Instagram API reference

Two endpoints, one key. Post reads one public photo, video, reel, or carousel. Profile reads one public account, personal, creator, or business. Both read the page Instagram serves a signed-out visitor. See the Instagram API: overview, pricing, and free tier.

Post

GET /v1/instagram/post · 1 request

curl -G https://api.clair.im/v1/instagram/post \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY" \
  --data-urlencode "shortcode=DeTUk4sDSp-"

Parameter	Required	Contract
`shortcode`	yes	The post’s shortcode, such as `DeTUk4sDSp-`, or an instagram.com /p/, /reel/, or /tv/ link.

/p/, /reel/, and /tv/ links all work, with or without the username in them. query.shortcode is the shortcode, even when you sent a link.

{
  "engine": "instagram",
  "family": "social",
  "query": {
    "shortcode": "DeTUk4sDSp-"
  },
  "post": {
    "shortcode": "DeTUk4sDSp-",
    "post_id": "4004634989362489982",
    "url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DeTUk4sDSp-/",
    "type": "reel",
    "caption": "POV: you're watching the Earth set\n\nWe just released hundreds of new images and hours of new audio from our Artemis II mission around the Moon this spring. Check out our link in bio for the Artemis II Preliminary Lunar Science Report.\n\n#NASA #ArtemisII #Artemis",
    "caption_edited": false,
    "alt_text": "Video by NASA on October 10, 2026. May be an image of planet, eclipse and text.",
    "hashtags": [
      "NASA",
      "ArtemisII",
      "Artemis"
    ],
    "mentions": [],
    "published_at": "2026-10-10T15:15:02.000Z",
    "duration_ms": 43767,
    "cover": "https://scontent-iad3-2.cdninstagram.com/...",
    "media": [
      {
        "type": "video",
        "image": "https://scontent-iad3-2.cdninstagram.com/...",
        "video_url": "https://scontent-iad3-2.cdninstagram.com/o1/...",
        "width": 1074,
        "height": 1908,
        "duration_ms": 43767
      }
    ],
    "likes_count": 752840,
    "comments_count": 7577,
    "author": {
      "user_id": "528817151",
      "username": "nasa",
      "full_name": "NASA",
      "verified": true,
      "url": "https://www.instagram.com/nasa/",
      "private": false,
      "avatar": "https://scontent-iad6-1.cdninstagram.com/..."
    },
    "coauthors": [
      {
        "user_id": "1611722079",
        "username": "nasasolarsystem",
        "full_name": "NASA Solar System Exploration",
        "verified": true,
        "url": "https://www.instagram.com/nasasolarsystem/"
      },
      {
        "user_id": "1104426670",
        "username": "nasaartemis",
        "full_name": "NASA Artemis",
        "verified": true,
        "url": "https://www.instagram.com/nasaartemis/"
      }
    ],
    "tagged_users": [
      {
        "user_id": "1104426670",
        "username": "nasaartemis",
        "full_name": "NASA Artemis",
        "verified": true,
        "url": "https://www.instagram.com/nasaartemis/"
      },
      {
        "user_id": "1611722079",
        "username": "nasasolarsystem",
        "full_name": "NASA Solar System Exploration",
        "verified": true,
        "url": "https://www.instagram.com/nasasolarsystem/"
      }
    ],
    "audio": {
      "audio_id": "28589819277311219",
      "title": "Original audio",
      "artist": "nasa"
    },
    "latest_comments": [
      {
        "comment_id": "18060775346647906",
        "text": "🎬🎬🎬🤹‍♀️🤹‍♀️🤹‍♀️",
        "published_at": "2026-10-28T14:20:46.000Z",
        "likes_count": 0,
        "author": {
          "user_id": "268681544",
          "username": "doctorkarin",
          "full_name": null,
          "verified": true,
          "url": "https://www.instagram.com/doctorkarin/"
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

Field	Contents
`type`	`photo`, `video`, `reel`, or `carousel` (several photos or videos in one post).
`media`	Each photo or video in order, one entry per carousel slide: `type`, `image`, `video_url`, `width`, `height`, `duration_ms`.
`likes_count`, `comments_count`	Exact. `likes_count` is `null` when the author hides likes.
`hashtags`, `mentions`	Hashtags (without `#`) and usernames in the caption.
`coauthors`, `tagged_users`	Accounts that co-posted it, and accounts tagged in it or any of its slides.
`audio`	A reel’s original sound. `null` for a licensed song, whose details are not read.
`latest_comments`	The newest comments the page shows, usually 12 to 15. Older ones are not on the page.
`cover`, `image`, `video_url`, `avatar`	Instagram signs media links with an expiry; they stop working after a few days.

Profile

GET /v1/instagram/profile · 1 request

curl -G https://api.clair.im/v1/instagram/profile \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY" \
  --data-urlencode "username=nasa"

Parameter	Required	Contract
`username`	yes	The username, such as `nasa` or `@nasa`, or an instagram.com profile link.

The body is profile: user_id, username, full_name, url, bio, links, avatar, verified, private, exact followers_count and following_count, posts_count, highlights, and latest_posts.

{
  "engine": "instagram",
  "family": "social",
  "query": {
    "username": "nasa"
  },
  "profile": {
    "user_id": "528817151",
    "username": "nasa",
    "full_name": "NASA",
    "url": "https://www.instagram.com/nasa/",
    "bio": "Making the seemingly impossible, possible. ✨",
    "links": [
      {
        "title": "NASA.gov Homepage",
        "url": "https://www.nasa.gov"
      }
    ],
    "avatar": "https://scontent-lax3-2.cdninstagram.com/...",
    "verified": true,
    "private": false,
    "followers_count": 104368412,
    "following_count": 90,
    "posts_count": 4982,
    "highlights": [
      {
        "highlight_id": "18195781759377100",
        "title": "Roman",
        "cover": "https://scontent-lax3-1.cdninstagram.com/..."
      }
    ],
    "latest_posts": [
      {
        "shortcode": "DeTUk4sDSp-",
        "url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DeTUk4sDSp-/",
        "type": "reel",
        "caption": "POV: you're watching the Earth set\n\nWe just released hundred…",
        "alt_text": "Video by NASA on October 10, 2026. May be an image of planet, eclipse and text.",
        "cover": "https://scontent-lax3-2.cdninstagram.com/...",
        "author_username": "nasa"
      },
      {
        "shortcode": "DeJ28eTxo4s",
        "url": "https://www.instagram.com/p/DeJ28eTxo4s/",
        "type": "photo",
        "caption": "Brewing up new stars 🪄\n \n@NASAWebb’s unique view of the stel…",
        "alt_text": "Photo by NASA Webb Telescope on October 06, 2026. May be an image of text.",
        "cover": "https://scontent-lax3-1.cdninstagram.com/...",
        "author_username": "nasawebb"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Field	Contents
`posts_count`	As Instagram shows it: exact below 10,000, rounded above (`32K` is `32000`).
`latest_posts`	The first twelve posts on the grid, pinned posts first. Each has `shortcode`, `url`, `type`, `caption`, `alt_text`, `cover`, and `author_username`, which differs on a collaboration. Likes and dates are not on the profile page; read the post for them.

Errors

A post or account that is gone or never existed returns 404 not_found, as does a post Instagram shows only to signed-in viewers. Instagram serves a missing page and a refused request the same error page, so Clair returns 404 only after two scraping vendors both got it; a single refusal moves on to the next vendor. A malformed shortcode or username is 400.

What this API does not do

It does not return view counts, which are not on the signed-out page.
It does not search hashtags or read a hashtag page, which needs a login.
It does not return a licensed song’s details or a post’s location yet.
It does not read stories, or anything that needs a signed-in account.

Auth, plans, rate limits, and error codes: Authentication.

YouTube

TikTok

Instagram

Instagram API reference

Post

Profile

Errors

What this API does not do

​Post

​Profile

​Errors

​What this API does not do

Post

Profile

Errors

What this API does not do