Instagram Embed API

Get full Instagram video metadata — title, views, likes, duration, and more.

1 credit per request

TL;DR

Get full Instagram video metadata — title, views, likes, duration, and more. The Instagram Embed API (Instagram) is a single authenticated GET request to /v1/instagram/embed that responds with clean JSON, costs 1 credit, and is cached for 24 hours (repeat calls are free). Start with 100 free credits — no credit card.

What is the Instagram Embed API?

The Instagram Embed API lets you fetch full metadata and engagement stats from Instagram with a single REST call. No OAuth, no scraping infrastructure, and no platform SDKs — send the URL, get clean structured JSON back. Results are cached for 24 hours, so repeat lookups are instant and free.

What you get

Title, description, and thumbnail URLs
View, like, comment, and share counts
Duration, publish date, and author handle
Stable IDs for joining with other endpoints

Try it

Fill in the parameters below and copy a ready-to-run request in your language of choice.

Parameters

url*stringInstagram post or reel URL, e.g. https://instagram.com/reel/ID/. The URL platform must match this endpoint's platform. Do not pass cross-platform URLs, e.g. YouTube to TikTok, Instagram to Facebook, LinkedIn to X/Twitter, or Pinterest to Rumble.cacheoptionalbooleanResponses are cached for 24 hours by default. Set false to bypass the cache and always fetch fresh data (default true).

API keyoptionalPaste your key to get a ready-to-run snippet. It stays in your browser.

curl "https://api.captapi.com/v1/instagram/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Freel%2FCzKZqfdN5j8%2F" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer capt_live_..."

Edit the parameters and the code updates instantly. Switch languages and hit copy.

Example response

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "platform": "instagram",
    "url": "https://www.instagram.com/p/DZFqdAxlkUG/",
    "shortcode": "DZFqdAxlkUG",
    "permalink": "https://www.instagram.com/p/DZFqdAxlkUG/",
    "html": "<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DZFqdAxlkUG/\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\"></blockquote><script async src=\"//www.instagram.com/embed.js\"></script>"
  }
}

Billing metadata is returned in response headers: X-Captapi-Credits (credits charged), X-Captapi-Cache (hit or miss), and X-Captapi-Source. Failed requests (4xx/5xx) are never charged. See the full list of error codes in the error reference.

Response structure

A successful call returns success, cached, creditsUsed, and a data object with the following fields:

Top-level fields

platformPlatform identifier (e.g. youtube, instagram).
urlCanonical URL of the item.
shortcodeInstagram shortcode of the post.
permalinkPermanent URL of the post.
htmlHtml.

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
url	string	Yes	Instagram post or reel URL, e.g. https://instagram.com/reel/ID/. The URL platform must match this endpoint's platform. Do not pass cross-platform URLs, e.g. YouTube to TikTok, Instagram to Facebook, LinkedIn to X/Twitter, or Pinterest to Rumble.
cache	boolean	No	Responses are cached for 24 hours by default. Set false to bypass the cache and always fetch fresh data (default true).

Authentication: send your key as Authorization: Bearer capt_live_.... A typical call costs 1 credit. Repeat calls for the same request are served from cache for free.

Using an AI agent? This endpoint is the MCP tool instagram_embed via @captapi/mcp. Set it up →

How it works

1. Sign up — get 100 free credits, no card required.
2. Create a key from your dashboard.
3. Send one request to /v1/instagram/embed and parse the JSON response.

Use cases

Analytics

Track views, likes, and engagement over time.

Competitor Monitoring

Benchmark the performance of other creators.

Dashboards

Power reporting and BI with real metadata.

Content Curation

Filter and rank videos by performance.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Instagram Embed API do?+

The Instagram Embed API lets you fetch full metadata and engagement stats from a public Instagram video using one GET request to /v1/instagram/embed. It returns clean JSON — no OAuth or scraping setup required.

How many credits does the Instagram Embed API cost?+

Each successful call costs 1 credit. Responses are cached for 24 hours, and cached results cost 0 credits. Failed or empty results are never charged.

Do I need a Instagram API key or OAuth?+

No. A single Captapi key works across every platform Captapi supports — YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X, Reddit, Threads, Bluesky, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Rumble. We handle proxies, rate limits, retries, and authentication for you.

Is the Instagram Embed API suitable for production use?+

Yes. It is a stable REST endpoint with predictable JSON, automatic retries, and a shared 24-hour cache. Use it for RAG pipelines, analytics, monitoring, and content automation.

More Instagram APIs

Instagram Transcript API Instagram Summarizer API Instagram Post Details API Instagram Post Comments API Instagram Channel Details API Instagram Channel Posts API Instagram Channel Reels API Instagram Reels Search API Instagram Trending Reels API Instagram Video Download API Instagram Tagged Posts API Instagram Reels By Audio ID API Instagram Hashtag Search API Instagram Profile Search API Instagram Story Highlights API Instagram Highlights Details API Instagram Basic Profile API

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