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Introduction

Instagram Public retrieves publicly available metadata and metrics about other Instagram professional (business or creator) accounts. It surfaces two kinds of data: the account’s public profile (followers, biography, website, profile picture) and its recent media with public engagement (likes, comments, captions, and media details). This is a public connector: it reads only publicly available data about professional accounts and does not require ownership of or admin access to the target account. It is distinct from Instagram organic analytics, which report on an owned account and require an authenticated login. To connect this data source, see How to connect Instagram Public to Adriel.

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Data refresh strategy

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Architecture data

Instagram Public is a simple-cache connector: for each connected account, Adriel re-fetches the public data and refreshes the cache on a fixed daily schedule. There is no historical backfill — the cache holds the current snapshot of the account profile and the most recent media, and values accumulate from the connection date forward as each refresh runs.

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Reports data

The cache refreshes twice daily, at 5:00 AM UTC and 5:00 PM UTC. This connector does not support date filtering. Reports always read the current cached snapshot: the profile view returns a single row for the account, and the media view returns up to the 100 most recent posts.

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Architecture levels

Instagram Public operates in two data modes, selected by the breakdown applied to a widget:
  • Account/profile mode — reads the account’s public profile. Returns a single row describing the account (followers, biography, website, profile picture, and related profile fields).
  • Media & post engagement mode — reads the account’s recent media. Returns one row per post, up to a cap of 100 of the most recent posts.
Metrics and breakdowns differ by mode: profile fields are only compatible with the account/profile breakdown, and post fields are only compatible with the media/post breakdowns. When no breakdown is selected, a default view combines both, placing the account row ahead of the post rows.

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Date range limits

Not applicable. Instagram Public is a no-date connector — reports ignore the dashboard date range and always return the current cached snapshot (one account row; up to 100 recent posts). The effective date shown reflects the most recent successful cache refresh.

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Metrics

How to read the columnsData type uses this vocabulary: Number, Currency, Percentage, Ratio, Duration, Date, Text, URL, Array, Boolean.API Key in code style such as followers_count is the literal Graph API field. Italic text describes how a value is produced when it does not map cleanly to a single API field.

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Account/profile

Available in account/profile mode. Returns a single row describing the account’s public profile.

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Media & post engagement

Available in media & post engagement mode. Returns one row per post, up to the 100 most recent posts.

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Breakdowns

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Account/profile

Available in account/profile mode.

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Media & post engagement

Available in media & post engagement mode. These group and identify individual posts.

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Limitations

  • No date filtering — reports always return the current cached snapshot; the dashboard date range has no effect. There is no historical daily data, only what accumulates from the connection date forward.
  • Posts are capped at ~100 — metrics are provided for at most the 100 most recent posts. Older posts are not retrieved.
  • Professional accounts only — only Instagram professional (business or creator) accounts can be read. Personal accounts are not supported.
  • Age-gated accounts are excluded — data about age-gated Instagram professional accounts is not returned.
  • Username changes break the data source — if the account’s Instagram username changes, any data source linked to the old username stops working and must be recreated.
  • Public data only — only publicly visible profile fields and public engagement are available. Owner-only insights such as reach and impressions are not accessible; use Instagram organic analytics for those.
  • Media may expire — profile-picture and post media URLs point to Instagram-hosted media that can expire or change if the underlying content is removed or is no longer accessible through the API.

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API references

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See also