API
Instagram API
The TrueScrape Instagram API exposes 19 public endpoints covering Reels using a sound and Replies under one comment. Every call is a GET against public, logged-out pages and returns the same unified schema as every other platform here. Calls cost 1 credit each. A cache hit is free, and a failed or empty response is never charged.
Stories inside a highlight
curl "https://api.truescrape.com/v1/instagram/highlight?id=highlight%3A18023864549864045" \
-H "x-api-key: $KEY"What Instagram exposes
- An Instagram profile returns followers, following, post count, bio, links and business category, exact wherever the page carries the full figure, and `raw.__countsApproximate` flags each count that was rounded.
- A private Instagram account returns its public shell with `isPrivate: true` rather than an error.
- A profile grid comes twelve posts per page with a cursor and no publish date, and like, comment and play counts appear only on reels on the first page; `extra_fetch=true` fills each post's date, counts and caption from its own page at 1 credit per item.
- Live Instagram stories expire after 24 hours and are not shown to logged-out visitors, so highlights are the only stories available, each returned with its media URLs.
- Instagram reels checked so far carry no caption track, so the transcript endpoint usually returns a free empty result; it never transcribes the audio itself.
Endpoints
- Reels using a sound
/v1/instagram/audio-reels1 credit - Replies under one comment
/v1/instagram/comment-replies1 credit - Posts under a hashtag
/v1/instagram/hashtag-posts1 credit - Stories inside a highlight
/v1/instagram/highlight1 credit - Top posts for a keyword
/v1/instagram/popular-search1 credit - Post or reel details
/v1/instagram/post1 credit - Comments on a post or reel
/v1/instagram/post-comments1 credit - Profile details
/v1/instagram/profile1 credit - Post count for a profile
/v1/instagram/profile-post-count1 credit - Search accounts
/v1/instagram/profile-search1 credit - Search reels by keyword
/v1/instagram/reels-search1 credit - Search accounts, hashtags and places
/v1/instagram/search1 credit - Reel or video transcript
/v1/instagram/transcript1 credit - Reels trending on Explore
/v1/instagram/trending-reels1 credit - Profile via the public embed card
/v1/instagram/user-embed1 credit - Story highlight covers
/v1/instagram/user-highlights1 credit - Posts and reels from a profile
/v1/instagram/user-posts1 credit - Reels from a profile
/v1/instagram/user-reels1 credit - Posts a profile is tagged in
/v1/instagram/user-tagged-posts1 credit
Questions
- How much does the Instagram API cost?
- Calls cost 1 credit each. Every endpoint is cacheable, and a cache hit costs nothing. A failed request and an empty result are both free, on every endpoint.
- Does the Instagram API need a login or cookies?
- No. Every endpoint reads public, logged-out pages only — no account, no cookies, no session. An API key identifies your own TrueScrape account and nothing else.
- Can I fetch many Instagram targets in one request?
- Yes. 17 of 19 are batchable: one POST to /v1/jobs/batch takes many targets and returns a job id to poll.
- Can I watch Instagram endpoints for changes?
- Yes, 12 of 19. A subscription polls on your schedule and fires your webhook only when the content changed; the rest carry x-subscribable: false in the spec.
- Why does a post in a profile's grid carry a different `authorHandle`?
- A collab or tagged post appears in the grid of an account that did not post it. `authorHandle` is read per post and reports the real owner rather than the handle you asked for.
- Is there an Instagram trending feed?
- Instagram has no public trending feed. The trending reels endpoint reads the Explore grid, which is the closest surface that exists: it is editorial and shaped by region, not a global chart.
- What is the difference between hashtag posts and reels search on Instagram?
- Reels search uses Instagram's keyword search, and hashtag posts use its hashtag index, and the two return genuinely different sets. For hashtags, `tab=top` is one fixed ranked page and `tab=recent` is chronological and paginates.
- How do I get every comment on an Instagram post?
- Comments come newest first, about fifteen per page; follow `pagination.cursor` for older ones. `include_replies=true` adds replies Instagram ships inline, and the comment replies endpoint pages through the full thread under one comment.