Instagram Search API

Search public Instagram posts and Reels by keyword or hashtag. Returns media links, captions, publish times, engagement counts and owner details, with nextCursor for more results. Search results reflect Instagram’s ranking and available content.

Endpoint: POST /instagram/search
Price: 1 credit per result
SDK: client.instagram.searchPosts()
MCP tool: instagram_search

Start free with 100 credits Read docs →

Terminal

$curl -X POST "https://api.bridgly.app/instagram/search" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BRIDGLY_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
  "query": "travel",
  "count": 3
}'

request.py

import os
import requests
response = requests.post(
    "https://api.bridgly.app/instagram/search",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['BRIDGLY_KEY']}"},
    json={
        "query": "travel",
        "count": 3,
    },
)
data = response.json()

request.js

const response = await fetch("https://api.bridgly.app/instagram/search", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.BRIDGLY_KEY}`,
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    "query": "travel",
    "count": 3
  }),
});
const data = await response.json();

request.ts

import { Bridgly } from "@bridgly/sdk";
const client = new Bridgly({ apiKey: "bgly_YOUR_KEY" });
const res = await client.instagram.searchPosts({
  query: "travel",
  count: 3
});
if (res.type === "success") {
  console.log(res.data);
}

[ REQUEST AND RESPONSE ]

What does the Instagram Search API return?

Search public Instagram posts and Reels by keyword or hashtag, with captions, media links, publish times and engagement counts as paginated JSON. Every response has the same envelope: the result in data, plus timeMs and the creditsCost of the call.

Request body

querystringrequired
countinteger · 1–10 · default 10: Number of results to return (1–10). Defaults to 10.
cursorstring: The previous response's `nextCursor`, to fetch the next page. Omit it for the first page.

Example response

200 OK · application/json

{
  "timeMs": 1840,
  "creditsCost": 1,
  "data": {
    "nextCursor": "string",
    "posts": [
      {
        "id": "string",
        "type": "Image",
        "display_url": "string",
        "video_url": "string",
        "width": 0,
        "height": 0,
        "video_duration": 0,
        "accessibility_caption": "string",
        "image_versions": [
          {
            "url": "string",
            "width": 0,
            "height": 0
          }
        ],
        "video_versions": [
          {
            "url": "string",
            "width": 0,
            "height": 0,
            "type": 0
          }
        ],
        "has_audio": true,
        "video_dash_manifest": "string",
        "number_of_qualities": 0,
        "carousel_parent_id": "string",
        "user_tags": [
          {
            "user": {
              "id": "string",
              "username": "string",
              "full_name": "string",
              "profile_pic_url": "string",
              "is_private": true,
              "is_verified": true,
              "profile_pic_id": "string",
              "latest_reel_media": 0,
              "is_mentionable": true
            },
            "position": [
              0
            ]
          }
        ],
        "shortcode": "string",
        "url": "string",
        "caption": "string",
        "likes": 0,
        "comments": 0,
        "timestamp": 0,
        "is_video": true,
        "video_view_count": 0,
        "owner": {
          "id": "string",
          "username": "string",
          "full_name": "string",
          "profile_pic_url": "string",
          "is_private": true,
          "is_verified": true,
          "profile_pic_id": "string",
          "latest_reel_media": 0,
          "is_mentionable": true
        },
        "carousel_media": [
          {
            "id": "string",
            "type": "Image",
            "display_url": "string",
            "video_url": "string",
            "width": 0,
            "height": 0,
            "video_duration": 0,
            "accessibility_caption": "string",
            "image_versions": [
              {
                "url": "string",
                "width": 0,
                "height": 0
              }
            ],
            "video_versions": [
              {
                "url": "string",
                "width": 0,
                "height": 0,
                "type": 0
              }
            ],
            "has_audio": true,
            "video_dash_manifest": "string",
            "number_of_qualities": 0,
            "carousel_parent_id": "string",
            "user_tags": [
              {
                "user": {
                  "id": "string",
                  "username": "string",
                  "full_name": "string",
                  "profile_pic_url": "string",
                  "is_private": true,
                  "is_verified": true,
                  "profile_pic_id": "string",
                  "latest_reel_media": 0,
                  "is_mentionable": true
                },
                "position": [
                  0
                ]
              }
            ]
          }
        ],
        "caption_id": "string",
        "caption_created_at": 0,
        "caption_is_edited": true,
        "caption_has_translation": true,
        "product_type": "string",
        "play_count": 0,
        "comments_disabled": true,
        "like_and_view_counts_disabled": true,
        "is_paid_partnership": true,
        "coauthors": [
          {
            "id": "string",
            "username": "string",
            "full_name": "string",
            "profile_pic_url": "string",
            "is_private": true,
            "is_verified": true,
            "profile_pic_id": "string",
            "latest_reel_media": 0,
            "is_mentionable": true
          }
        ],
        "pinned_user_ids": [
          "string"
        ],
        "carousel_media_count": 0,
        "location": {
          "id": "string",
          "name": "string",
          "slug": "string",
          "url": "string",
          "latitude": 0,
          "longitude": 0,
          "category": "string",
          "posts_count": 0,
          "address": "string",
          "city": "string",
          "postal_code": "string",
          "phone": "string",
          "price_range": 0,
          "hours_status": "string"
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

[ USE CASES ]

What can you build with the Instagram Search API?

Discover content

Find public posts about a topic or hashtag.

Research trends

Review captions and engagement on ranked search results.

Find creators

Discover creators publishing relevant content.

[ FAQ ]

Instagram Search API questions

How do I use the Instagram Search API?

Send a POST request to https://api.bridgly.app/instagram/search with query in the JSON body and your API key in the Authorization header. In the TypeScript SDK, call client.instagram.searchPosts(). AI agents connected to Bridgly over MCP can call the instagram_search tool.

How much does the Instagram Search API cost?

Costs 1 credit per result returned, with a minimum of 1 credit per request. Credits cost $2.00 per 1,000 on pay-as-you-go and as low as $1.00 per 1,000 at volume. New accounts on a business email start with 100 free credits, and failed requests are never charged.

[ MORE ENDPOINTS ]

More Instagram endpoints

The same API key works on every endpoint. See all Instagram API endpoints.

Try the Instagram Search API

100 free credits on business email, no card. Your first call takes a minute.

APIMCPSDKCLI

free credits

On business email signup. No credit card required.

Start free with 100 credits

Book a demo Read the docs