Comprehensive guide and implementation notes for working with the official Instagram APIs — including the Basic Display API and the Graph API — to integrate social media data into your apps and dashboards.
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This repository explains the structure and usage of Instagram’s APIs — the Basic Display API and Graph API — covering authentication, data permissions, and usage limits. Ideal for developers integrating Instagram analytics, publishing, or profile data.
- Unified developer reference for both APIs.
- Real-world examples with tokens and queries.
- Covers rate limits, permissions, and data scopes.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Authentication Guide | Learn OAuth and token exchange flow |
| Graph API Reference | Access insights, media, and profile data |
| Basic Display API | Retrieve user photos and basic profile info |
| Permissions & Scopes | Understand required access levels |
| Rate Limits Overview | Avoid throttling or access revocation |
- Building social analytics dashboards
- Connecting user media to websites or portfolios
- Scheduling Instagram posts via Graph API
- Integrating business insights into BI tools
Q: What's the difference between Instagram Basic Display API and Graph API?
A: The Basic Display API provides access to personal account data like profile info, media, and photos — read-only and limited to user-level data. The Graph API, on the other hand, is designed for business and creator accounts and supports advanced features such as post publishing, insights, comment moderation, and mentions.
Q: Can I get DMs from the API?
A: No, the current Instagram Graph API does not support access to Direct Messages. DM functionality is restricted due to privacy and data protection rules under Meta’s platform policies.
Q: What about API rate limits?
A: Instagram enforces rate limits to prevent abuse. Typically, each app is allowed around 200 API calls per user per hour, depending on endpoint type and account tier. Exceeding limits may result in temporary throttling or permission suspension.
10x faster development time
Zero token misconfiguration
Unified API testing and documentation
Average Performance Benchmarks:
- API Call Success Rate: 99.9%
- Latency: <150ms for Graph endpoints
- Error Rate: <0.8%
- Token Stability: 90 days via refresh flow
Contact Us
- Node.js or Python
- Git
- Facebook Developer Account
# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/instagram-api-documentation.git
cd instagram-api-documentation
# Install dependencies
npm install
# or
pip install -r requirements.txt
# Setup environment
cp .env.example .env
# Run
npm start
# or
python main.pyGET https://graph.instagram.com/me?fields=id,username,account_type
# Response
{
"id": "123456789",
"username": "developerpilot",
"account_type": "BUSINESS"
}MIT License