Followers and following
Read an existing follower or following list first. Query fresh public data only when you need it.
Read an existing list
GET /open-api/v1/accounts/alice/followers?limit=50
GET /open-api/v1/accounts/alice/following?limit=50For a list you track, Instoryview picks your most recent usable, published snapshot and returns the members observed in that scan. A later failed scan never turns the last good list into an empty result.
Which snapshot you get
| Situation | What the API returns |
|---|---|
| You track the list | Your most recent usable, published snapshot. |
| You paused or removed tracking | Your last readable retained snapshot from your authorized period, never another user's later scans. Retained snapshots expire 30 days after you stop. |
| You track only the other list | list_not_authorized. Someone else's snapshot does not give you access. |
| You never tracked the account | Reusable public query data, or data_unavailable if none exists. |
Data that was cleaned up earlier cannot be recovered. Source removal, opt-out and access revocation always take priority.
Response and paging
data contains accountId, username, availableCount, returnedCount and items. Each member has a string id, username, fullName, avatarUrl, isPrivate and isVerified; unknown fields are null. Members are ordered by account ID, not in Instagram's order.
Use limit (1–100, default 50). To continue the same snapshot, pass nextCursor as cursor on the same endpoint. Every page is checked against your current access: if the snapshot is cleared or your permission changes, pagination ends instead of joining newer data.
meta.asOf is when the list was observed; member profile details can update separately. coverage: "partial" means the list does not establish complete Instagram coverage, and nextCursor: null means the available pages have ended, not that every follower was returned.
Query one fresh public page
{ "username": "bob", "type": "followers", "maxCredits": 2 }Send this body to POST /open-api/v1/queries with an authorized Key and an Idempotency-Key. Use "type": "following" for a following list. One online page is one source page: usually 25 people, and a verified account's follower list is a single page of about 50 recent followers. The first page costs 2 credits (profile, then page); each further page costs 1 and needs the returned online cursor, a new key and another explicit budget.
Online queries keep the product's source paging ceiling of 5 pages, and page_limit_reached tells you when you reach it. If Instagram returns no members although the profile counts some (an owner can hide a follower list), the page is empty with coverage: "unknown" and the warning list_unavailable: that is not an empty list. Online queries do not guarantee a full list or chronological follow order, and they do not update your tracking comparison baseline.
Instoryview uses third-party public Instagram data and is not affiliated with Instagram or Meta. Public availability can change, so present results with their timestamps and warnings.
Questions about the API? Email support@instoryview.com