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Instagram Search Popular API
Returns popular Instagram posts matching a keyword, each with caption, play count, permalink, thumbnail, and the owner's username.
GET /v1/instagram/search/popularLast updated November 2026Maintained by the SocialCrawl team
When to use the Instagram Search Popular API
Use it to sample what is popular for a topic; search/reels is the choice when you want a keyword reel feed instead.
Not for a reel feed (instagram/search/reels) or one specific tag (instagram/search/hashtag).
From the API reference
Returns popular Instagram posts matching a keyword. Each post includes caption, play count, permalink, thumbnail, and the owner's username. The popular surface itself does not publish like or comment counts, the post date or the duration, so on a plain call post.engagement.likes, .comments, .shares, post.published_at and post.content.duration_seconds are null. Send include=engagement and every row is joined, in the same call, to the per-post lookup that carries them: likes, comments, shares (the paper-plane send count), views, the exact publish time and the duration land on each row. Cost: 1 credit for the page plus 1 credit per row that was filled from a fresh lookup (12 rows max, so 13 credits at most); rows already in cache are filled for free, rows that could not be filled are refunded, and a repeat of the same call within the cache window is 0 credits. Time: a plain call is 2 to 3 seconds; include=engagement adds 2 to 9 seconds on a fresh page (the twelve lookups run in parallel and the call waits for the slowest, never more than 12 seconds) and nothing when the rows are already cached. limit=N caps the rows and the credits together. The response carries a hydration block itemising rows, lookups, cache hits, credits and milliseconds. Accounts that hide their like count keep likes null. post.engagement.saves is not available on this surface and stays null either way. Page with cursor. Instagram has no popular page for some queries, often place names or rare phrases: those calls return 404 at no charge, so use /v1/instagram/search/reels for the same keyword instead.
Searching 69 platforms in parallel
·
TikTok·Instagram·
YouTube·
Facebook·
X·
LinkedIn·
Reddit·
Threads·
Pinterest·
Twitch·
Truth Social·
Snapchat·
Kick·
Bluesky·
Kwai·
Rumble·
Spotify·
Apple Music·TikTok Shop·
Amazon Shop·
Google Shopping·
Trustpilot·
TripAdvisor·
Yelp·
Linktree·
Komi·
Pillar·
lnk.bio·Facebook Ads·Google Ads·LinkedIn Ads·Google Search·Google News·
Finance·
Polymarket·
Tavily·
Hacker News·
GitHub·
Perplexity·
Naver·
Utility·
Universal Search
TikTok·Instagram·YouTube·Facebook·X·LinkedIn·Reddit·Threads·Pinterest·Twitch·Truth Social·Snapchat·Kick·Bluesky·Kwai·Rumble·Spotify·Apple Music·TikTok Shop·Amazon Shop·Google Shopping·Trustpilot·TripAdvisor·Yelp·Linktree·Komi·Pillar·lnk.bio·Facebook Ads·Google Ads·LinkedIn Ads·Google Search·Google News·Finance·Polymarket·Tavily·Hacker News·GitHub·Perplexity·Naver·Utility·Universal Search·TikTok·Instagram·YouTube·Facebook·X·LinkedIn·Reddit·Threads·Pinterest·Twitch·Truth Social·Snapchat·Kick·Bluesky·Kwai·Rumble·Spotify·Apple Music·TikTok Shop·Amazon Shop·Google Shopping·Trustpilot·TripAdvisor·Yelp·Linktree·Komi·Pillar·lnk.bio·Facebook Ads·Google Ads·LinkedIn Ads·Google Search·Google News·Finance·Polymarket·Tavily·Hacker News·GitHub·Perplexity·Naver·Utility·Universal Search
TikTok·Instagram·YouTube·Facebook·X·LinkedIn·Reddit·Threads·Pinterest·Twitch·Truth Social·Snapchat·Kick·Bluesky·Kwai·Rumble·Spotify·Apple Music·TikTok Shop·Amazon Shop·Google Shopping·Trustpilot·TripAdvisor·Yelp·Linktree·Komi·Pillar·lnk.bio·Facebook Ads·Google Ads·LinkedIn Ads·Google Search·Google News·Finance·Polymarket·Tavily·Hacker News·GitHub·Perplexity·Naver·Utility·Universal Search·TikTok·Instagram·YouTube·Facebook·X·LinkedIn·Reddit·Threads·Pinterest·Twitch·Truth Social·Snapchat·Kick·Bluesky·Kwai·Rumble·Spotify·Apple Music·TikTok Shop·Amazon Shop·Google Shopping·Trustpilot·TripAdvisor·Yelp·Linktree·Komi·Pillar·lnk.bio·Facebook Ads·Google Ads·LinkedIn Ads·Google Search·Google News·Finance·Polymarket·Tavily·Hacker News·GitHub·Perplexity·Naver·Utility·Universal Search
TikTok·Instagram·YouTube·Facebook·X·LinkedIn·Reddit·Threads·Pinterest·Twitch·Truth Social·Snapchat·Kick·Bluesky·Kwai·Rumble·Spotify·Apple Music·TikTok Shop·Amazon Shop·Google Shopping·Trustpilot·TripAdvisor·Yelp·Linktree·Komi·Pillar·lnk.bio·Facebook Ads·Google Ads·LinkedIn Ads·Google Search·Google News·Finance·Polymarket·Tavily·Hacker News·GitHub·Perplexity·Naver·Utility·Universal Search·TikTok·Instagram·YouTube·Facebook·X·LinkedIn·Reddit·Threads·Pinterest·Twitch·Truth Social·Snapchat·Kick·Bluesky·Kwai·Rumble·Spotify·Apple Music·TikTok Shop·Amazon Shop·Google Shopping·Trustpilot·TripAdvisor·Yelp·Linktree·Komi·Pillar·lnk.bio·Facebook Ads·Google Ads·LinkedIn Ads·Google Search·Google News·Finance·Polymarket·Tavily·Hacker News·GitHub·Perplexity·Naver·Utility·Universal Search
TikTok·Instagram·YouTube·Facebook·X·LinkedIn·Reddit·Threads·Pinterest·Twitch·Truth Social·Snapchat·Kick·Bluesky·Kwai·Rumble·Spotify·Apple Music·TikTok Shop·Amazon Shop·Google Shopping·Trustpilot·TripAdvisor·Yelp·Linktree·Komi·Pillar·lnk.bio·Facebook Ads·Google Ads·LinkedIn Ads·Google Search·Google News·Finance·Polymarket·Tavily·Hacker News·GitHub·Perplexity·Naver·Utility·Universal SearchInstagram API
What can you do with the Search Popular API?
The Search Popular 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/search/popular: Metered: holds 1 credit 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 38: 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 38 --retry 3 -o response.json \
-H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Idempotency-Key: $IDEMPOTENCY_KEY" \
"https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/instagram/search/popular?query=basketball" && cat response.json# GET /v1/instagram/search/popular: Metered: holds 1 credit 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 = 38 # this endpoint's measured p99 latency x 1.5.
MAX_RETRIES = 3
URL = "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/instagram/search/popular"
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 = {
"query": "basketball",
}
# 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/search/popular: Metered: holds 1 credit 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 = 38_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 ${body.request_id})`);
}
// Retry-After (seconds) wins; otherwise back off.
await sleep(retryAfter ? Number(retryAfter) * 1000 : backoffMs(attempt));
}
}
const url = new URL("https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/instagram/search/popular");
url.searchParams.set("query", "basketball");
// Walk the list: send pagination.next_cursor back as cursor until has_more is false.
const MAX_PAGES = 10; // each page is one call
const items: unknown[] = [];
for (let page = 0; page < MAX_PAGES; page++) {
const body = await socialcrawl(url);
if (!body) break;
items.push(...body.data.items);
const next = body.pagination?.next_cursor;
if (!body.pagination?.has_more || !next) break;
url.searchParams.set("cursor", next);
}
console.log(`${items.length} items`);Parameters
| Parameter | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| query | Yes | Keyword or topic to find popular Instagram posts. |
| cursor | No | Cursor from the previous response to fetch the next page. |
| include | No | Set to `engagement` (one token only) to fill `post.engagement.likes`, `.comments`, `.shares`, `.views`, `post.published_at` and `post.content.duration_seconds` on every row in this one call. Holds 1 credit per row (at most 12, or `limit`) and keeps only the rows filled from a fresh lookup; rows already in cache and rows that could not be filled are refunded, so the most a call can cost is 1 + rows and the usual bill is lower. Adds 2 to 9 seconds on a fresh page (never more than 12) and nothing when the rows are already cached; read `data.hydration` for the rows, the credits held and kept, and the time. (engagement) |
| limit | No | Take the top N rows of the page (1 to 12) after the search has run. With `include=engagement` it also caps the extra credits at N: `limit=5&include=engagement` costs at most 6. It is not a page size: `next_cursor` still advances past the full page, so rows beyond N on this page are not returned by the next page. |
| since | No | Only rows published on or after this date: YYYY-MM-DD (midnight UTC) or an ISO 8601 timestamp. Rows older than it are left off each page. This list is not in date order, so the walk does not stop at the date: keep following `next_cursor`, and each page costs what a page costs even when every row on it is filtered out. A row with no date is kept. `published_after`, `start_date`, `from_date`, `publish_time` (`yesterday`, `this-week`, `this-month`, `last-3-months`, `last-6-months`) and `max_age_days` are accepted and applied as `since`. |
| until | No | Only rows published on or before this date: YYYY-MM-DD (that whole UTC day is included) or an ISO 8601 timestamp. Newer rows are left off each page and the walk does not stop, so older pages follow. A row with no date is kept. `published_before`, `end_date` and `to_date` are accepted and applied as `until`. |
| 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. |
Example Response
What does the Instagram Search Popular 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/search/popular",
"data": {
"items": [
{
"post": {
"id": "3950673596807175488",
"url": "https://www.instagram.com/p/DbTnLRpNN1A/",
"content": {
"text": "Sample comment text (redacted). Sample comment text (redacted). Sample comment text (redacted). Sample comment text (redacted). Sample comment text (redacted). Sample comment text (redacted). Sample comment text (redacted). Sample comment text (redacted). Sample comment text (redacted). Sample comment text (redacted). Sample comment text (redacted). Sample comment text (redacted). Sample comment text (redacted). Sample comment text (redacted).",
"media_urls": "https://scontent-atl3-2.cdninstagram.com/user_2352da/v/t2/f2/m86/AQPjapwgpHIbntj7xCnWHwz2onav5nntg60vFtkT3XEg3vLplqV1m54WXDWboklrnPnTb5LRnuie3--Xhp85yLGPMVZNiL22EVhayiE.mp4?_nc_cat=101&_nc_sid=5e9851&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-2.cdninstagram.com&_nc_ohc=Ku8eCGUzKEAQ7kNvwGawbVS&efg=eyJ2ZW5jb2RlX3RhZyI6Inhwdl9wcm9ncmVzc2l2ZS5JTlNUQUdSQU0uQ0xJUFMuQzMuNzIwLmRhc2hfYmFzZWxpbmVfMV92MSIsInhwdl9hc3NldF9pZCI6MTUxMjcwMzU5MzQ3NDYxMCwiYXNzZXRfYWdlX2RheXMiOjY2LCJ2aV91c2VjYXNlX2lkIjoxMDA5OSwiZHVyYXRpb25fcyI6NiwidXJsZ2VuX3NvdXJjZSI6Ind3dyJ9&ccb=17-1&vs=d9ad7592b11e0b4b&_nc_vs=HBksFQIYUmlnX3hwdl9yZWVsc19wZXJtYW5lbnRfc3JfcHJvZC8wRjRCQzlEOTk1RjYyNTU1NDZGMzBBRTZDNDVFODI5Q192aWRlb19kYXNoaW5pdC5tcDQVAALIARIAFQIYUWlnX3hwdl9wbGFjZW1lbnRfcGVybWFuZW50X3YyLzZFNDYyNDkxRjAxQjRCMEQ4NEE5Rjk5OUEyMzU5NzkxX2F1ZGlvX2Rhc2hpbml0Lm1wNBUCAsgBEgAoABgAGwKIB3VzZV9vaWwBMRJwcm9ncmVzc2l2ZV9yZWNpcGUBMRUAACbkqLeF-PKvBRUCKAJDMywXQBuZmZmZmZoYEmRhc2hfYmFzZWxpbmVfMV92MREAdf4HZeadAQA&_nc_gid=BIu8ZnzDHfpvMUjQ9L9nuw&_nc_zt=28&_nc_ss=70689&oh=00_AQNjB-k28kccDbaP7uBLZx1B4pffpJy9wpDTmiZRKqSopA&oe=6AC12EDE",
"thumbnail_url": "https://scontent-atl3-2.cdninstagram.com/user_4c9448/t51.82787-15/758401726_17888212497667117_4059043247986072264_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e15_tt6&_nc_cat=105&ig_cache_key=Mzk1MDY3MzU5NjgwNzE3NTQ4ODE3ODg4MjEyNDk0NjY3MTE3.3-ccb7-5&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=58cdad&efg=eyJ2ZW5jb2RlX3RhZyI6IkNMSVBTLnhwaWRzLjEzMjAuc2RyLnZpZGVvX2RlZmF1bHRfY292ZXJfZnJhbWUuQzMifQ%3D%3D&_nc_ohc=x5H9DJ4XcvUQ7kNvwF2PS4r&_nc_oc=Adp9cIaTK7bzDrpPR8zCZaBX0C1iuKAM6Kbpr8z87t6aajvbjx8ExInO0-gL9BzgZAgOmzFsQFYNORSCQs531Adk&_nc_ad=z-m&_nc_cid=0&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-2.cdninstagram.com&_nc_gid=BIu8ZnzDHfpvMUjQ9L9nuw&_nc_ss=7a22e&oh=00_AQNdcm9xObHQY5UpL-6NRD0SwNkPTcqGrtciEpO8X5No9g&oe=6AC51A89",
"duration_seconds": 6.9
},
"author": {
"username": "user_7690fa",
"display_name": "user_e155be",
"avatar_url": null,
"verified": null
},
"engagement": {
"views": 22493648,
"likes": 217344,
"comments": 1015,
"shares": null,
"saves": null
},
"flags": {
"nsfw": null,
"spoiler": null,
"pinned": null,
"deleted": false
},
"published_at": "2026-07-27T18:30:48.000Z",
"ext": {
"author_id": "user_5eb746"
}
},
"computed": {
"engagement_rate": 0.009708,
"language": "en",
"content_category": "sports",
"estimated_reach": 26992378
}
},
{
"post": {
"id": "3936030195327313495",
"url": "https://www.instagram.com/p/DaflpvRsiZX/",
"content": {
"text": "Sample comment text (redacted). Sample comment text (redacted). Sample comment text (redacted). Sample comment text (redacted). Sample comment text (redacted). Sample comment text (redacted). Sample comment text (redacted). Sample comment text (redacted). Sample comment text (redacted). Sample comment text (redacted). Sample comment text (redacted). Sample comment text (redacted). Sample comment text (redacted). Sample comment text (redacted).",
"media_urls": "https://scontent-ord5-2.cdninstagram.com/user_2352da/v/t2/f2/m86/AQO6Ryht2XWYR4pWhleM2XYutOpq1v-FAiDNbdtyeh3t8nSN_agBcrKgWm-ds8R9SpJt2rKRu3qQvT0hL8r3anMqPerxtnB6R2IPXjQ.mp4?_nc_cat=107&_nc_sid=5e9851&_nc_ht=scontent-ord5-2.cdninstagram.com&_nc_ohc=_7YKdYie2MYQ7kNvwGc2W77&efg=eyJ2ZW5jb2RlX3RhZyI6Inhwdl9wcm9ncmVzc2l2ZS5JTlNUQUdSQU0uQ0xJUFMuQzMuNzIwLmRhc2hfYmFzZWxpbmVfMV92MSIsInhwdl9hc3NldF9pZCI6MTczNjk3NTE3Mzk5MDkwMCwiYXNzZXRfYWdlX2RheXMiOjg2LCJ2aV91c2VjYXNlX2lkIjoxMDA5OSwiZHVyYXRpb25fcyI6NjMsInVybGdlbl9zb3VyY2UiOiJ3d3cifQ%3D%3D&ccb=17-1&vs=3410cb87e2d78d0&_nc_vs=HBksFQIYUmlnX3hwdl9yZWVsc19wZXJtYW5lbnRfc3JfcHJvZC8wRjRBODI4OEM1ODkzQUI2N0YwRTY3RkMwNzM3NTNBQV92aWRlb19kYXNoaW5pdC5tcDQVAALIARIAFQIYUWlnX3hwdl9wbGFjZW1lbnRfcGVybWFuZW50X3YyLzY2NDEzMTgxMkU2MUMzRjRBOTJEMDQ1MzY4Nzg3MjhFX2F1ZGlvX2Rhc2hpbml0Lm1wNBUCAsgBEgAoABgAGwKIB3VzZV9vaWwBMRJwcm9ncmVzc2l2ZV9yZWNpcGUBMRUAACbo59XDofGVBhUCKAJDMywXQE-IcrAgxJwYEmRhc2hfYmFzZWxpbmVfMV92MREAdf4HZeadAQA&_nc_gid=lwBbpEv5e9FwHBF5N7XThg&_nc_zt=28&_nc_ss=70689&oh=00_AQOxCEHYciuzoRVAO2UR1jLAVtDLqDSmZrD7daXJSnF9ZQ&oe=6AC12578",
"thumbnail_url": "https://scontent-ord5-1.cdninstagram.com/user_4c9448/t51.71878-15/735110142_1458102316081576_7528806419597014383_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e15_tt6&_nc_cat=109&ig_cache_key=MzkzNjAzMDE5NTMyNzMxMzQ5NQ%3D%3D.3-ccb7-5&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=58cdad&efg=eyJ2ZW5jb2RlX3RhZyI6IkNMSVBTLnhwaWRzLjY0MC5zZHIudmlkZW9fZGVmYXVsdF9jb3Zlcl9mcmFtZS5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=hrgb-s8TAUQQ7kNvwFSCGEI&_nc_oc=Adpu9BAy1COYG2YfcxGJ3AyVyQEvkb2DoJscIljwhSilKWGgCf4Hu7qAY_IqvTdnkeA&_nc_ad=z-m&_nc_cid=0&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-ord5-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_gid=lwBbpEv5e9FwHBF5N7XThg&_nc_ss=7a22e&oh=00_AQN9VCSKPKIbs6HUuvanVNeAmj-jLWzHOZuMPOT0ICbToA&oe=6AC532E3",
"duration_seconds": 63.067
},
"author": {
"username": "user_738ab0",
"display_name": "user_d1a2cb",
"avatar_url": null,
"verified": null
},
"engagement": {
"views": 8452481,
"likes": 727970,
"comments": 3116,
"shares": null,
"saves": null
},
"flags": {
"nsfw": null,
"spoiler": null,
"pinned": null,
"deleted": false
},
"published_at": "2026-07-07T13:37:19.000Z",
"ext": {
"author_id": "user_3ea8ef"
}
},
"computed": {
"engagement_rate": 0.086494,
"language": "en",
"content_category": "sports",
"estimated_reach": 10142977
}
}
],
"total": 12,
"dropped": 0
},
"credits_used": 1,
"request_id": "req_example000000",
"cached": false,
"pagination": {
"next_cursor": null,
"has_more": false,
"page_size": 2
},
"credits_remaining": 9999,
"source": "captured",
"captured_at": "2026-10-02T07:29:41.509Z",
"redacted": true
}Live sample illustrating the unified response shape. Field values reflect the record you query.
API Details
How does the Instagram Search Popular 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
Developer First
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()[ .JSON ]
{
"success": true,
"platform": "tiktok",
"data": {
"author": {
"username": "charlidamelio",
"followers": 152400000
},
"engagement": {
"likes": 12400000000,
"engagement_rate": 0.087
},
"metadata": {
"language": "en",
"content_category": "lifestyle"
}
}
}FAQ
Have a question? We got answers
Find answers to frequently asked questions about SocialCrawl's API, pricing, and capabilities.
Contact usWhat does the Instagram Search Popular API return?
Returns popular Instagram posts matching a keyword, each with caption, play count, permalink, thumbnail, and the owner's username. The response uses the same JSON envelope as every SocialCrawl endpoint, with the data, credits_used and request_id fields.
When should I use the Instagram Search Popular endpoint?
Use it to sample what is popular for a topic; search/reels is the choice when you want a keyword reel feed instead. Not for a reel feed (instagram/search/reels) or one specific tag (instagram/search/hashtag).
How much does the Instagram Search Popular API cost?
The price depends on the request, from 1 to 13 credits per call. Every new account gets 100 free credits. Credits for failed or empty calls are refunded automatically, and there is no subscription.
What parameters does the Instagram Search Popular API need?
The one required parameter is query (keyword or topic to find popular Instagram posts). It also accepts 8 optional parameters, all listed on this page.
How do I call the Instagram Search Popular API?
Send a GET request to https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/instagram/search/popular?query=basketball with your API key in the x-api-key header. An Authorization: Bearer header works too.
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