Instagram Following API
Scrape Instagram Following data with one API call. Returns a paginated list of the accounts an Instagram user follows. Each account includes username, display name, avatar URL, verification status, and profile URL. Pass either `handle` or `user_id`, and page through with `cursor`.
Last updated August 2026Maintained by the SocialCrawl team
Returns the accounts a user follows, each with username, display name, avatar URL, verification status, and profile URL.
Use it for the other side of the graph from followers: the accounts this user chose to follow.
Searching 48 platforms in parallel
TikTok·
Instagram·
YouTube·
Facebook·
X·
LinkedIn·
Reddit·
Threads·
Pinterest·
Twitch·
Truth Social·
Snapchat·
Kick·
Bluesky·
Kwai·
Rumble·
Spotify·TikTok Shop·
Amazon Shop·
Google Shopping·
Trustpilot·
TripAdvisor·
Linktree·
Komi·
Pillar·
lnk.bio·Facebook Ads·Google Ads·LinkedIn Ads·Google Search·Google News·Google Finance·
Polymarket·
Tavily·
Hacker News·
GitHub·
Perplexity·
Naver·Utility·
Universal SearchTikTok·Instagram·YouTube·Facebook·X·LinkedIn·Reddit·Threads·Pinterest·Twitch·Truth Social·Snapchat·Kick·Bluesky·Kwai·Rumble·Spotify·TikTok Shop·Amazon Shop·Google Shopping·Trustpilot·TripAdvisor·Linktree·Komi·Pillar·lnk.bio·Facebook Ads·Google Ads·LinkedIn Ads·Google Search·Google News·Google Finance·Polymarket·Tavily·Hacker News·GitHub·Perplexity·Naver·Utility·Universal SearchTikTok·Instagram·YouTube·Facebook·X·LinkedIn·Reddit·Threads·Pinterest·Twitch·Truth Social·Snapchat·Kick·Bluesky·Kwai·Rumble·Spotify·TikTok Shop·Amazon Shop·Google Shopping·Trustpilot·TripAdvisor·Linktree·Komi·Pillar·lnk.bio·Facebook Ads·Google Ads·LinkedIn Ads·Google Search·Google News·Google Finance·Polymarket·Tavily·Hacker News·GitHub·Perplexity·Naver·Utility·Universal SearchTikTok·Instagram·YouTube·Facebook·X·LinkedIn·Reddit·Threads·Pinterest·Twitch·Truth Social·Snapchat·Kick·Bluesky·Kwai·Rumble·Spotify·TikTok Shop·Amazon Shop·Google Shopping·Trustpilot·TripAdvisor·Linktree·Komi·Pillar·lnk.bio·Facebook Ads·Google Ads·LinkedIn Ads·Google Search·Google News·Google Finance·Polymarket·Tavily·Hacker News·GitHub·Perplexity·Naver·Utility·Universal SearchWhat can you do with the Following API?
The Following endpoint gives you structured Instagram data with computed fields in a single request. No scraping infrastructure to build or maintain.
Example Request
curl -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
"https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/instagram/following"import requests
response = requests.get(
"https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/instagram/following",
headers={"x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
)
data = response.json()const response = await fetch(
"https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/instagram/following",
{
headers: { "x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY" },
},
);
const data = await response.json();Parameters
| Parameter | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| handle | No | Instagram username without the @ symbol. |
| user_id | No | Instagram numeric user ID. Use this for faster responses. |
| cursor | No | Pagination cursor. Use the `next_cursor` from the previous response to fetch the next page. |
What does the Instagram Following 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": "tiktok",
"endpoint": "/v1/tiktok/search/users",
"data": {
"items": [
{
"author": {
"id": "6780262640079193090",
"username": "cookingwithhel",
"display_name": "Cooking with Hel",
"avatar_url": "https://p19-common-sign.tiktokcdn-us.com/tos-alisg-avt-0068/e1547b843ed71ccc69e199147854f489~tplv-tiktokx-cropcenter-q:100:100:q70.heic?biz_tag=musically_user.user_cover&dr=8835&idc=useast8&ps=87d6e48a&refresh_token=7f24701a&s=SEARCH&sc=avatar&shcp=c1333099&shp=30310797&t=223449c4&x-expires=1783202400&x-signature=bLp06YEEM1DEDR6nG%2BZt3lhGWx4%3D",
"bio": null,
"verified": null,
"followers": 4214875,
"following": 1,
"posts_count": 2341,
"likes_count": 62731828,
"url": null,
"location": null
}
},
{
"author": {
"id": "7352666564073833515",
"username": "cooking_recipescr",
"display_name": "cooking_recipescr",
"avatar_url": "https://p19-common-sign.tiktokcdn-us.com/tos-useast5-avt-0068-tx/7352667004160966699~tplv-tiktokx-cropcenter-q:100:100:q70.heic?biz_tag=musically_user.user_cover&dr=8835&idc=useast8&ps=87d6e48a&refresh_token=6df0f827&s=SEARCH&sc=avatar&shcp=c1333099&shp=30310797&t=223449c4&x-expires=1783202400&x-signature=ysLi7%2FLtH4t5ebZnGzJXSfgYhnU%3D",
"bio": null,
"verified": null,
"followers": 1780390,
"following": 1,
"posts_count": 995,
"likes_count": 10060260,
"url": null,
"location": null
}
},
{
"author": {
"id": "6829580668634694662",
"username": "felizcooking",
"display_name": "Feliz Cooking",
"avatar_url": "https://p16-common-sign.tiktokcdn-us.com/tos-maliva-avt-0068/179d2c1fe2dc5523974abdaf232e8554~tplv-tiktokx-cropcenter-q:100:100:q70.heic?biz_tag=musically_user.user_cover&dr=8835&idc=useast8&ps=87d6e48a&refresh_token=97c11cfd&s=SEARCH&sc=avatar&shcp=c1333099&shp=30310797&t=223449c4&x-expires=1783202400&x-signature=aCkp4jy6AxdG2R9otN52rtXzHNc%3D",
"bio": null,
"verified": null,
"followers": 338243,
"following": 374,
"posts_count": 464,
"likes_count": 2140124,
"url": null,
"location": null
}
}
],
"next_cursor": "30",
"total": 30
},
"dropped": 0,
"credits_used": 1,
"credits_remaining": 9999,
"request_id": "req_example000000",
"cached": false,
"pagination": {
"next_cursor": "sc.eyJ2IjoyLCJjIjoiMzAiLCJwIjoiY3Vyc29yIn0",
"has_more": true,
"page_size": 30
}
}Example captured from the TikTok API. Every SocialCrawl endpoint returns this same unified schema, so your Instagram Following response has the same fields.
How does the Instagram Following 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
How do you scrape social media data in seconds?
The fastest social media scraping API for developers. Scrape profiles, posts, comments, and analytics from 48 platforms covering 10B+ monthly active users.
One schema, every platform
Query 48 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(){
"success": true,
"platform": "tiktok",
"data": {
"author": {
"username": "charlidamelio",
"followers": 152400000
},
"engagement": {
"likes": 12400000000,
"engagement_rate": 0.087
},
"metadata": {
"language": "en",
"content_category": "lifestyle"
}
}
}Have a question? We got answers
Find answers to frequently asked questions about SocialCrawl's API, pricing, and capabilities.
Contact usHow do I get the accounts an Instagram user follows via API?
Can I query the following list by user ID?
How do I paginate the full following list?
How much does the Instagram Following API cost?
What is the following list useful for?
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