is {data, meta}: data is a post object, meta describes the request (meta fields).

200 OK

{
  "data": {
    "approximate_fields": [],
    "author": {
      "avatar_url": "https://scontent-atl3-2.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-19/683576066_18653628823019133_9051036240972105113_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s150x150_tt6&_nc_cat=1&ccb=SCRUBBED&_nc_sid=SCRUBBED&efg=SCRUBBED&_nc_ohc=SCRUBBED&_nc_oc=SCRUBBED&_nc_zt=24&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-2.cdninstagram.com&_nc_gid=S…",
      "display_name": "National Geographic",
      "id": "787132",
      "is_verified": true,
      "url": "https://www.instagram.com/natgeo/",
      "username": "natgeo"
    },
    "coauthors": [
      {
        "avatar_url": "https://scontent-atl3-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-19/293493364_162817252949028_8275460966213229030_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s150x150_tt6&_nc_cat=108&ccb=SCRUBBED&_nc_sid=SCRUBBED&efg=SCRUBBED&_nc_ohc=SCRUBBED&_nc_oc=SCRUBBED&_nc_zt=24&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_ss=7b6…",
        "display_name": "National Geographic Society",
        "id": "4757225830",
        "is_verified": true,
        "url": "https://www.instagram.com/natgeosociety/",
        "username": "natgeosociety"
      },
      {
        "avatar_url": "https://scontent-atl3-2.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-19/11419091_505296402966021_797003013_a.jpg?_nc_cat=101&ccb=SCRUBBED&_nc_sid=SCRUBBED&efg=SCRUBBED&_nc_ohc=SCRUBBED&_nc_oc=SCRUBBED&_nc_zt=24&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-2.cdninstagram.com&_nc_ss=7b689&oh=SCRUBBED&oe=SCRUBBED",
        "display_name": "Joel Sartore- Photo Ark",
        "id": "225429667",
        "is_verified": true,
        "url": "https://www.instagram.com/joelsartore/",
        "username": "joelsartore"
      },
      {
        "avatar_url": "https://scontent-atl3-2.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-19/681945023_18592998970017301_7811445524976503069_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s150x150_tt6&_nc_cat=1&ccb=SCRUBBED&_nc_sid=SCRUBBED&efg=SCRUBBED&_nc_ohc=SCRUBBED&_nc_oc=SCRUBBED&_nc_zt=24&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-2.cdninstagram.com&_nc_gid=S…",
        "display_name": "National Geographic Animals",
        "id": "1029649300",
        "is_verified": true,
        "url": "https://www.instagram.com/natgeoanimals/",
        "username": "natgeoanimals"
      }
    ],
    "duration_ms": 23744,
    "hashtags": [
      "PhotoArk"
    ],
    "id": "De1S3KpCXf0",
    "is_nsfw": null,
    "is_pinned": null,
    "is_sponsored": null,
    "language": null,
    "media": [
      {
        "alt_text": "Video by National Geographic on October 23, 2026. May be an image of snail and text.",
        "duration_ms": 23744,
        "expires_at": null,
        "height": 1920,
        "thumbnail_url": "https://scontent-atl3-2.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/862543567_18711062458019133_8845814561108513720_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e15_tt6&_nc_cat=105&ig_cache_key=NDAxNDE5NzU5ODcwNDk5MDE5NjE4NzExMDYyNDUyMDE5MTMz.3-ccb7-5&ccb=SCRUBBED&_nc_sid=SCRUBBED&efg=SCRUBBED&_nc_ohc=SCRUBBED&_nc_oc=…",
        "type": "video",
        "url": "https://scontent-atl3-1.cdninstagram.com/o1/v/t2/f2/m86/AQO0Zc3E_eoYHXxPOVvPDNzjiHnCGoREl8vxeookIy4831a0VLAN6T9CITX0dyH2cQS6Dy0fs5SGxYC42fWpG2JeAvlnP9yrsgmHUk8.mp4?_nc_cat=106&_nc_sid=SCRUBBED&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_ohc=SCRUBBED&efg=SCRUBBED&ccb=SCRUBBED&vs=S…",
        "width": 1080
      }
    ],
    "mentions": [
      "joelsartore",
      "natgeoanimals",
      "natgeosociety"
    ],
    "metrics": {
      "comment_count": 238,
      "like_count": 68253,
      "quote_count": null,
      "repost_count": null,
      "save_count": null,
      "share_count": null,
      "view_count": 759188
    },
    "platform": "instagram",
    "platform_type": "reel",
    "published_at": "2026-10-23T10:01:35Z",
    "text": "Warning—looking at nudibranchs may cause excessive awe. @joelsartore loves these little creatures, and so do we. 💛🧡🩷\n\nWe’re celebrating 20 years of the National Geographic #PhotoArk, an audacious project documenting the world's incredible biodiversity and highlighting the importa…",
    "thumbnail_url": "https://scontent-atl3-2.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/862543567_18711062458019133_8845814561108513720_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_s640x640_tt6&_nc_cat=105&ccb=SCRUBBED&_nc_sid=SCRUBBED&efg=SCRUBBED&_nc_ohc=SCRUBBED&_nc_oc=SCRUBBED&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-2.cdninstagram.com&_nc…",
    "title": null,
    "type": "video",
    "url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/De1S3KpCXf0/"
  },
  "meta": {
    "request_id": "req_3f9c2a7d1e8b4c6a9f0e2d4b6a8c0e1f",
    "platform": "instagram",
    "source": "page",
    "is_cached": false,
    "credits_charged": 1,
    "latency_ms": 0,
    "fetched_at": "2026-10-25T12:00:00Z",
    "input": {
      "kind": "post",
      "id": "De1S3KpCXf0",
      "url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/De1S3KpCXf0/"
    },
    "credits_remaining": 9999,
    "client_request_id": null,
    "warnings": [],
    "mode": "live"
  }
}

Long arrays and strings are shortened for display; real responses are complete.

Response fields

data follows the shared Post schema, identical on every platform.

Field	Type	Description
`data.platform`	`string`	Platform ID (tiktok, youtube, …).
`data.id`	`string`	Platform-native post ID (string; Instagram shortcode, Reddit without t3_).
`data.url`	`string` (uri)	Canonical post URL.
`data.type`	`string`	Normalized content shape. New values may be added; treat unknown values as other. One of `video`, `image`, `carousel`, `text`, `link`, `audio`
`data.platform_type`	`string` or `null`	The platform's own product label, lowercase (reel, short, story, live, tweet, …).
`data.title`	`string` or `null`	Headline (YouTube title, Reddit title); null on caption-only platforms.
`data.text`	`string` or `null`	Caption, description or body as plain text.
`data.language`	`string` or `null`	BCP-47 language of text, when the platform states it.
`data.published_at`	`string` (date-time) or `null`	When the post went public, RFC 3339 UTC.
`data.author`	`object`	The posting account.
`data.author.id`	`string` or `null`	Platform-native account ID; null when only the handle is known.
`data.author.username`	`string` or `null`	Handle without the @; null when the account has none.
`data.author.display_name`	`string` or `null`	Display name shown on the profile.
`data.author.url`	`string` (uri) or `null`	Canonical profile URL.
`data.author.avatar_url`	`string` (uri) or `null`	Profile picture URL. Platform CDN URLs can expire within hours.
`data.author.is_verified`	`boolean` or `null`	Platform verification badge; null where the platform has no badge.
`data.coauthors`	`object[]`	Other accounts credited as co-authors of the post (Instagram and Facebook collabs, YouTube collaborations), in the platform's order, author excluded; [] if none.
`data.coauthors[].id`	`string` or `null`	Platform-native account ID; null when only the handle is known.
`data.coauthors[].username`	`string` or `null`	Handle without the @; null when the account has none.
`data.coauthors[].display_name`	`string` or `null`	Display name shown on the profile.
`data.coauthors[].url`	`string` (uri) or `null`	Canonical profile URL.
`data.coauthors[].avatar_url`	`string` (uri) or `null`	Profile picture URL. Platform CDN URLs can expire within hours.
`data.coauthors[].is_verified`	`boolean` or `null`	Platform verification badge; null where the platform has no badge.
`data.duration_ms`	`integer` or `null`	Length of the primary video or audio in milliseconds; null for other posts.
`data.thumbnail_url`	`string` (uri) or `null`	Cover or poster image URL.
`data.media`	`object[]`	Attachments in display order (carousel items); [] for text posts.
`data.media[].type`	`string`	Kind of file. New values may be added; treat unknown values as other. One of `image`, `video`, `audio`, `gif`
`data.media[].url`	`string` (uri) or `null`	Direct file URL; null when the platform withholds it, or when the link would only work from SocialTap's network or with a login. Often signed and expiring: see expires_at.
`data.media[].expires_at`	`string` (date-time) or `null`	When url stops working, RFC 3339 UTC, read from the platform's signed URL; null when unknown or when it does not expire.
`data.media[].thumbnail_url`	`string` (uri) or `null`	Poster or preview image URL.
`data.media[].width`	`integer` or `null`	Width in pixels.
`data.media[].height`	`integer` or `null`	Height in pixels.
`data.media[].duration_ms`	`integer` or `null`	Duration in milliseconds (video and audio only).
`data.media[].alt_text`	`string` or `null`	Accessibility text provided by the author or platform.
`data.hashtags`	`string[]`	Hashtags without #, case kept; [] if none.
`data.mentions`	`string[]`	Mentioned or tagged usernames without @; [] if none.
`data.is_pinned`	`boolean` or `null`	Pinned to the author's profile.
`data.is_sponsored`	`boolean` or `null`	Labeled as a paid partnership or branded content.
`data.is_nsfw`	`boolean` or `null`	Marked adult or sensitive by the platform.
`data.metrics`	`object`	Counts at fetch time; null = hidden or not exposed, 0 = zero.
`data.metrics.view_count`	`integer` or `null`	Views or plays.
`data.metrics.like_count`	`integer` or `null`	Likes, hearts, total reactions or upvotes; never negative. Null when hidden by the owner.
`data.metrics.comment_count`	`integer` or `null`	Comments and replies.
`data.metrics.share_count`	`integer` or `null`	Shares or sends (not reposts).
`data.metrics.repost_count`	`integer` or `null`	Reposts, retweets or reshares.
`data.metrics.quote_count`	`integer` or `null`	Quote posts.
`data.metrics.save_count`	`integer` or `null`	Saves, bookmarks or favorites.
`data.approximate_fields`	`string[]`	JSON paths of values rounded by the platform or parsed from display text; [] when all exact.

Pricing

You pay only for successful requests. The price depends on which source produced the result, reported as meta.source.

Source	Price per successful request	Per 1,000 requests
Public page `page`	1 credit	$0.50–$0.80

meta.source	Source	What it means
`page`	Public page	Data embedded in the platform's public web page.

Your balance must be at least 1 credit to start a request; with less, it is refused with insufficient_credits (HTTP 402) and costs nothing. Only that minimum is set aside when the request starts.

meta.credits_charged and the x-credits-charged header show what you paid. How credits work · Packs

Errors

Errors cost nothing. Codes marked “Yes, later” under Retry can succeed on a later attempt; the others return the same answer every time.

Code	HTTP	Retry	Meaning	What to do
`invalid_input`	400	No	The request parameters are missing or malformed, or the URL is not a supported link for this endpoint.	Fix the parameter named in param (the message says how); for a link of the wrong kind, call the endpoint the message names.
`unauthorized`	401	No	The x-api-key header is missing, unknown or revoked (or, on the dashboard's routes, the session cookie is missing or expired).	Send a valid API key in the x-api-key header; without one, get a key at details.signup_url (AI agents: POST details.agent_signup_url).
`forbidden`	403	No	The API key is valid but may not make this request: its account is suspended, its scopes do not include the route, it is waiting for its owner's email confirmation, it is past its expiry, or the request came from an IP its allowlist does not include.	Do what details.reason says: if suspended, contact support; otherwise use a key whose scopes cover the route (details.required_scope), have the owner confirm the emailed link, create a new key, or call from an allowed IP.
`insufficient_credits`	402	No	The account does not have enough credits for this request.	Buy a credit pack, then repeat the request; do not retry automatically.
`spend_limit_reached`	402	No	The API key reached its spend limit for the current period; the account may still have credits.	Wait until details.resets_at or raise the key's spend limit (PATCH /v1/api_keys/{id}); do not retry automatically.
`rate_limited`	429	Yes, later	The account exceeded its runaway-protection ceiling: plans do not limit request rate, but a high per-account safety ceiling stops broken client loops. Support raises it on request.	Wait for the number of seconds in the retry-after header, then retry; ask support to raise the ceiling if your sustained traffic needs more.
`not_found`	404	No	The item does not exist or was deleted.	Check the URL or ID; do not retry.
`private_or_unavailable`	403	No	The item exists but is private, age- or region-gated, or requires a login to view.	Only public items can be fetched; do not retry.
`upstream_blocked`	503	Yes, later	The platform refused every attempt.	Retry later with backoff; failed requests are free.
`upstream_error`	502	Yes, later	The platform failed or returned something unexpected.	Retry with backoff; failed requests are free.
`overloaded`	503	Yes, later	SocialTap was momentarily at capacity and did not start the request: nothing was fetched or charged.	Retry after the number of seconds in the retry-after header; failed requests are free.
`internal`	500	Yes, later	Unexpected SocialTap error.	Retry with backoff; contact support with the request_id if it persists.

not_found and private_or_unavailable are item-level: the request was fine, the item can't be returned.

Test mode

A key starting with st_test_ gets recorded responses, free and the same every time (test mode). These inputs return their recording; any other input returns the example above.

Input	Answer
`https://www.instagram.com/p/De492EVDJd3/`	200 OK
`https://www.instagram.com/p/DexcKhDDno3/`	200 OK
`https://www.instagram.com/p/DeuOR-CjKE9/`	200 OK
`https://www.instagram.com/p/De1S3KpCXf1/`	404 `not_found`
`https://www.instagram.com/p/De1S3KpCXf0/` Default	200 OK
`https://www.instagram.com/p/ChdZ_3UALgB/`	200 OK
`https://www.instagram.com/share/reel/_oDaXMUlS/`	200 OK
`https://www.instagram.com/p/BBBBBBBBBBB/`	403 `private_or_unavailable`
`https://www.instagram.com/p/AAAAAAAAAAA/`	403 `private_or_unavailable`
`https://www.instagram.com/p/DDDDDDDDDDD/`	200 OK
`https://www.instagram.com/p/CCCCCCCCCCC/`	503 `upstream_blocked`
`https://www.instagram.com/p/EEEEEEEEEEE/`	200 OK

Magic inputs: send one of these as url to get that error.

Error	Value
`invalid_input`	`https://socialtap.dev/test/invalid_input`
`insufficient_credits`	`https://socialtap.dev/test/insufficient_credits`
`spend_limit_reached`	`https://socialtap.dev/test/spend_limit_reached`
`rate_limited`	`https://socialtap.dev/test/rate_limited`
`not_found`	`https://socialtap.dev/test/not_found`
`private_or_unavailable`	`https://socialtap.dev/test/private_or_unavailable`
`upstream_blocked`	`https://socialtap.dev/test/upstream_blocked`
`upstream_error`	`https://socialtap.dev/test/upstream_error`
`overloaded`	`https://socialtap.dev/test/overloaded`
`internal`	`https://socialtap.dev/test/internal`

FAQ

Does it return every image of a carousel?

Yes: media[] has one entry per carousel item, in display order, each with its own URL, size and, for videos, duration.

Who is in mentions?

Accounts @mentioned in the caption, then accounts tagged in the media, without duplicates. Collaborators of a collab post are in coauthors.

How much does the Instagram Post API cost?

1 credit for public page results (meta.source = page), charged only for successful requests. SocialTap credits cost $0.50–$0.80 per 1,000 depending on the pack.

Am I charged for failed requests?

No. Requests that return an error cost 0 credits. Responses served from the cache are free too.