# Instagram profile API for creator research

Look up a known public Instagram profile to build a creator shortlist or record a profile snapshot. This endpoint retrieves profile data; discovery and ranking happen in your application.

Canonical: https://fetchfox.net/docs/instagram-profile-api

## Request

GET /instagram/channel-stats (query parameters) or POST /instagram/channel-stats (JSON). Authenticate with x-access-key. Keep keys server-side.

Credits: 1 credit per successful profile lookup.

### curl

```
curl --fail-with-body --get 'https://api.fetchfox.net/instagram/channel-stats' \
  -H 'x-access-key: YOUR_KEY' \
  --data-urlencode 'url=https://www.instagram.com/instagram/'
```

### JavaScript

```
// Run on your server with FETCHFOX_API_KEY set.
const url = new URL('https://api.fetchfox.net/instagram/channel-stats');
url.searchParams.set('url', 'https://www.instagram.com/instagram/');
const response = await fetch(url, {
  headers: { 'x-access-key': process.env.FETCHFOX_API_KEY },
  signal: AbortSignal.timeout(130000)
});
if (!response.ok) throw new Error('HTTP ' + response.status);
const result = await response.json();
if (!result.success) throw new Error('Request unsuccessful');
console.log(result.data);
```

### Python

```
import json, os
from urllib.parse import urlencode
from urllib.request import Request, urlopen

query = urlencode({"url":"https://www.instagram.com/instagram/"})
request = Request('https://api.fetchfox.net/instagram/channel-stats?' + query,
    headers={'x-access-key': os.environ['FETCHFOX_API_KEY']})
with urlopen(request, timeout=130) as response:
    result = json.load(response)
if not result.get('success'):
    raise RuntimeError('Request unsuccessful')
print(result['data'])
```

## Profile fields

The response can include identity fields, bio, verification status, followers, following, and totalPosts. Optional fields depend on public source availability. verified is null when verification cannot be established. approximateFields identifies rounded source counts, such as totalPosts; do not treat those as exact counts. The selected fields below were returned for https://www.instagram.com/instagram/ on October 11, 2026. Counts can change; optional identity fields are omitted.

```
{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "profileUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/instagram/",
    "userId": "25025320",
    "username": "instagram",
    "followers": 686571916,
    "following": 307,
    "totalPosts": 8617
  }
}
```

## Build a comparable snapshot

Store profileUrl and userId alongside username and your retrieval time. Compare counts only across comparable snapshots, and preserve missing values instead of silently turning them into zero.

Follower counts do not establish audience quality, audience demographics, or a creator’s suitability. Review recent posts and the creator’s public context before using a shortlist.

## What this endpoint does not return

This is a public profile lookup, not an account search or private analytics integration. It does not return audience demographics, private account content, or a list of commenters. Fetch recent posts or reels through the separate list endpoints.

## Related pages

- https://fetchfox.net/guides/instagram-creator-research

- https://fetchfox.net/docs/instagram-posts-api

- https://fetchfox.net/docs/instagram-reels-api