# Instagram User Posts API

The Instagram User Posts API returns the recent posts of a public Instagram account: text, author, likes, comment count, views and publish time, in the same response format as every other SocialToAI call. One call costs 2 credits ($0.004 to $0.0067 depending on the pack); failed calls are free. Call it over HTTP or from your AI client over MCP. Last tested 2026-10-17.

- Page: https://socialtoai.com/instagram-user-posts-api/
- Last updated: 2026-10-17
- Last tested: 2026-10-17

| Request | Price key | Credits |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `POST /v1/user_posts` | `instagram.user_posts` | 2 |

## Request

```bash
curl https://api.socialtoai.com/v1/user_posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SOCIALTOAI_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "platform": "instagram",
    "username": "nasa"
  }'
```

```python
import os
import requests

response = requests.post(
    "https://api.socialtoai.com/v1/user_posts",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['SOCIALTOAI_KEY']}"},
    json={
        "platform": "instagram",
        "username": "nasa",
    },
)
print(response.json())
```

## Parameters

| Name | Type | Required | Default | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `platform` | string | Required | — | Always "instagram" on this page. |
| `username` | string | Required | — | Instagram handle, without the @ |
| `type` | string | Optional | all | Every post, or reels only `"all"` `"reel"` |
| `cursor` | string | Optional | — | Pass page.cursor from the last response to get the next page. |

## Where the values come from

- `username`: Instagram handle, without the @ (e.g. `nasa`)
  Returned as `username` by: [search · type=user](https://socialtoai.com/instagram-search-api.md)

## Response fields

| Field | Type | Meaning | Given |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `items[].url` | string | A link that opens the item. | yes |
| `items[].format` | string | video, image, text or article. | yes |
| `items[].title` | string | The title. | always null: Instagram does not give it |
| `items[].text` | string | The body text or caption. | yes |
| `items[].published_at` | string | When it was published, ISO 8601 in UTC. | yes |
| `items[].author.id` | string | The author's account ID. | yes |
| `items[].author.username` | string | The author's handle. | yes |
| `items[].author.name` | string | The author's display name. | yes |
| `items[].author.verified` | boolean | Whether the author is verified. | yes |
| `items[].author.followers` | integer | The author's follower count. | always null: Instagram does not give it |
| `items[].metrics.likes` | integer | Likes. | yes |
| `items[].metrics.comments` | integer | Comments. | yes |
| `items[].metrics.shares` | integer | Shares. | always null: Instagram does not give it |
| `items[].metrics.collects` | integer | Saves. | always null: Instagram does not give it |
| `items[].metrics.views` | integer | Views or plays. | yes |
| `items[].metrics.reposts` | integer | Reposts. | always null: Instagram does not give it |
| `items[].images` | string[] | Image addresses. | yes |
| `items[].hashtags` | string[] | Hashtags, without the #. | always null: Instagram does not give it |
| `items[].is_pinned` | boolean | Whether the author pinned it. | yes |

Every item also has platform, id, ref, approx and type; the response around the items is the same on every call. [Response format](https://socialtoai.com/docs/api/response.md)

## Sample response

Sample data: names, links and text are replaced by placeholders; the numbers are as recorded.

```json
{
  "request_id": "req_00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000001",
  "schema_version": "v1",
  "fetched_at": "2026-10-12T19:14:56.000Z",
  "action": "user_posts",
  "platform": "instagram",
  "status": "ok",
  "items": [
    {
      "platform": "instagram",
      "id": "…",
      "ref": "…",
      "approx": [],
      "type": "content",
      "url": "https://example.com/…",
      "format": "video",
      "title": null,
      "text": "…",
      "published_at": "2026-09-15T13:01:48.000Z",
      "author": {
        "id": "…",
        "username": "…",
        "name": "…",
        "verified": true,
        "followers": null
      },
      "metrics": {
        "likes": 1402,
        "comments": 954,
        "shares": null,
        "collects": null,
        "views": 130750,
        "reposts": null
      },
      "images": ["https://example.com/…"],
      "hashtags": null,
      "is_pinned": true
    }
  ],
  "unavailable": ["title", "author.followers", "metrics.shares", "metrics.collects", "metrics.reposts", "hashtags"],
  "page": {
    "has_more": true,
    "cursor": "cur_…",
    "cursor_expires_at": "2026-10-12T19:44:56.000Z"
  },
  "warnings": [],
  "applied_params": {
    "username": "nasa"
  },
  "cost_credits": 2,
  "billing": {
    "cost_credits": 2,
    "balance_credits": 98,
    "today_spend_credits": 2,
    "daily_limit_credits": null,
    "daily_remaining_credits": null,
    "display": "This call: 2 credits. Balance: 98 credits."
  },
  "replayed": false
}
```

## Paging and failures

- One call returns a page of up to 12 items. When page.has_more is true, send page.cursor back as cursor for the next page; each page costs 2 credits and a cursor works for 30 minutes.
- A call that runs and finds nothing is a successful call: status is "empty", items is empty, and it costs 2 credits.
- On this call Instagram cannot tell a post that does not exist from one with no data: both come back as empty, and both are charged.
- 1 call per second per key, 5 after a purchase; going over is not charged. [Rate limits](https://socialtoai.com/docs/credits-and-billing.md#rate-limits)
- A failed call costs 0 credits and is never retried on its own. [Error codes](https://socialtoai.com/docs/api/errors.md)

## Ask your AI

- What has this Instagram account posted lately: nasa → `user_posts {"platform":"instagram","username":"nasa"}`, 2 credits
- What has this Instagram account posted lately: nasa, with type set to reel. → `user_posts {"platform":"instagram","username":"nasa","type":"reel"}`, 2 credits
- Find Instagram accounts about "nike", then for the first 3: what has this Instagram account posted lately. → `search {"platform":"instagram","query":"nike","type":"user"}`, `user_posts {"platform":"instagram","username":"<username>"}` × 3, 9 credits

## Tools that use it

- [Account watch](https://socialtoai.com/tools/account-watch.md): What each one posted lately, and which posts beat its usual numbers
- [Find creators](https://socialtoai.com/tools/find-creators.md): Creators who make that content, with their size, recent posts and how well each fits
- [Creator profile](https://socialtoai.com/tools/creator-card.md): Their accounts on other platforms, the numbers on each, and how sure the match is

## The same call on other platforms

| Platform | Price key | Credits | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| TikTok | `tiktok.user_posts` | 2 | https://socialtoai.com/tiktok-user-posts-api.md |
| X | `x.user_posts` | 2 | https://socialtoai.com/x-user-posts-api.md |
| Reddit | `reddit.user_posts` | 2 | https://socialtoai.com/reddit-user-posts-api.md |
| Facebook | `facebook.user_posts` | 2 | https://socialtoai.com/facebook-user-posts-api.md |
| LinkedIn | `linkedin.user_posts` | 2 | https://socialtoai.com/linkedin-user-posts-api.md |
| Threads | `threads.user_posts` | 2 | https://socialtoai.com/threads-user-posts-api.md |
| Telegram | `telegram.user_posts` | 2 | https://socialtoai.com/telegram-user-posts-api.md |
| Xiaohongshu | `xiaohongshu.user_posts` | 12 | https://socialtoai.com/xiaohongshu-user-posts-api.md |
| Douyin | `douyin.user_posts` | 2 | https://socialtoai.com/douyin-user-posts-api.md |
| WeChat Articles | `wechat.user_posts` | 12 | https://socialtoai.com/wechat-user-posts-api.md |
| Bilibili | `bilibili.user_posts` | 2 | https://socialtoai.com/bilibili-user-posts-api.md |
| Zhihu | `zhihu.user_posts` | 2 | https://socialtoai.com/zhihu-user-posts-api.md |
| Kuaishou | `kuaishou.user_posts` | 12 | https://socialtoai.com/kuaishou-user-posts-api.md |
| WeChat Channels | `wechat_channels.user_posts` | 12 | https://socialtoai.com/wechat-channels-user-posts-api.md |

## More on Instagram

| Interface | What it does | Price key | Credits | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `search` | Find accounts by keyword: name. | `instagram.search:user` | 3 | https://socialtoai.com/instagram-search-api.md |
| `detail` | One post by ID or link: text, author, likes, comment count, views and publish time. | `instagram.detail` | 2 | https://socialtoai.com/instagram-detail-api.md |
| `comments` | The comments under one post: text, likes and time. | `instagram.comments` | 2 | https://socialtoai.com/instagram-comments-api.md |
| `user_profile` | One account: name, bio, followers and following. | `instagram.user_profile` | 2 | https://socialtoai.com/instagram-user-profile-api.md |
| `hashtag_posts` | Get a page of the newest Instagram posts under a hashtag, by its name, about 33 a page. | `instagram.hashtag_posts` | 2 | https://socialtoai.com/instagram-hashtag-posts-api.md |

## FAQ

**Do I need a Instagram account or Instagram's own API access?**

No. You only need a SocialToAI key. The call returns content and account information publicly visible on Instagram; you never sign in to Instagram or apply for anything there.