Instagram API · post · schedule · analyze

The Instagram API for posting, scheduling and analytics

Publish Reels, carousels, Stories and photos to Instagram with one API call - no Graph API container dance, no token expiry, no media-hosting headaches. We handle the Meta plumbing so you ship in hours, not weeks.

ReelsCarouselsStoriesSchedulingAnalytics

Get your API key Read the docs

✓ 5 minutes to first post ✓ 99.92% uptime ✓ Reels, carousels & Stories

bash

curl https://api.outstand.so/v1/posts/ \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OUTSTAND_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "New drop is live 🔥 #launch",
    "accounts": ["instagram"],
    "media": [{ "url": "https://media.outstand.so/reel.mp4", "filename": "reel.mp4" }]
  }'

A video publishes as a Reel automatically. One image → a feed photo. Two-to-ten → a carousel.

Instagram's official API is powerful - and painful

Instagram has no simple "post" endpoint. Publishing through the Instagram Graph API means a Business or Creator account, Meta App Review, a two-step create-container → poll → publish flow, publicly-hosted media URLs and tokens that quietly expire. Outstand turns all of it into a single request.

Raw Instagram Graph API

With Outstand

Business/Creator account, Facebook Page link and Meta App Review

Connect once via OAuth - we manage the app and permissions, or bring your own

Create a media container, poll its status, then publish - per item

One POST /v1/posts/ - we create, poll and publish the container for you

Media must be a public HTTPS URL you host yourself

Pass a URL; we fetch it and hand it to Instagram correctly per media type

60-day long-lived tokens that expire silently

Automatic token refresh - you never see a 401

Carousels need N child containers assembled in order

Send 2–10 media items in one array; we assemble the carousel

Undocumented rate limits and 429s

We queue, throttle and retry - you never see a 429

Everything Instagram supports, through one endpoint

Every content type and capability available on Instagram via Outstand today.

Feed photos

Carousels (2–10)

Reels

Stories (24h)

PublishingSchedulingAnalyticsMedia handlingComments

Plus collaborators (invite up to 3), user tags, location and alt text. Reposting and deleting feed posts are not supported by Instagram's API.

Copy, paste, ship

The same accounts array also fans out to X, LinkedIn, TikTok and 8 more - one request, many platforms.

Publish a Reel

bash

curl https://api.outstand.so/v1/posts/ \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OUTSTAND_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "Behind the scenes of the shoot 🎬 #reels",
    "accounts": ["instagram"],
    "media": [{ "url": "https://media.outstand.so/bts.mp4", "filename": "bts.mp4" }],
    "instagram": { "reelThumbOffset": 1500 }
  }'

Publish a carousel (2–10 items)

bash

curl https://api.outstand.so/v1/posts/ \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OUTSTAND_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "Swipe for the full lookbook →",
    "accounts": ["instagram"],
    "media": [
      { "url": "https://media.outstand.so/1.jpg", "filename": "1.jpg" },
      { "url": "https://media.outstand.so/2.jpg", "filename": "2.jpg" },
      { "url": "https://media.outstand.so/3.jpg", "filename": "3.jpg" }
    ],
    "instagram": { "collaborators": ["partner_brand"] }
  }'

Publish a Story

bash

curl https://api.outstand.so/v1/posts/ \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OUTSTAND_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "",
    "accounts": ["instagram"],
    "media": [{ "url": "https://media.outstand.so/story.jpg", "filename": "story.jpg" }],
    "instagram": { "publishAsStory": true }
  }'

Schedule a post (up to 30 days out)

bash

curl https://api.outstand.so/v1/posts/ \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OUTSTAND_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "Drops Friday at noon ⏰",
    "accounts": ["instagram"],
    "media": [{ "url": "https://media.outstand.so/teaser.jpg", "filename": "teaser.jpg" }],
    "scheduledAt": "2026-07-03T16:00:00Z"
  }'

Read analytics

bash

curl https://api.outstand.so/v1/posts/{id}/analytics \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OUTSTAND_API_KEY"
# → impressions, reach, likes, comments, saves, shares, views, engagement_rate

Read & reply to comments

bash

# Read the comments on a published Instagram post
curl "https://api.outstand.so/v1/posts/{id}/replies?network=instagram" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OUTSTAND_API_KEY"

# Reply to a comment (or comment on your own post)
curl https://api.outstand.so/v1/posts/{id}/replies \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OUTSTAND_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ "content": "Thanks for the love! 🙌", "account_username": "yourbrand" }'

Live in three steps

From signup to your first published Reel in about five minutes.

Connect Instagram

Your user authorizes via OAuth. We store and refresh the long-lived token. Use our Managed Keys, or bring your own Meta app for white-label.

Call POST /v1/posts/

Send text and media with accounts: ["instagram"]. Add scheduledAt to schedule it for later.

We do the Graph API work

Container creation, status polling, retries and rate-limit handling - returned as a unified response with the published post ID.

Instagram API pricing and access

Meta does not bill you for the Instagram Graph API. It bills you in review cycles, account prerequisites and container plumbing - here is what each route actually costs.

What Meta charges

Nothing. The Instagram Graph API carries no licence fee or per-request cost. What gates you is App Review and account setup, not price.

Going direct to Meta

A Business or Creator account, a linked Facebook Page, a Meta app, and App Review for instagram_content_publish before you can post at all. Then you build the create-container → poll → publish flow and refresh long-lived tokens every 60 days.

Going through Outstand

An Outstand API key. Your users authorize with OAuth against our reviewed app, and one POST /v1/posts/ publishes a photo, carousel, Reel or Story.

Outstand pricing

$19/month including 3,000 posts, then $0.007/post - dropping to $0.005/post at volume. No per-seat fees and no annual lock-in.

Bringing your own app

Already through App Review? Drop your Meta app credentials in and Outstand runs OAuth under your brand, so your users never see ours.

Instagram caps content publishing at roughly 50 posts per 24 hours per account. Outstand queues against that ceiling rather than burning your quota on retries.

More than an Instagram wrapper

One integration that grows with everything you ship next.

One API, 11 platforms

The same request publishes to Instagram, X, LinkedIn, TikTok and 8 more. Same JSON shape everywhere.

Managed Keys or BYOK

Skip Meta App Review with our keys, or bring your own app for white-label OAuth under your brand.

Built for scale

Intelligent rate limiting, automatic token refresh, webhook events and media processing.

Honest pricing

$19/mo includes 3,000 posts, then from $0.007/post. No seats, no annual lock-in.

What you can build

Same endpoints, same data shapes - pick what you ship.

Social schedulers

Let your users queue and auto-publish Instagram content from your app.

AI agents

Give Claude or GPT a tool to post to Instagram. MCP server included.

Analytics dashboards

Pull Instagram reach and engagement alongside every other platform.

Agencies & white-label

Run Instagram posting for clients under your own brand and Meta app.

Instagram API FAQ

The questions developers ask before they build.

Does Instagram have an official API?

Yes - the Instagram Graph API (part of the Meta Graph API) lets approved apps publish posts, Reels, Stories and read insights for Business and Creator accounts. Outstand is a managed layer on top of it, so you skip the setup.

Can I post Instagram Reels via API?

Yes. Send a video file to POST /v1/posts/ with accounts: ["instagram"] and Outstand publishes it as a Reel - you can set a thumbnail offset and invite collaborators.

Can I schedule Instagram posts via the API?

Yes. Add a scheduledAt ISO-8601 timestamp (up to 30 days ahead) and Outstand publishes it automatically - no cron or queue on your side.

Do I need a Business or Creator account?

Yes - Instagram only allows API publishing for Business or Creator accounts (a Meta requirement, not ours). Personal accounts cannot publish via any Instagram API.

Can I post Instagram Stories via API?

Yes. Set instagram.publishAsStory: true with a single image or video. Stories do not support carousels or captions and expire after 24 hours.

How do I get an Instagram access token?

With Outstand you do not manage tokens manually - your user connects through OAuth and we store and auto-refresh the long-lived token. Bring your own Meta app for white-label, or use our Managed Keys.

What are the Instagram API rate limits?

Instagram caps content publishing (historically around 50 posts per 24 hours per account) and applies app-level rate limits. Outstand queues and throttles requests under the hood, so you never handle a 429 yourself.

Can I read and reply to Instagram comments via the API?

Yes. Read the comments on a published post with GET /v1/posts/{id}/replies and post a reply with POST /v1/posts/{id}/replies. Comment management requires a Business or Creator account.

Can I post to Instagram without the Graph API?

Not officially - the Graph API is the only sanctioned way to publish. Outstand uses it for you so you get a clean REST endpoint instead of the container-and-polling flow.

How much does the Instagram API cost?

Meta charges no licence fee for the Instagram Graph API - the cost is App Review, a linked Facebook Page and the engineering time around the container flow. Outstand costs $19/month including 3,000 posts, then $0.007/post dropping to $0.005 at volume, on an app that is already reviewed.

Is the Instagram API free?

Free to call, not free to reach. Meta does not bill you per request, but publishing permissions require App Review, a Business or Creator account and a linked Facebook Page before a single post goes out. Outstand removes that setup - you get an API key and publish the same day.

How do I get an Instagram API key?

Instagram does not issue a plain API key. You create a Meta app, request the instagram_content_publish permission, pass App Review, then exchange OAuth codes for long-lived tokens that you refresh every 60 days. Outstand gives you one bearer token that works across Instagram and ten other networks and refreshes the Meta tokens behind it.

What happened to the Instagram Basic Display API?

Meta shut it down in December 2024. Apps that relied on it had to move to the Instagram Graph API or the Instagram API with Instagram Login. Publishing has always run through the Graph API, which is what Outstand calls on your behalf.

Can I post an Instagram carousel via the API?

Yes. Send 2 to 10 media items in the media array and Outstand assembles the child containers in order and publishes them as one carousel - including mixed images and video.

Ship Instagram posting today

Grab an API key and publish your first Reel in the next five minutes. 3,000 posts included, then $0.007/post - dropping to $0.005 at volume.

Get your API key Read the docs

One API, every network

Read the Instagram setup guide , or see how the same request works on every other platform.

LinkedIn API TikTok API X (Twitter) API Facebook API Threads API YouTube API Bluesky API Pinterest API Google Business Profile API