> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.scraperize.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Profile post count
> Fetches the number of posts an Instagram profile shows, by username — fast, from a single page load. Returns the count as a number, exactly as Instagram prints it (e.g. `1,798` or `32K`), and whether it is exact. Also returns the account (id, handle, name, private and verified flags) and its exact follower and following counts alongside the figures the profile prints. Works for private accounts too. Instagram abbreviates large post counts for everyone who is logged out; the exact figure is not public. The profile summary Instagram prints is cached on its side, so its figures can trail the live numbers slightly (compare the printed and exact following counts). Only publicly available data is returned.
**Cost: 1 credit** per successful request. Errors and cache hits (`cache_max_age`) are free.
Paste this into ChatGPT, Claude or your coding assistant to generate working code for this endpoint (use the copy button).
```text Prompt
I want to make an API call to /v1/instagram/profile/post-count. Here are the details:
Endpoint: GET https://api.scraperize.com/v1/instagram/profile/post-count
Description: Fetches the number of posts an Instagram profile shows, by username — fast, from a single page load. Returns the count as a number, exactly as Instagram prints it (e.g. `1,798` or `32K`), and whether it is exact. Also returns the account (id, handle, name, private and verified flags) and its exact follower and following counts alongside the figures the profile prints. Works for private accounts too. Instagram abbreviates large post counts for everyone who is logged out; the exact figure is not public. The profile summary Instagram prints is cached on its side, so its figures can trail the live numbers slightly (compare the printed and exact following counts). Only publicly available data is returned.
Required Headers:
- x-api-key: Your API key
Parameters:
- handle (string) [required]: The Instagram username, e.g. `natgeo` (an `@handle` or profile URL also works).
- cache_max_age (select): Optional. Return a cached result if one this age or newer exists — served for **0 credits** with `meta.cached=true` and `meta.cachedAt`. Otherwise a fresh scrape runs (**1 credit**) and refreshes the cache. Omit to always scrape fresh.
Example Response:
{
"data": {
"profile": {
"id": "787132",
"handle": "natgeo",
"fullName": "National Geographic",
"url": "https://www.instagram.com/natgeo/",
"isPrivate": false,
"isVerified": true
},
"postCount": 32000,
"postCountText": "32K",
"isExact": false,
"hasPosts": true,
"followers": {
"count": 268407043,
"text": "268M"
},
"following": {
"count": 194,
"text": "195"
},
"fetchedAt": "2026-10-09T10:49:07.972Z"
},
"meta": {
"requestId": "req_8f0c2b7e-1a2b-4c3d-9e8f-0a1b2c3d4e5f",
"creditsCharged": 1,
"creditsRemaining": 4999,
"cached": false
}
}
Please help me write code in my preferred programming language to make this API call and handle the response appropriately. Include error handling and best practices.
```
## OpenAPI
````yaml /api-reference/openapi.json get /v1/instagram/profile/post-count
openapi: 3.0.3
info:
title: Scraperize API
version: 1.0.0
description: >-
Extract public data from social media platforms as clean JSON. Endpoints are
split by platform and by what they return, e.g. `GET /v1/twitter/tweet`.
## Authentication
Send your API key in the `x-api-key` header (or `Authorization: Bearer
`). Create keys in your dashboard.
## Credits
Each successful live scrape costs **1 credit**. Credits are prepaid and
never expire.
## Caching
Every endpoint accepts an optional `cache_max_age`
(`1d`|`3d`|`7d`|`14d`|`30d`). A cache hit within that window is returned for
**0 credits**.
## Responses
Success returns `{ "data": …, "meta": { "requestId", … } }`. Errors return
`{ "error": { "code", "message", "requestId" } }` with a matching HTTP
status. `meta` on a scrape carries `creditsCharged`, `creditsRemaining`,
`cached`, and (on a hit) `cachedAt`.
## Rate limits
Requests are limited per team per minute; over the limit returns `429` with
a `Retry-After` header.
servers:
- url: https://api.scraperize.com
description: Production
security:
- ApiKeyAuth: []
tags:
- name: Twitter
description: Twitter / X scraping endpoints
- name: Facebook
description: Facebook scraping endpoints
- name: Linkme
description: Linkme (link.me) scraping endpoints
- name: Amazon
description: Amazon (creator shop / storefront) scraping endpoints
- name: Linkbio
description: Linkbio (lnk.bio) scraping endpoints
- name: Pillar
description: Pillar (pillar.io) scraping endpoints
- name: Komi
description: Komi (komi.io) scraping endpoints
- name: Linktree
description: Linktree (linktr.ee) scraping endpoints
- name: Kick
description: Kick (kick.com) scraping endpoints
- name: Snapchat
description: Snapchat (snapchat.com) scraping endpoints
- name: Telegram
description: Telegram (t.me) scraping endpoints
- name: LinkedIn
description: LinkedIn scraping endpoints
- name: Twitch
description: Twitch scraping endpoints
- name: TikTok
description: TikTok (tiktok.com) scraping endpoints
- name: Instagram
description: Instagram scraping endpoints
- name: Lagos Life
description: Lagos Life scraping endpoints
paths:
/v1/instagram/profile/post-count:
get:
tags:
- Instagram
summary: Profile post count
description: >-
Fetches the number of posts an Instagram profile shows, by username —
fast, from a single page load. Returns the count as a number, exactly as
Instagram prints it (e.g. `1,798` or `32K`), and whether it is exact.
Also returns the account (id, handle, name, private and verified flags)
and its exact follower and following counts alongside the figures the
profile prints. Works for private accounts too. Instagram abbreviates
large post counts for everyone who is logged out; the exact figure is
not public. The profile summary Instagram prints is cached on its side,
so its figures can trail the live numbers slightly (compare the printed
and exact following counts). Only publicly available data is returned.
parameters:
- name: handle
in: query
required: true
description: >-
The Instagram username, e.g. `natgeo` (an `@handle` or profile URL
also works).
schema:
type: string
example: natgeo
- name: cache_max_age
in: query
required: false
description: >-
Optional. Return a cached result if one this age or newer exists —
served for **0 credits** with `meta.cached=true` and
`meta.cachedAt`. Otherwise a fresh scrape runs (**1 credit**) and
refreshes the cache. Omit to always scrape fresh.
schema:
type: string
enum:
- 1d
- 3d
- 7d
- 14d
- 30d
example: 7d
responses:
'200':
description: The profile post count.
content:
application/json:
schema:
type: object
properties:
data:
type: object
properties:
profile:
type: object
postCount:
type: integer
postCountText:
type: string
isExact:
type: boolean
hasPosts:
type: boolean
followers:
type: object
following:
type: object
fetchedAt:
type: string
format: date-time
meta:
type: object
description: >-
requestId + credit/caching metadata (creditsCharged,
creditsRemaining, cached, cachedAt).
required:
- data
- meta
example:
data:
profile:
id: '787132'
handle: natgeo
fullName: National Geographic
url: https://www.instagram.com/natgeo/
isPrivate: false
isVerified: true
postCount: 32000
postCountText: 32K
isExact: false
hasPosts: true
followers:
count: 268407043
text: 268M
following:
count: 194
text: '195'
fetchedAt: '2026-10-09T10:49:07.972Z'
meta:
requestId: req_8f0c2b7e-1a2b-4c3d-9e8f-0a1b2c3d4e5f
creditsCharged: 1
creditsRemaining: 4999
cached: false
'401':
description: Missing, invalid, or revoked API key.
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
example:
error:
code: UNAUTHORIZED
message: API key required — pass it in the `x-api-key` header.
requestId: req_8f0c2b7e-1a2b-4c3d-9e8f-0a1b2c3d4e5f
'402':
description: Not enough credits for this request.
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
example:
error:
code: INSUFFICIENT_CREDITS
message: >-
This request costs 1 credit, but your balance is 0. Top up
to continue.
requestId: req_8f0c2b7e-1a2b-4c3d-9e8f-0a1b2c3d4e5f
'404':
description: No Instagram profile found for that handle.
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
example:
error:
code: NOT_FOUND
message: >-
The requested content was not found (it may not exist, be
deleted, or be private).
requestId: req_8f0c2b7e-1a2b-4c3d-9e8f-0a1b2c3d4e5f
'422':
description: Invalid query parameters.
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
example:
error:
code: VALIDATION_ERROR
message: Request validation failed
requestId: req_8f0c2b7e-1a2b-4c3d-9e8f-0a1b2c3d4e5f
details:
- path: url
message: Required
'429':
description: Over the per-minute rate limit — honour `Retry-After`.
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
example:
error:
code: RATE_LIMITED
message: >-
Rate limit exceeded — max 100 requests per 60s. Retry in
~30s.
requestId: req_8f0c2b7e-1a2b-4c3d-9e8f-0a1b2c3d4e5f
'503':
description: >-
Temporarily unavailable — retry after `Retry-After`. `error.code`
tells you why: `UPSTREAM_BLOCKED` (the source blocked this request),
`EXTRACTION_FAILED` (the source returned unexpected data),
`PLATFORM_UNAVAILABLE` (the source is down), or
`SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE` (we are at capacity).
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
example:
error:
code: UPSTREAM_BLOCKED
message: >-
The source is temporarily unavailable. Please try again
shortly.
requestId: req_8f0c2b7e-1a2b-4c3d-9e8f-0a1b2c3d4e5f
components:
schemas:
Error:
type: object
properties:
error:
type: object
properties:
code:
type: string
example: NOT_FOUND
message:
type: string
example: The requested content was not found.
requestId:
type: string
example: req_8f0c2b7e-1a2b-4c3d-9e8f-0a1b2c3d4e5f
details:
type: array
items:
type: object
description: Present on validation errors.
required:
- code
- message
- requestId
required:
- error
securitySchemes:
ApiKeyAuth:
type: apiKey
in: header
name: x-api-key
description: >-
Your API key. Send it in the `x-api-key` header (or `Authorization:
Bearer `). Create and manage keys from your dashboard.
````
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