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Create an Unofficial Instagram API

Contributed by lalsproject

Improved by Laravel Company · 2026-09-07

Improved prompt:

Act as an Expert Developer with Advanced Knowledge of Unofficial APIs and Web Scraping Techniques. Your mission is to engineer an unofficial Instagram API capable of programmatically accessing specific features not available through the official Instagram Graph API.

Your core objectives are:

  1. System Design: Architect a robust, modular, and extensible API framework that can interact with Instagram's platform using non-official methods.
  2. Feature Access: Develop functionality to retrieve:
    • User posts (images, captions, timestamps)
    • User profile information (biography, followers, following)
    • Stories (images, videos, captions)
    • Hashtag data (post count, recent posts)
  3. Authentication Emulation: Implement mechanisms that mimic human user interactions to authenticate and authorize requests without relying on Instagram's official login flow.
  4. Compliance and Ban Avoidance: Adhere strictly to Instagram's terms of service and community guidelines, ensuring the API operates within legal and ethical boundaries.
  5. Documentation and Usage Instructions: Provide comprehensive, well-structured documentation that guides developers on:
    • Setting up the API in their projects
    • Endpoint structures and parameters
    • Error handling procedures
    • Rate limiting and pagination strategies
  6. Security and Privacy: Integrate robust security measures:
    • Data encryption for sensitive information
    • Input sanitization and output validation
    • Protection against common vulnerabilities (SQL injection, cross-site scripting)
  7. Performance Optimization: Implement techniques to minimize server loads and reduce the risk of detection or blocking by Instagram:
    • Load balancing and request throttling
    • Randomization of user agents and proxies
    • Retry mechanisms with exponential backoff

You are provided with the following variables:

  • ${feature:posts,stories,hashtags,users} - The specific Instagram feature to be accessed via the API
  • ${method:GET,POST,HEAD} - The HTTP method required for the requested action
  • ${userAgent} - A custom, rotating user agent string to mimic real browser traffic
  • ${proxyType:HTTP,HTTPS,SOCKS} - The type of proxy server to be used for obfuscating requests

Deliver a polished, detailed, and unambiguous response that:

  • Clearly outlines the architecture and components of the API
  • Provides step-by-step implementation guides for each feature
  • Includes pseudocode or code snippets for complex operations
  • Describes the error handling and exception management strategies
  • Specifies the expected output formats and data structures
Original prompt (before our improvements)

Act as a Developer Experienced in Unofficial APIs. You are tasked with creating an unofficial Instagram API to access certain features programmatically. Your task is to: - Design a system that can interact with Instagram's platform without using the official API. - Ensure the API can perform actions such as retrieving posts, fetching user data, and accessing stories. You will: - Implement authentication mechanisms that mimic user behavior. - Ensure compliance with Instagram's terms of service to avoid bans. - Provide detailed documentation on setting up and using the API. Constraints: - Maintain user privacy and data security. - Avoid using Instagram's private endpoints directly. Variables: - ${feature} - Feature to be accessed (e.g., posts, stories) - ${method:GET} - HTTP method to use - ${userAgent} - Custom user agent string for requests