Instagram User Posts API

Endpoint

GET /v1/instagram/user/posts

Parameters

url

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

username

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

pages

Number of pages to fetch, 1-10 (default: 1). Each page returns up to 12 posts.

get_sentiment

Set to true to add AI emotion analysis (+$0.001/page)

Response fields

posts

Array of the user's recent posts and reels

title

Post title (format: @username on Instagram)

url

Direct link to the post

date

Publication date and time

author

Instagram username

source

Platform name (Instagram)

domain

instagram.com

snippet

Post caption text

likes

Number of likes

comments

Number of comments

Number of shares

reposts

Number of reposts

views

Number of views/plays (null for image posts)

is_video

Whether the post is a video

media_type

Post type (e.g., feed, clips, carousel_container)

author_verified

Whether the author is verified

author_name

Author's display name

hashtags

Hashtags used in the caption

mentions

Usernames mentioned in the caption

media_id

Instagram media ID

thumbnail_url

URL of the post's cover image (temporary; valid ~6-24 hours)

video_url

Direct video URL for video posts/reels, empty for images (temporary; valid ~6-24 hours)

video_duration

Video length in seconds (null for images)

width

Media width in pixels

height

Media height in pixels

carousel_media_count

Number of items in a carousel post (0 for single-media posts)

is_paid_partnership

Whether the post is a paid partnership / branded content

location

Geotag object (name, city, lat, lng) or null

tagged_users

Users tagged in the post (username, full_name, user_id)

coauthors

Collaborators on the post (username, full_name, user_id, is_verified)

carousel_media

For carousel/album posts: array of slides, each with media_id, is_video, image_url, video_url, width, height (empty for single-media posts)

audio

Audio track for reels/videos: type (music or original), title, artist, audio_id, duration_ms (null when the post has no audio)

is_pinned

Whether the post is pinned to the top of the user's profile

sentiment

Emotion analysis: emotions, dominant_emotion, emotional_intensity, polarity (when get_sentiment=true)

pages

Number of pages fetched

count

Total results returned

Example Request

curl "https://apidirect.io/v1/instagram/user/posts?url=https://instagram.com/natgeo&pages=2" \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"

import requests

response = requests.get(
    "https://apidirect.io/v1/instagram/user/posts",
    headers={"X-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
    params={
        "url": "https://instagram.com/natgeo",
        "pages": 2
    }
)
print(response.json())

Example Response

{
  "posts": [
    {
      "title": "@natgeo on Instagram",
      "url": "https://instagram.com/p/DZkn1f0Flsc",
      "date": "2026-06-14 16:00:06",
      "author": "natgeo",
      "source": "Instagram",
      "domain": "instagram.com",
      "snippet": "Photograph by @petelas | A curious fox in the snow...",
      "likes": 530176,
      "comments": 5608,
      "shares": 9536,
      "reposts": 4353,
      "views": null,
      "is_video": false,
      "media_type": "carousel_container",
      "author_verified": true,
      "author_name": "National Geographic",
      "hashtags": [],
      "mentions": ["petelas"],
      "media_id": "3520497851234567890",
      "thumbnail_url": "https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/cover.jpg",
      "video_url": "",
      "video_duration": null,
      "width": 1080,
      "height": 1350,
      "carousel_media_count": 3,
      "is_paid_partnership": false,
      "location": {
        "name": "Serengeti National Park",
        "city": "Arusha",
        "lat": -2.3333,
        "lng": 34.8333
      },
      "tagged_users": [
        {"username": "natgeotv", "full_name": "National Geographic TV", "user_id": "18091046"}
      ],
      "coauthors": [],
      "carousel_media": [
        {"media_id": "3520497851234567891", "is_video": false, "image_url": "https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/slide1.jpg", "video_url": "", "width": 1080, "height": 1350},
        {"media_id": "3520497851234567892", "is_video": false, "image_url": "https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/slide2.jpg", "video_url": "", "width": 1080, "height": 1350},
        {"media_id": "3520497851234567893", "is_video": true, "image_url": "https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/slide3.jpg", "video_url": "https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/o1/v/t2/slide3.mp4", "width": 1080, "height": 1920}
      ],
      "audio": null,
      "is_pinned": false
    }
  ],
  "pages": 2,
  "count": 24
}

Frequently asked questions

How do I specify the user?

Provide either a profile url (e.g. https://instagram.com/natgeo) or a username (e.g. natgeo). Pass exactly one of the two.

Does this include Instagram Reels?

Yes. The feed returns both regular posts and Reels. Use the media_type field to distinguish them (clips for Reels, feed/carousel_container for regular posts).

How many posts are returned per page?

Each page returns up to 12 of the user's most recent posts, newest first. Use the pages parameter (1-10) to fetch more in a single call; you are billed per page requested.

What happens if the username doesn't exist?

The endpoint returns 404 with code: "not_found". You are not charged for not_found responses.

How does pricing work?

You only pay for successful requests. The Instagram User Posts API costs $0.006 per page. 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 3 simultaneous requests per endpoint per user. If you need more, just get in touch.