Instagram User Highlights API

Endpoint

GET /v1/instagram/user/highlights

Parameters

username

Instagram username, with or without leading @ (max 100 characters). Provide either username or url.

url

Instagram profile URL, e.g. https://instagram.com/natgeo (max 500 characters). Provide either username or url.

Response fields

highlights

Array of the user's story highlights, most recently updated first

highlight_id

Highlight ID (use with the Highlight Stories endpoint)

title

Highlight title

media_count

Number of stories in the highlight

cover_url

Cover image URL (temporary; valid ~6-24 hours)

created_at

Creation date and time

created_at_timestamp

Creation date as a Unix timestamp

updated_at

Date and time a story was last added

updated_at_timestamp

Last-updated date as a Unix timestamp

is_pinned

Whether the highlight is pinned on the profile

url

Direct link to the highlight

author

Owner's Instagram username

author_id

Owner's Instagram user ID

username

The requested username

count

Number of highlights returned

Example Request

curl "https://apidirect.io/v1/instagram/user/highlights?username=mrbeast" \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"

import requests

response = requests.get(
    "https://apidirect.io/v1/instagram/user/highlights",
    headers={"X-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
    params={
        "username": "mrbeast"
    }
)
print(response.json())

Example Response

{
  "highlights": [
    {
      "highlight_id": "17929440964811872",
      "title": "Operation Chad",
      "media_count": 14,
      "cover_url": "https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/cover.jpg",
      "created_at": "2021-12-01 21:15:33",
      "created_at_timestamp": 1638393333,
      "updated_at": "2025-08-09 03:54:16",
      "updated_at_timestamp": 1754706856,
      "is_pinned": false,
      "url": "https://instagram.com/stories/highlights/17929440964811872/",
      "author": "mrbeast",
      "author_id": "2278169415"
    }
  ],
  "username": "mrbeast",
  "count": 9
}

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between stories and highlights?

Stories disappear after 24 hours; highlights are stories the user saved to their profile permanently.

How do I get the stories inside a highlight?

Pass highlight_id from this response to the Highlight Stories endpoint.

How does pricing work?

You only pay for successful requests. The Instagram User Highlights API costs $0.006 per request. There are no monthly fees or commitments. You get 50 free requests per endpoint every month.

Do I need a credit card to start?

No. You can sign up and use the free tier (50 requests/endpoint/month) without adding a payment method. You only need to add a card when you want to exceed the free tier.

Are there rate limits?

Yes, there's a concurrency limit of 5 simultaneous requests per endpoint per user. If you need more, just get in touch.