Instagram Comments API reference

A page of public comments on an Instagram post or reel, with a cursor. Takes a public URL, returns a cursor page, 8 credits a call.

This named API keeps Instagram fields in Instagram's own vocabulary. For a higher-level product page, see Instagram Comments API.

Endpoint

GET /v1/instagram/comments
Authorization: Bearer sv_live_...

`POST` is also accepted with the same parameters in the request body. Send the key in the `Authorization` header, never in the query string.

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Notes
`url`	string	yes	Public Instagram URL matching this API's input.
`cursor`	string	no	Cursor returned by the previous page.
`limit`	integer	no	Maximum items to return, up to 50.

Sample Request

This is a copyable request shape. Replace the sample values with the public Instagram target or parameters your workflow uses.

curl -G 'https://api.sourcevine.io/v1/instagram/comments' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer sv_live_...' \
  --data-urlencode 'url=https://www.instagram.com/p/Dcn5O64y3xi/' \
  --data-urlencode 'limit=20'

Sample Response

A response this API returned, against the target above. Your values depend on the resource you ask about and when you ask.

{
  "data": {
    "url": "https://www.instagram.com/p/Dcn5O64y3xi/",
    "cached": false,
    "comments": [
      {
        "text": "OMG INSTAGRAM POSTING HIS VIDEO???",
        "author": "cariba2904",
        "commentId": "18082937354306739",
        "likeCount": 4216,
        "replyCount": 6,
        "publishedAt": "2026-08-29T12:19:53Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "so this is the other angle of that video when someone saw him in nyc street 😂",
        "author": "alliana.jean",
        "commentId": "18122494565509045",
        "likeCount": 198,
        "replyCount": 2,
        "publishedAt": "2026-08-29T12:33:56Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "I think Instagram is also moa 😂",
        "author": "_.ah.098._",
        "commentId": "17905366998490474",
        "likeCount": 2325,
        "replyCount": 3,
        "publishedAt": "2026-08-29T12:27:41Z"
      }
    ],
    "fetchedAt": "2026-09-02T07:25:23Z",
    "shortcode": "Dcn5O64y3xi",
    "nextCursor": "{\"cached_comments_cursor\":\"18063984248772936\",\"bifilter_token\":\"GgYYiQEAIkUyP7FhQAATCTo1I5w_ALPEf_FVPkAAtWcFE1BiQABqnYQf1pw_AOL-tui7ZkAAgzrnByBnQABN7x-tuWFAAKwV1cbRcUEAihEOlajnPwA6Tpcpq50_ANn3hKW5sD8AU2rOZ5JeQACszza0GlNAAN2RTQaPoD8A5blDOG9pQADW8j0IYsM_AAA=\"}",
    "commentCount": 15,
    "cacheAgeSeconds": null,
    "sourceTimestamp": null
  },
  "success": true,
  "available": true
}

Fields

Field	Type	Notes
`shortcode`	string	The public post or video id.
`comments`	array	Public comments returned for the requested post.
`comments[].commentId`	string	Platform comment or reply id.
`comments[].author`	string \| null	Public username only. No profile bio or contact fields.
`comments[].likeCount`	integer \| null	Public like count when the platform reports it.
`comments[].replyCount`	integer \| null	Reply count when Instagram reports it; null means unknown, not zero. Comment order can differ between pages fetched at different times.
`nextCursor`	string \| null	Pass as cursor to request the next page.
`fetchedAt`	ISO datetime	When Sourcevine read the public page.
`sourceTimestamp`	ISO datetime \| null	The platform timestamp when it is available.
`cached`	boolean	True when this answer repeats an identical request made moments earlier.
`cacheAgeSeconds`	integer	Seconds since the reading was taken.

Availability States

Status	Charged	Client behavior
`available`	yes for live reads	Use data.
`not_found`	yes	Store the state and stop polling.
`private`	yes	Store the state and stop polling.
`unsupported`	no	Fix the URL or call the matching API.
`upstream_unavailable`	no	Retry later with backoff.

Unavailable resources return `success: true`, `available: false`, `availability`, and `data: null`. API or authentication failures return `success: false` with an `error` object.

Billing

A call costs 8 credits. A deleted, private or empty resource is charged like any lookup and says so. An unsupported URL or a read we could not complete is not charged. The `X-Credits-Charged` response header is the source of truth for what happened on that request.

Successful responses include `fetchedAt`, the time we read the platform.

What This API Does Not Return

No contact or bio fields: Bios, email addresses, phone numbers, postal addresses and messenger handles are outside the response contract.
No private data: Private accounts, restricted content and unavailable resources return typed availability instead of guessed data.
No comments or downloads: List APIs return recent public post metadata and metrics. They do not return comment bodies, media files or hidden analytics.

Last updated 1 September 2026