Instagram API Engagement — Get Metrics Programmatically (2026)

The Instagram Graph API provides programmatic access to engagement metrics: likes, comments, shares, saves, reach, impressions, and follower demographics. Here is how to use the API to pull engagement data for your Instagram Business or Creator account.

Available Engagement Metrics

The Instagram Graph API exposes engagement data through two main endpoint groups:

Media Insights (Per-Post Metrics)

Request: GET /{media-id}/insights

Metric	Description	Available For
impressions	Total times the media was displayed	Posts, Reels, Stories
reach	Unique accounts that saw the media	Posts, Reels, Stories
engagement	Total likes + comments + saves + shares	Posts, Reels
likes	Total likes (called "total_interactions" for some media types)	Posts, Reels
comments	Total comments	Posts, Reels
saved	Times the media was saved	Posts, Reels
shares	Times the media was shared	Reels
plays	Total video plays	Reels, Videos
video_views	Total video views (3+ seconds)	Stories, Videos

Account Insights (Profile-Level Metrics)

Request: GET /{user-id}/insights

Metric	Description	Period
impressions	Total times content was displayed	day, week, days_28
reach	Unique accounts that saw any content	day, week, days_28
follower_count	Total followers (delta available)	day
profile_views	Profile page visits	day
website_clicks	Clicks on website link in bio	day
email_contacts	Clicks on email button	day
get_directions_clicks	Clicks on directions button	day
online_followers	Followers online by hour	lifetime
audience_city	Top cities of followers	lifetime
audience_country	Top countries of followers	lifetime
audience_gender_age	Gender and age distribution	lifetime

Code Example (Node.js)

const accessToken = 'YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN'
const userId = 'YOUR_IG_USER_ID'
// Get account-level insights for the last 28 days
async function getAccountInsights() {
  const metrics = 'impressions,reach,follower_count,profile_views'
  const url = https://graph.instagram.com/${userId}/insights?metric=${metrics}&period=days_28&access_token=${accessToken}
  const response = await fetch(url)
  const data = await response.json()
  return data.data
}
// Get engagement metrics for a specific post
async function getPostEngagement(mediaId) {
  const metrics = 'impressions,reach,engagement,saved,shares'
  const url = https://graph.instagram.com/${mediaId}/insights?metric=${metrics}&access_token=${accessToken}
  const response = await fetch(url)
  const data = await response.json()
  return data.data
}

Rate Limits

The Instagram Insights API follows standard Graph API rate limits:

• 200 calls per user per hour for most endpoints
• Insights data is cached and may have a 24-48 hour delay for some metrics
• Historical data is available for up to 2 years (account insights) or the lifetime of the media (post insights)

Common Issues

"Unsupported metric" error: Not all metrics are available for all media types. Stories have different metrics than Posts and Reels. Check Meta's documentation for media-type-specific metric availability.

Data delays: Some metrics (especially reach and impressions) can take 24-48 hours to finalize. Do not expect real-time data for analytics use cases.

Token expiration: Long-lived tokens expire after 60 days. Implement token refresh logic to maintain uninterrupted API access.

Using SociaHive's Analytics Instead

If you do not want to build your own analytics integration, SociaHive provides engagement analytics through its dashboard — pulling data from the same Instagram Graph API but presenting it in a visual, actionable format.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get Instagram engagement data for any account?

No. You can only access engagement data for Instagram Business or Creator accounts that have authorized your app. You cannot pull metrics for competitors or accounts you do not manage.

Is the Instagram Insights API free?

Yes. The Instagram Graph API, including insights endpoints, is free to use. Meta does not charge for API calls. Your only costs are hosting your application.

How do I calculate engagement rate from the API?

Engagement rate = (likes + comments + saves + shares) / reach × 100. Pull the individual metrics from the media insights endpoint and calculate. Our free Instagram Engagement Rate Calculator does this automatically.