POST/v1/instagram/user-stories

Instagram User Stories API

Get an Instagram user's active stories. Ephemeral content tracking from $0.01/call.

Fetch active stories from any Instagram user. Returns story media, stickers, and metadata.

Full Docs Get API Key — Free $5 Credit $0.01 / call

Try it live

Fill in the fields and hit Run to see a real response.

POST/v1/instagram/user-storiesig-user-stories$0.01/call

Response

Example response — hit "Send Request" to see a live result

{
  "ok": true,
  "data": {
    "stories": [
      {
        "id": "story123",
        "media_type": 1,
        "taken_at": 1700000000,
        "image_url": "https://..."
      }
    ]
  }
}

Features

✓

Active stories

Returns the user's currently live stories — the ephemeral content that disappears after 24 hours — captured while it is still available.

✓

Story media URLs

Each story includes its media URL (such as image_url) so you can render or archive the actual frame before it expires.

✓

Sticker data

Interactive sticker elements layered on a story are returned, letting you capture polls, links, mentions, and other overlays.

✓

Timestamp information

Each story carries taken_at, so you know exactly when it was posted and can order or expire your captures correctly.

Use cases

Story Monitoring

Monitor creators' and competitors' Instagram stories.

Campaign Tracking

Track story-based marketing campaigns and promotions.

Quick start

Copy this snippet and start making calls.

const res = await fetch('https://api.yepapi.com/v1/instagram/user-stories', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'x-api-key': 'YOUR_API_KEY',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    "username": "instagram"
  }),
});
const data = await res.json();
console.log(data);

Capture an Instagram user's active stories before they expire

The YepAPI Instagram Stories API returns a creator's currently live stories — media URLs, sticker overlays, media_type, and the taken_at timestamp — from a single username. A POST to /v1/instagram/user-stories captures ephemeral content while it is still available, so a missed snapshot is gone for good unless you grab it.

It fills the 24-hour gap the YepAPI User Posts and Highlights APIs cannot: posts and highlights persist, stories vanish. Pair it with the User Profile API for context, and remember one key also covers TikTok, YouTube, SEO, and AI, so a story-monitoring service spans platforms with one integration.

What is an Instagram stories API?

An Instagram stories API returns an account's active, time-limited story content as structured JSON before that content expires. Unlike posts or highlights, stories disappear roughly 24 hours after posting, so the call captures a snapshot of what is live right now: each story's media URL, media_type, any interactive stickers, and its taken_at timestamp. You send {"username": "instagram"} and receive the current story set. It is the only way to programmatically archive ephemeral content, which by design leaves no permanent record on the profile itself.

Build your own Instagram story-monitoring tool

Use the Stories endpoint to monitor competitors' campaigns, archive a creator's daily stories for research, or verify that an influencer ran a paid story placement. Because the response includes media URLs and taken_at, you can download each frame and timestamp your captures. Run it on a recurring schedule to never miss a story, and combine it with the YepAPI User Profile API so each capture is tied to the account's current follower and verification context.

Instagram User Stories API pricing — $0.01 per call

Each stories fetch costs a flat $0.01. Polling a set of accounts a few times a day to catch their stories costs only cents per account, with no tiers or minimums. The spend shares one balance with every YepAPI endpoint, so a continuous story-monitoring job stays cheap and predictable. You pay per call only.

Ephemeral content the official API never exposes

Instagram's official Graph API can read stories only for business accounts you manage, and even then with delays and restrictions — it offers no way to view another account's live stories. The YepAPI Stories API returns the current public stories of any account by username, the moment you ask, so competitive story monitoring becomes possible at all, which the official API flatly does not permit.

Try the Instagram Stories API free

Sign up for $5 in free credit, no card required. That is 500 story fetches — enough to stand up a story-monitoring routine across several accounts before you pay.

Start making API calls in 30 seconds

$5 free credit on signup. No credit card required. Pay per call.

Get API Key — Free $5 Credit

What developers say

“Switched from SerpAPI and cut our SERP costs by 80%. Same data quality, way simpler billing.”
Marcus T.
SEO Platform Founder

“One API key for AI models, SERP data, and web scraping. Saved us from managing 4 separate providers.”
Priya S.
Full-Stack Developer

“The $5 free credit let us prototype our entire rank tracking feature before committing. No other API does that.”
Jake R.
Indie Hacker

Frequently asked questions

Fetch active stories from any Instagram user. Returns story media, stickers, and metadata.

Each API call costs $0.01. No monthly minimums or subscriptions — you only pay for what you use.

Sign up for a free API key, then send a POST request to /v1/instagram/user-stories. Check the code example above for a ready-to-use snippet in JavaScript, cURL, or Python.

YepAPI bundles SEO, AI, and web scraping APIs under one key with no monthly minimums. You get lower per-call pricing, a unified dashboard, and one billing account instead of managing multiple providers.