API ReferenceInstagram Reels Search API

Instagram Reels Search API

The Instagram Reels Search API searches Instagram for reels matching a keyword or hashtag. Returns reels with shortcodes, captions, view counts, thumbnails, and author details. No Instagram account required.

Endpoint

https://api.socialkit.dev/instagram/reels-search

Example Request

GET https://api.socialkit.dev/instagram/reels-search?access_key=<your-access-key>&query=cats&page=1

Response

{
	"success": true,
	"data": {
		"query": "cats",
		"page": 1,
		"items": [
			{
				"id": "DU6Fh3QEZ2d",
				"shortcode": "DU6Fh3QEZ2d",
				"url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DU6Fh3QEZ2d/",
				"type": "reel",
				"isVideo": true,
				"caption": "Which one suits me best? \n\n#cats_of_instagram #foryou #kittenlife #cats #catslovers",
				"views": 35828358,
				"plays": 35828358,
				"likes": 0,
				"comments": 0,
				"duration": 0,
				"timestamp": 1771435687,
				"thumbnailUrl": "https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.71878-15/...",
				"width": 1080,
				"height": 1920,
				"author": {
					"username": "gush.thecat",
					"fullName": "Gush",
					"isVerified": false,
					"profilePicUrl": "https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-19/..."
				}
			}
		],
		"count": 12,
		"hasMore": true
	}
}

Parameters

query string Required
The keyword or hashtag to search. Both bare keywords (cats) and hashtag forms (#cats, %23cats) are accepted — leading # is automatically stripped, and the keyword is normalized to lowercase.

access_key string Required
Your API access key. Can be provided via the access_key query parameter, x-access-key header, or request body.

page number Optional Defaults to 1
1-indexed page number. Each page returns up to 12 reels. Maximum value is 2 — Instagram caps anonymous search results at ~24 reels per query.

Credit cost: 1 credit per call.

Response Fields

Top-level Fields

  • query: The normalized search query (lowercase, no leading #)
  • page: Current page number (1-indexed)
  • count: Number of reels in this response
  • hasMore: true if page=2 is available, false if you’ve reached the end (max 2 pages per query)

Reel Item

Each entry in the items array contains:

  • id: Instagram media identifier (matches shortcode for search results)
  • shortcode: The reel shortcode used in instagram.com/reel/<shortcode>/
  • url: Canonical Instagram reel URL
  • type: Always "reel" for this endpoint
  • isVideo: Always true for reels
  • caption: Reel caption text (when available)
  • views: View count for the reel
  • plays: Play count (typically equals views)
  • likes: Like count (often 0 from search results — fetch the reel via /instagram/stats for fresh likes)
  • comments: Comment count (often 0 from search results — same caveat)
  • duration: Reel duration in seconds (when available)
  • timestamp: Reel creation time as Unix timestamp (seconds, when available)
  • thumbnailUrl: Best-quality cover image URL
  • width: Original video width in pixels
  • height: Original video height in pixels
  • author: Object with username, fullName, isVerified, and profilePicUrl (populated for the first 12 results)

Use Cases

  • Trend Discovery: Find the top-viewed reels for any keyword or hashtag in your niche
  • Influencer Discovery: Surface creators producing high-performing content for a topic
  • Hook Mining: Pull captions from top-performing reels to study what hooks rank well
  • Content Inspiration: Build a swipe file of viral reels per niche for your own content team
  • Competitor Tracking: Monitor which reels compete for visibility on a target keyword
  • Social Listening: Track which reels surface for branded keywords or competitor mentions

Notes

  • Hashtag and keyword queries return the same result — #cats and cats are equivalent
  • Instagram limits anonymous search results to ~24 reels per query, so page is capped at 2
  • The first call for a previously-unseen query takes ~10–15 seconds (browser render). Subsequent calls hit a 30-minute cache and return in under 2 seconds.
  • View counts come from Instagram’s public popular-search render — they reflect what Instagram shows publicly. For fresh per-reel likes/comments, fetch each reel via /instagram/stats?url=<reel-url>.
  • Thumbnail URLs are signed Instagram CDN links and expire after several hours
  • The endpoint normalizes the query (strips #, URL-decodes %23, lowercases, removes spaces)
  • Returns success: false if Instagram blocks the render attempt — retry once, the next IP usually succeeds
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