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Download Instagram Videos

The raw Instagram endpoints return fresh signed CDN URLs you can download directly. Cached endpoints like GET /v1/posts do not expose video URLs — those would be stale by the time you fetch them.

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Single video

Call GET /v1/raw/instagram/post/:shortcode (1 credit, $0.01). The response includes video_url (single best stream) and video_versions[] (multi-bitrate variants). 
SHORTCODE="CXY123abc"
curl -s "https://api.influship.com/v1/raw/instagram/post/$SHORTCODE" \
  -H "X-API-Key: $INFLUSHIP_API_KEY" \
  | jq -r '.data.video_url' \
  | xargs -I{} wget -O "$SHORTCODE.mp4" "{}"
Use video_versions[] if you need a specific bitrate or resolution — each entry includes a url and a type field identifying the stream quality.

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All recent videos from a creator (bulk)

Call GET /v1/raw/instagram/profile/:username (0.5 credits, $0.005). The posts[] array returns up to 12 recent posts with video_url for each video post. This is the cheapest bulk-download path — a single profile call covers up to 12 posts, significantly cheaper than calling the single-post endpoint per shortcode. 
USERNAME="creator"
curl -s "https://api.influship.com/v1/raw/instagram/profile/$USERNAME" \
  -H "X-API-Key: $INFLUSHIP_API_KEY" \
  | jq -r '.data.posts[] | select(.is_video) | "\(.shortcode)\t\(.video_url)"' \
  | while IFS=$'\t' read -r sc url; do
      wget -O "${sc}.mp4" "$url"
    done
For carousel posts that contain video items, each slide is exposed in carousel_items[]. Filter by is_video to isolate the video items: 
SHORTCODE="CXY456def"
curl -s "https://api.influship.com/v1/raw/instagram/post/$SHORTCODE" \
  -H "X-API-Key: $INFLUSHIP_API_KEY" \
  | jq -r '.data.carousel_items[] | select(.is_video) | "\(.index)\t\(.video_url)"' \
  | while IFS=$'\t' read -r idx url; do
      wget -O "${SHORTCODE}_${idx}.mp4" "$url"
    done

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URL lifetime

video_url and video_versions[].url are signed Instagram CDN URLs valid for approximately 24 hours from the moment of the API call. Download promptly. If you need to retain videos long-term, store them on your own infrastructure — re-requesting the same shortcode after the URLs expire costs an additional credit.

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Cost summary

PatternEndpointCreditsCost
Single videoGET /v1/raw/instagram/post/{shortcode}1$0.01
Up to 12 videos from one creatorGET /v1/raw/instagram/profile/{username}0.5$0.005
Carousel (per post)GET /v1/raw/instagram/post/{shortcode}1$0.01

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Implementation advice

  • Prefer the profile endpoint for bulk work. If you want the recent video content from a specific creator, one profile call is cheaper than calling the post endpoint per shortcode.
  • Download before storing the URL. Don’t cache the signed URL itself — it expires. Either download the file immediately or re-fetch the URL when you need it.
  • Check is_video before downloading. Both profile posts[] and carousel carousel_items[] contain mixed photo and video items. Filtering on is_video: true avoids requesting video fields that aren’t present on photo posts.

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Terms of service

Instagram’s terms of service govern downloaded content. Use videos in accordance with applicable law and Instagram’s ToS.