> **For coding agents and LLMs:** This is one Social Fetch marketing page (markdown export). For API orientation start with [`/llms.txt`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms.txt); for auth and crawl rules use [`/agents.txt`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/agents.txt); for every operation use [`/llms-endpoints.txt`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms-endpoints.txt). ## This page - **On-site (HTML):** - **Markdown (.mdx) URL:** --- # Instagram Following API List every account a public Instagram profile follows, page after page, for a handle, a profile URL or a numeric user id. `GET /v2/instagram/profiles/{profile}/following` takes a handle (with or without `@`), a profile URL or a numeric user id. It returns the accounts that profile follows, in the order Instagram lists them. Read `data.lookupStatus` first (`found`, `private` or `not_found`), then `data.accounts`. Each account is the same profile summary every v2 endpoint uses: `id`, `handle`, `displayName`, `avatarUrl`, `verified` and `privateAccount`, always present and `null` when Instagram doesn't say. When `data.page.hasMore` is true, pass `data.page.nextCursor` as the `cursor` query param on the next call; the list runs to its end. Each page is billed once, so read `meta.creditsCharged` rather than estimating from the following count. Use it to map who a brand, creator or competitor follows, to find collaborators and affiliates, or to seed profile lookups: feed a returned `id` or `handle` into `GET /v2/instagram/profiles/{profile}` for bio and counts. `meta.version` is `v2`. ## Request - **Endpoint:** `GET /v2/instagram/profiles/{profile}/following` - **Credits:** 1 credit Failed requests are free - **Input:** by handle or user id - **Full reference:** [docs](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/api/v2/instagram/profiles/profile/following/get) - **Platform page:** [/platforms/instagram](https://www.socialfetch.dev/platforms/instagram) ## FAQ ### How do I list who an Instagram account follows via API? Call `GET /v2/instagram/profiles/{profile}/following` with your Social Fetch API key (`x-api-key`) and a handle, profile URL or numeric user id in the path. Read `data.lookupStatus`, then `data.accounts`, and keep following `data.page.nextCursor` while `data.page.hasMore` is true. See the API docs for parameters and examples. ### How much does the Instagram Following API cost? Pricing is documented on the operation in the API registry (shown on this page). Confirm on every response with meta.creditsCharged — that field is the billing source of truth. Each paginated page is a separate billed request. ### How many accounts come back per page? A page holds a fixed batch of accounts, in the order Instagram lists them. The last page can be shorter, and `data.page.hasMore` is false on it. An account that follows nobody comes back as `found` with an empty `accounts` list. ### Can I page through the whole list? Yes. Pass `data.page.nextCursor` as `cursor` until `data.page.hasMore` is false. The cursor is opaque and ties the next page to the same profile, so pass back the exact value you received. An unrecognised cursor is a `400 bad_request`. ### What happens for private or missing accounts? A private account returns `lookupStatus: private` with an empty `accounts` list, and an unknown profile returns `not_found`. Both come back as a normal `200` response and are billed as a lookup; only public accounts' following lists are returned. ### Can I list an Instagram account's followers instead? Not on this route. Instagram only shows a small sample of an account's followers, so Social Fetch lists the accounts a profile follows, not the accounts that follow it. Follower counts are on the profile (`GET /v2/instagram/profiles/{profile}`). ### Do I need Instagram Graph API access to read who an account follows? No. Social Fetch returns the following list Instagram shows publicly for any public account. Meta's Instagram Graph API is for accounts you manage or that grant your app access, and it doesn't list who another account follows.