Instagram Following API
Returns the accounts a user follows, each with username, display name, avatar URL, verification status, and profile URL.
GET /v1/instagram/followingLast updated November 2026Maintained by the SocialCrawl team
When to use the Instagram Following API
Use it for the other side of the graph from followers: the accounts this user chose to follow.
From the API reference
Returns a paginated list of the accounts an Instagram user follows. Each account includes username, display name, avatar URL, verification status, and profile URL. Pass either handle or user_id, and page through with cursor. A public account that follows nobody returns 200 with an empty list and data.total 0, not an error, and is not charged. A plain walk can end before the profile's following count: on most accounts it ends within a few rows of that count, and on large verified accounts Instagram caps every route at about 50 rows with no cursor, so a plain walk ends there. data.total carries the profile's own count on every page, so compare the rows you collected against it. Send coverage=full with handle to walk a merged list instead: each page is drawn from several reads of the list and carries no account twice inside a page, until the rows reach the count or no read has more. Across consecutive pages a handful of accounts can repeat on the pages one source covered on its own; the merged walk, which never returns an account it has already given you, runs wherever that source cannot cover the list. A full-coverage page costs 10 credits instead of 5 and takes longer, and its cursor only continues a coverage=full walk. Send query to search inside the list instead of paging it: one window of the accounts in the list whose username or display name contains the query, so the exact username of an account tells you whether it is on the list. An empty list means no account in the list matches. A query call has no cursor and no data.total, and it cannot be combined with cursor or coverage=full. On large verified accounts Instagram limits the list and does not search it, so the search runs on the roughly 50 accounts Instagram shows, only the ones that match are returned, and data._warnings says so: an account the answer does not return may still be on the list.
Searching 69 platforms in parallel
What can you do with the Following API?
The Following endpoint gives you structured Instagram data with computed fields in a single request. No scraping infrastructure to build or maintain.
Example Request
# GET /v1/instagram/following: Metered: holds 5 credits per page up front and refunds what the call does not use. Cache hits are free and failed calls are refunded.
# Check the price first for 0 credits: add dry_run=1 to the query. Nothing is fetched or charged.
# --max-time 15: this endpoint's measured p99 latency x 1.5.
# --retry 3: retries timeouts, 429 and 5xx, honoring Retry-After.
# -o response.json keeps only the final attempt's body.
# One Idempotency-Key per request, reused on every retry, so a retried call is never charged twice.
# Next page: send pagination.next_cursor back as cursor until pagination.has_more is false.
IDEMPOTENCY_KEY=$(od -An -N16 -tx1 /dev/urandom | tr -d ' \n')
curl -sS --max-time 15 --retry 3 -o response.json \
-H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Idempotency-Key: $IDEMPOTENCY_KEY" \
"https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/instagram/following?handle=mrbeast" && cat response.json# GET /v1/instagram/following: Metered: holds 5 credits per page up front and refunds what the call does not use. Cache hits are free and failed calls are refunded.
# Check the price first for 0 credits: add dry_run=1 to the query. Nothing is fetched or charged.
import os
import random
import time
import uuid
import requests
API_KEY = os.environ.get("SOCIALCRAWL_API_KEY", "YOUR_API_KEY")
TIMEOUT_S = 15 # this endpoint's measured p99 latency x 1.5.
MAX_RETRIES = 3
URL = "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/instagram/following"
def backoff(attempt):
# Exponential backoff with jitter: about 1 s, 2 s, then 4 s.
return 2 ** attempt * (0.5 + random.random() / 2)
def socialcrawl(params):
# One Idempotency-Key per request, reused on every retry, so a retried call is never charged twice.
idempotency_key = str(uuid.uuid4())
for attempt in range(MAX_RETRIES + 1):
try:
res = requests.get(
URL,
params=params,
headers={"x-api-key": API_KEY, "Idempotency-Key": idempotency_key},
timeout=TIMEOUT_S,
)
body = res.json()
except (requests.RequestException, ValueError):
# A timeout, a dropped connection or a non-JSON gateway page: retry with the same key.
if attempt == MAX_RETRIES:
raise
time.sleep(backoff(attempt))
continue
if body["success"]:
return body
error = body["error"]
# Branch on error["type"], never on the message text.
if error["type"] == "RESOURCE_NOT_FOUND":
return None # refunded: nothing to read
retry_after = res.headers.get("Retry-After")
# SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE without Retry-After is a withdrawn endpoint: permanent.
permanent = error["type"] == "SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE" and retry_after is None
if not error.get("retryable") or permanent or attempt == MAX_RETRIES:
raise RuntimeError(f"{error['type']}: {error['message']} (request_id {body['request_id']})")
# Retry-After (seconds) wins; otherwise back off.
time.sleep(float(retry_after) if retry_after else backoff(attempt))
params = {
"handle": "mrbeast",
}
# Walk the list: send pagination.next_cursor back as cursor until has_more is false.
MAX_PAGES = 10 # each page is one call
items = []
for _ in range(MAX_PAGES):
body = socialcrawl(params)
if body is None:
break
items.extend(body["data"]["items"])
page = body.get("pagination") or {}
if not page.get("has_more") or not page.get("next_cursor"):
break
params["cursor"] = page["next_cursor"]
print(f"{len(items)} items")// GET /v1/instagram/following: Metered: holds 5 credits per page up front and refunds what the call does not use. Cache hits are free and failed calls are refunded.
// Check the price first for 0 credits: add dry_run=1 to the query. Nothing is fetched or charged.
const API_KEY = process.env.SOCIALCRAWL_API_KEY ?? "YOUR_API_KEY";
const TIMEOUT_MS = 15_000; // this endpoint's measured p99 latency x 1.5.
const MAX_RETRIES = 3;
type Page = { next_cursor: string | null; has_more: boolean };
type SocialCrawlResponse =
| { success: true; data: any; pagination?: Page; credits_used: number; request_id: string }
| { success: false; error: { type: string; message: string; retryable: boolean }; request_id: string };
const sleep = (ms: number) => new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, ms));
// Exponential backoff with jitter: about 1 s, 2 s, then 4 s.
const backoffMs = (attempt: number) => 2 ** attempt * 1000 * (0.5 + Math.random() / 2);
async function socialcrawl(url: URL) {
// One Idempotency-Key per request, reused on every retry, so a retried call is never charged twice.
const idempotencyKey = crypto.randomUUID();
for (let attempt = 0; ; attempt++) {
let res: Response;
let body: SocialCrawlResponse;
try {
res = await fetch(url, {
headers: {
"x-api-key": API_KEY,
"Idempotency-Key": idempotencyKey,
},
signal: AbortSignal.timeout(TIMEOUT_MS),
});
body = (await res.json()) as SocialCrawlResponse;
} catch (error) {
// A timeout, a dropped connection or a non-JSON gateway page: retry with the same key.
if (attempt >= MAX_RETRIES) throw error;
await sleep(backoffMs(attempt));
continue;
}
if (body.success) return body;
// Branch on error.type, never on the message text.
if (body.error.type === "RESOURCE_NOT_FOUND") return null; // refunded: nothing to read
const retryAfter = res.headers.get("Retry-After");
// SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE without Retry-After is a withdrawn endpoint: permanent.
const permanent = body.error.type === "SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE" && retryAfter === null;
if (!body.error.retryable || permanent || attempt >= MAX_RETRIES) {
throw new Error(`${body.error.type}: ${body.error.message} (request_id ${body.request_id})`);
}
// Retry-After (seconds) wins; otherwise back off.
await sleep(retryAfter ? Number(retryAfter) * 1000 : backoffMs(attempt));
}
}
const url = new URL("https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/instagram/following");
url.searchParams.set("handle", "mrbeast");
// Walk the list: send pagination.next_cursor back as cursor until has_more is false.
const MAX_PAGES = 10; // each page is one call
const items: unknown[] = [];
for (let page = 0; page < MAX_PAGES; page++) {
const body = await socialcrawl(url);
if (!body) break;
items.push(...body.data.items);
const next = body.pagination?.next_cursor;
if (!body.pagination?.has_more || !next) break;
url.searchParams.set("cursor", next);
}
console.log(`${items.length} items`);Parameters
| Parameter | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| handle | No | Instagram username without the @ symbol. |
| user_id | No | Instagram numeric user ID. Use this for faster responses. |
| cursor | No | Pagination cursor. Use the `next_cursor` from the previous response to fetch the next page. |
| coverage | No | Send `full` to walk a merged list: accounts are added from several reads of the list and no account appears twice inside a page, until the rows reach the profile's count in `data.total`. On the pages one source covered on its own a handful of accounts can repeat across consecutive pages; wherever that source cannot cover the list the merged walk runs instead, and it never returns an account it has already given you. Requires `handle`. 10 credits a page instead of 5, settled down to 5 on any page a single read covered in full. Up to three reads are merged into one page, typically about 50 accounts, so a full list costs at most roughly the account count divided by 50, times 10 credits: on 13/09/2026 a following list of 2,652 took 54 pages and a follower list of 2,360 took 59, because the later pages of a follower walk add fewer new accounts. A page usually takes about 8 seconds and can take up to about 45, and a `503` is retried with the same cursor. A cursor from this mode only continues this mode. (full) |
| query | No | A username or name to look for in the list. Returns the accounts whose username or display name contains it (ignoring case and accents) in one window with no cursor, at the price of a page, and nothing is charged when no account matches. Cannot be combined with `cursor` or `coverage`. |
| max_pages | No | 1 to 50 (default 1, or 50 when `max_items` or `max_credits` is sent). Walk up to this many pages in one call and return the rows from all of them. Each page walked is billed exactly as one call to this endpoint (a cached page is free) and counts against your rate limit; its charge and any refund are recorded under the page's own request id, listed in `data.walk.request_ids`. The walk stops early at the last page, or when the request's time budget runs low; `data.walk.stopped` says why (`end`, `max_pages`, `max_items`, `max_credits`, `time_budget`, `page_error`) and `pagination.next_cursor` continues from where it stopped. |
| max_items | No | 1 to 5000. Get more in one call: keep walking pages until the response holds at least this many rows, then stop with `data.walk.stopped: "max_items"`. The last page is returned whole (it was billed), so `data.items` can hold up to one page more than this, and `pagination.next_cursor` resumes right after it without skipping a row. Walks up to 50 pages unless `max_pages` says fewer; each page is billed as one call (a cached page is free). Add `max_credits` to cap the spend. A long walk can stop on the time budget first (`"time_budget"`): send the returned cursor with the same params to continue. |
| max_credits | No | 1 to 100000. The most this call may spend, across every page it walks. A page starts only while the credits already spent plus that page's price (or, when higher, the most any page of this walk has cost) still fit, so the call never goes past it; the walk then stops with `data.walk.stopped: "max_credits"` and the cursor to resume. Sent alone, it walks as far as the budget goes (up to 50 pages). A value below the price of one page is a free 400 whose `error.details.page_credits` names that price. Credits a row join (`include=`) adds are known only once a page has run, so page 1 is checked against its own price. |
What does the Instagram Following API return?
Every response follows one unified schema. Here is a real, unmodified response body, so you can see the exact fields you get back before spending a credit.
Example response
{
"success": true,
"platform": "instagram",
"endpoint": "/v1/instagram/following",
"data": {
"items": [
{
"author": {
"id": "user_54f6ee",
"username": "user_e245ca",
"display_name": "user_41efba",
"avatar_url": "https://example.com/avatars/user_4e923c.png",
"bio": null,
"verified": true,
"followers": null,
"following": null,
"posts_count": null,
"likes_count": null,
"url": "https://example.com/user_6f5637"
}
},
{
"author": {
"id": "user_249834",
"username": "user_fcc1d0",
"display_name": "user_663e3a",
"avatar_url": "https://example.com/avatars/user_64f90b.png",
"bio": null,
"verified": true,
"followers": null,
"following": null,
"posts_count": null,
"likes_count": null,
"url": "https://example.com/user_65c969"
}
}
],
"next_cursor": "sc2.eyJzIjoiViIsImMiOiJRVkZEU25aNFltMDFRMHh2UkZsMWExaElSMUE0YUVGallVbERVVFkxY0ZCQlJXc3RNR1ZLZWt0emJFMDVNR1U1T0ZsQ1NIUlliM05qUzFnMFVYWnFhbEpITm1kelZERTFWSEJ5YUZOc01uTklVa3A0UjI1M1dRPT0ifQ",
"total": 1008,
"dropped": 0
},
"credits_used": 5,
"request_id": "req_example000000",
"cached": false,
"pagination": {
"next_cursor": "sc.eyJ2IjoyLCJjIjoic2MyLmV5SnpJam9pVmlJc0ltTWlPaUpSVmtaRVUyNWFORmx0TURGUk1IaDJVa1pzTVdFeGFFbFNNVUUwWVVWR2FsbFZiRVJWVkZreFkwWkNRbEpYYzNSTlIxWkxaV3QwZW1KRk1EVk5SMVUxVDBac1ExTklVbGxpTTA1cVV6Rm5NRlZZV25GaGJFcElUbTFrZWxaRVJURldTRUo1WVVaT2MwMXVUa2xWYTNBMFVqSTFNMWRSUFQwaWZRIiwiZSI6Imluc3RhZ3JhbS9mb2xsb3dpbmciLCJwIjoiY3Vyc29yIn0",
"has_more": true,
"page_size": 200
},
"credits_remaining": 9999,
"source": "captured",
"captured_at": "2026-10-02T13:07:13.056Z",
"redacted": true
}Live sample illustrating the unified response shape. Field values reflect the record you query.
How does the Instagram Following API work?
Send a GET request with your API key and get back clean, structured JSON in our unified schema. Supported computed fields are populated when the source provides the required inputs.
Method
GET
Response
JSON
How do you scrape social media data in seconds?
The fastest social media scraping API for developers. Scrape profiles, posts, comments, and analytics from 69 platforms covering 10B+ monthly active users.
One schema, every platform
Query 69 platforms with identical response structures. Write your integration once.
Computed fields, not just scraped
When an endpoint supports these metrics and the source provides the required inputs, the normalized record includes engagement_rate, estimated_reach, content_category, and language. Ready to use.
See your data before you code
Visual Data Explorer. Paste any URL, get rich result cards, sortable tables, CSV export.
import requests
response = requests.get(
'https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/tiktok/profile',
params={'handle': 'charlidamelio'},
headers={'x-api-key': 'sc_YOUR_API_KEY'}
)
data = response.json(){
"success": true,
"platform": "tiktok",
"data": {
"author": {
"username": "charlidamelio",
"followers": 152400000
},
"engagement": {
"likes": 12400000000,
"engagement_rate": 0.087
},
"metadata": {
"language": "en",
"content_category": "lifestyle"
}
}
}Have a question? We got answers
Find answers to frequently asked questions about SocialCrawl's API, pricing, and capabilities.
Contact usHow do I get the accounts an Instagram user follows via API?
Can I query the following list by user ID?
How do I paginate the full following list?
How much does the Instagram Following API cost?
What is the following list useful for?
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