Instagram
GET /v1/instagram/reels-search

Instagram Reels Search API

Search Instagram programmatically and get structured, ranked results.

12 credits per request (0.6 per result)
TL;DR
Search Instagram programmatically and get structured, ranked results. The Instagram Reels Search API (Instagram) is a single authenticated GET request to /v1/instagram/reels-search that responds with clean JSON, costs 12 credits, and is cached for 24 hours (repeat calls are free). Start with 100 free credits — no credit card.

What is the Instagram Reels Search API?

The Instagram Reels Search API lets you search and return matching results 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

  • Ranked, structured result list
  • Title, URL, author, and thumbnail per result
  • Engagement metrics where available
  • Configurable result limit

Try it

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

Parameters

curl "https://api.captapi.com/v1/instagram/reels-search?q=skincare" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer capt_live_..."

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

Example response

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "query": "travel",
    "totalReturned": 3,
    "results": [
      {
        "platform": "instagram",
        "url": "https://www.instagram.com/p/DayDvvttHtI/",
        "id": "3941229099090213704",
        "postType": "Video",
        "productType": "clips",
        "caption": "🌊 Kıbrıs’ın en yeni aquaparkını keşfettim! 😍\nKaydıraklar, çocuk alanı ve yazın serinlemek için tam bir kaçış noktası. 💦☀️\n\nAquaparkın giriş ücreti, konumu için yoruma \"BİLGİ\" yazman yeterli! 📩💦\n\n📍 Kıbrıs’taki en güzel mekanlar ve keşifler için takip etmeyi unutma. \n\n#reels #viral #fyp #travel #travelreels",
        "description": "🌊 Kıbrıs’ın en yeni aquaparkını keşfettim! 😍\nKaydıraklar, çocuk alanı ve yazın serinlemek için tam bir kaçış noktası. 💦☀️\n\nAquaparkın giriş ücreti, konumu için yoruma \"BİLGİ\" yazman yeterli! 📩💦\n\n📍 Kıbrıs’taki en güzel mekanlar ve keşifler için takip etmeyi unutma. \n\n#reels #viral #fyp #travel #travelreels",
        "publishedAt": "2026-07-14T17:47:27.000Z",
        "durationSeconds": 12.333,
        "thumbnailUrl": "https://scontent-cph2-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/746421066_18088964012323578_1371556212593119396_n.jpg?...",
        "videoUrl": "https://scontent-cph2-1.cdninstagram.com/o1/v/t2/f2/m86/AQPRKXt1G6vrSNMtCD3y4roRhkZUU-SMO5R75U3-eAFEbtFGU6IzDJptEbfwWLTINTa9ZX5y-KO_OvBo4mp57r_n0PDYo7Wj368K6KU.mp4?...",
        "author": {
          "username": "bencekibris",
          "displayName": "Melisa Yıldırım",
          "url": "https://instagram.com/bencekibris"
        },
        "engagement": {
          "views": 37937,
          "likes": 297,
          "comments": 641
        },
        "hashtags": [
          "reels",
          "viral",
          "fyp",
          "travel",
          "travelreels"
        ],
        "mentions": []
      },
      {
        "platform": "instagram",
        "url": "https://www.instagram.com/p/DazJr5PBcC3/",
        "id": "3941536697690734775",
        "postType": "Video",
        "productType": "clips",
        "caption": "It’s officially Hot summer night in mid July just like miss #lanadelray said #hotsummernights #midjuly #travel",
        "description": "It’s officially Hot summer night in mid July just like miss #lanadelray said #hotsummernights #midjuly #travel",
        "publishedAt": "2026-07-15T03:58:01.000Z",
        "durationSeconds": 16.972,
        "thumbnailUrl": "https://scontent-cph2-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/746042012_18609462409002256_3222197168337217329_n.jpg?...",
        "videoUrl": "https://scontent-cph2-1.cdninstagram.com/o1/v/t2/f2/m86/AQNjviBRPVEuheQRRrMOf2adQ6sKXUyWQeRvrbuKRr3QVWU2sUiizNhM7M5gYgXUSNGk-cDMur_ViWKTYaYps7oQxcxCqohZg4xAuzw.mp4?...",
        "author": {
          "username": "rammyun",
          "displayName": "⠀⠀⠀✨Ram | 람 Lam 🌎",
          "url": "https://instagram.com/rammyun"
        },
        "engagement": {
          "views": 5572,
          "likes": 378,
          "comments": 12
        },
        "hashtags": [
          "lanadelray",
          "hotsummernights",
          "midjuly",
          "travel"
        ],
        "mentions": []
      },
      {
        "platform": "instagram",
        "url": "https://www.instagram.com/p/Day6yk5JMk6/",
        "id": "3941471186187503930",
        "postType": "Video",
        "productType": "clips",
        "caption": "THIS IS THE ARGENTINA THEY DON’T SHOW!\n\nBLACK COMMUNITIES AND BUSINESSES IN ARGENTINA NEED US!\n\nIn a time where Black communities in Argentina are being erased from the conversation ,  we have to show up even louder. \n\nJust 14 minutes outside of Buenos Aires sits Dock Sud, home to the Unión Caboverdeana @soc.cv.argentina , a Cape Verdean community that has been rooted in Argentina since the early 1900s. They crossed an ocean, built a mutual aid society, and have kept their African roots alive for over a century. And most people don’t even know they exist.\n\nWalking through those doors and seeing the history on the walls, watching people play Mancala , a game that connects the African diaspora across the entire world  and sharing a glass of Ponche from their commemorative bottles… it reminded me that we are more connected than we ever know.\n\nAnd with everything going on right now, supporting Black communities , whether through travel, visibility, or simply showing up , matters more than ever. Don’t let their stories be invisible.\n\n📅 Afro Argentine Day is November 8th , mark it, honor it, share it.\n\nIf you want to experience this yourself, follow @lunfardatravel @afroargentina.tours they will take you there. We love you @mariana.radisic @amediahora ❤️\n\nAnd if you want to pull up WITH me to support them in November comment “San Telmo” below and I’ll send you the information session link.",
        "description": "THIS IS THE ARGENTINA THEY DON’T SHOW!\n\nBLACK COMMUNITIES AND BUSINESSES IN ARGENTINA NEED US!\n\nIn a time where Black communities in Argentina are being erased from the conversation ,  we have to show up even louder. \n\nJust 14 minutes outside of Buenos Aires sits Dock Sud, home to the Unión Caboverdeana @soc.cv.argentina , a Cape Verdean community that has been rooted in Argentina since the early 1900s. They crossed an ocean, built a mutual aid society, and have kept their African roots alive for over a century. And most people don’t even know they exist.\n\nWalking through those doors and seeing the history on the walls, watching people play Mancala , a game that connects the African diaspora across the entire world  and sharing a glass of Ponche from their commemorative bottles… it reminded me that we are more connected than we ever know.\n\nAnd with everything going on right now, supporting Black communities , whether through travel, visibility, or simply showing up , matters more than ever. Don’t let their stories be invisible.\n\n📅 Afro Argentine Day is November 8th , mark it, honor it, share it.\n\nIf you want to experience this yourself, follow @lunfardatravel @afroargentina.tours they will take you there. We love you @mariana.radisic @amediahora ❤️\n\nAnd if you want to pull up WITH me to support them in November comment “San Telmo” below and I’ll send you the information session link.",
        "publishedAt": "2026-07-15T01:56:38.000Z",
        "durationSeconds": 81.566,
        "thumbnailUrl": "https://scontent-cph2-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.71878-15/746484986_1365144752225649_1124860205890885047_n.jpg?...",
        "videoUrl": "https://scontent-cph2-1.cdninstagram.com/o1/v/t2/f2/m86/AQNWIQhSaHpqN0EAL6qjVJv5BiTnl6oSjXFZnQ9HffDb2_JzVMnhIluZwKHMk8WCCR0MoswBPdMl0szrmzQqP23vnpQXzqjgb1t63Gg.mp4?...",
        "author": {
          "username": "marty_sandiego",
          "displayName": "Martinique Lewis .Black Travel Show host / Tech Founder",
          "url": "https://instagram.com/marty_sandiego"
        },
        "engagement": {
          "views": 5929,
          "likes": 570,
          "comments": 50
        },
        "hashtags": [],
        "mentions": [
          "soc.cv.argentina",
          "lunfardatravel",
          "afroargentina.tours",
          "mariana.radisic",
          "amediahora"
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

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

  • queryThe search query you sent.
  • totalReturnedNumber of items returned in this response.

Results

Each item in results contains:

  • platformPlatform identifier (e.g. youtube, instagram).
  • urlCanonical URL of the item.
  • idStable platform ID for the item.
  • postTypePost type ("Image", "Video" or "Sidecar" for carousels).
  • productTypePlatform product type (e.g. clips, feed).
  • captionPost caption.
  • descriptionDescription text.
  • publishedAtPublish date (ISO 8601).
  • durationSecondsLength in seconds.
  • thumbnailUrlThumbnail image URL.
  • videoUrlDirect video file URL (CDN link).
  • authorObject with username, displayName, url.
  • engagementObject with views, likes, comments.
  • hashtagsHashtags extracted from the text.
  • mentionsAccounts mentioned in the text.

Parameters

NameTypeRequiredDescription
qstringYesHashtag (without #) or keyword (min 2 characters).
limitintegerNoMax items to return (default 20, max 200). Billed per result.

Authentication: send your key as Authorization: Bearer capt_live_.... A typical call costs 12 credits — billed per result, so the exact amount scales with how many items you request. Repeat calls for the same request are served from cache for free (metrics refresh within ~1 hour).

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

How it works

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

Use cases

Trend Discovery

Find trending content by keyword or hashtag.

Content Sourcing

Build feeds and playlists programmatically.

Monitoring

Track topics, brands, and competitors.

Research

Sample large sets of content for analysis.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Instagram Reels Search API do?+

The Instagram Reels Search API lets you search and return matching results from a public Instagram query using one GET request to /v1/instagram/reels-search. It returns clean JSON — no OAuth or scraping setup required.

How many credits does the Instagram Reels Search API cost?+

Each successful call costs 12 credits. 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 Reels Search 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

Ready to use the Instagram Reels Search API?

Sign up, grab your key, and make your first call in 60 seconds.