n8n-nodes-instagram-private-api

This is an n8n community node for Instagram automation using the instagram-private-api library. It provides comprehensive access to Instagram's private API capabilities for workflow automation.

n8n is a fair-code licensed workflow automation platform.

Installation
Operations
Credentials
Compatibility
Usage
Resources
Version History
Development

Installation

Follow the installation guide in the n8n community nodes documentation.

📦 Install via npm

# Latest version (recommended)
npm install n8n-nodes-instagram-private-api-wrapped@latest

# Specific version 0.0.6 (with credential fixes)
npm install n8n-nodes-instagram-private-api-wrapped@0.0.6

🔄 Updating from Previous Versions

If upgrading from v0.0.5 or earlier:

# Uninstall old version
npm uninstall n8n-nodes-instagram-private-api-wrapped

# Install latest version
npm install n8n-nodes-instagram-private-api-wrapped@latest

# Restart n8n
npm run start

Note: You may need to recreate your credentials after updating to v0.0.6 due to credential name changes.

Operations

This node provides the following operations organized by resource type:

👤 User Operations

• Get Profile Info: Retrieve detailed Instagram profile information including follower count, bio, verification status
• Search Users: Search for users by username or query
• Get Followers: Retrieve list of user followers with user details
• Get Following: Retrieve list of accounts a user is following

📱 Media Operations

• Get User Media: Retrieve user's posted media with metadata and engagement stats
• Get Media Info: Get detailed information about specific media posts
• Like Media: Like a specific post or media
• Unlike Media: Remove like from a specific post or media

📰 Feed Operations

• Get Timeline Feed: Retrieve user's personal timeline feed with recent posts

Credentials

This node requires Instagram login credentials configured through n8n's credential system:

• Username: Your Instagram username or email
• Password: Your Instagram password
• Proxy URL (Optional): HTTP proxy URL for requests

🚨 Important: Starting from v0.0.6, credentials are named "Instagram API" (previously "Instagram Credentials"). You may need to recreate your credentials after updating.

🔒 Security Considerations

• Uses n8n's secure credential storage system
• Credentials are encrypted and never exposed in workflows
• Consider using a dedicated Instagram account for automation
• Be aware of Instagram's Terms of Service regarding automated access

Compatibility

• n8n Version: 1.0+ (tested and compatible)
• Node.js: 18.17+ required
• Instagram Private API: ^1.45.3

Usage

This node leverages the powerful instagram-private-api library to provide access to Instagram's internal APIs, enabling comprehensive automation capabilities.

✨ Key Features

User Management

// Get detailed user profile
{
  "pk": "123456789",
  "username": "example_user",
  "full_name": "Example User",
  "follower_count": 1500,
  "following_count": 300,
  "media_count": 85,
  "is_verified": false,
  "is_private": false,
  "biography": "Content creator and photographer"
}

Media Interaction

• Access to post engagement data (likes, comments)
• Media metadata including dimensions, URLs, captions
• Automated liking/unliking capabilities

Feed Access

• Personal timeline content
• Real-time feed updates
• Engagement tracking

📋 Example Workflows

1. Social Media Monitoring: Track competitor follower growth and engagement
2. Content Curation: Automatically collect media from specific users
3. Engagement Automation: Like posts from target accounts (use responsibly)
4. Analytics Collection: Gather data for social media analysis

⚠️ Important Considerations

• Rate Limiting: Instagram enforces strict rate limits. Use appropriate delays between requests
• Terms of Service: Ensure compliance with Instagram's ToS when automating
• Account Safety: Consider using test accounts for development
• API Stability: Private APIs may change without notice

🛠 Best Practices

• Implement proper error handling in your workflows
• Use realistic delays between API calls (2-5 seconds minimum)
• Monitor for rate limit responses and implement backoff strategies
• Keep credentials secure and rotate them regularly

Troubleshooting

🔧 Credential Issues

If you see "Node does not have any credentials set":

1. Check Credential Name: Ensure you're using "Instagram API" (not "Instagram Credentials")
2. Recreate Credentials:
   • Go to Settings → Credentials
   • Create new Instagram API credential
   • Fill in username, password, and optional proxy URL
3. Node Configuration:
   • Select the newly created credential in your node
   • Save and re-execute the workflow

📊 Common Configuration

// Credential Configuration
{
  "username": "your_instagram_username",
  "password": "your_secure_password", 
  "proxyUrl": "http://proxy.example.com:8080" // Optional
}

🐛 Error Handling

• Authentication Failed: Check username/password, consider 2FA issues
• Rate Limited: Add delays between requests (2-5 seconds)
• API Changes: Update to latest version if Instagram API changes

Resources

• n8n Community Nodes Documentation
• Instagram Private API GitHub
• Instagram Private API Documentation
• n8n Workflow Examples

Version History

• 0.0.6 (Current):

  • 🔧 CRITICAL FIX: Resolved credential configuration issues in n8n
  • ✅ Fixed inconsistent credential naming (instagramCredentials → instagramApi)
  • ✅ Added optional proxyUrl field to credentials for proxy support
  • ✅ Improved credential descriptions and field validation
  • ✅ Enhanced credential display name for better UX
  • ✅ Corrected export configuration for proper n8n integration
  • ✅ Validated credential flow from configuration to node execution
  • ✅ Clean build process with unnecessary files removed

• 0.0.5:

  • ✅ Full TypeScript implementation with comprehensive type safety
  • ✅ Complete InstagramClient with all essential methods
  • ✅ Proper authentication flow and error handling
  • ✅ Instagram SVG icon integration
  • ✅ Support for user operations (profile, search, followers, following)
  • ✅ Support for media operations (get media, like/unlike, media info)
  • ✅ Support for feed operations (timeline feed)
  • ✅ Automated asset copying in build process
  • ✅ Comprehensive test suite with integration tests
  • ✅ Production-ready build and deployment

• 0.0.4: Core functionality implementation and bug fixes

• 0.0.3: Initial TypeScript structure and basic operations

• 0.0.2: Template refinement and dependency management

• 0.0.1: Initial template implementation

Development

To work with this node locally:

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the node
npm run build

# Run in development mode with file watching
npm run dev

# Run linting
npm run lint

# Run linting with auto-fix
npm run lint:fix

# Run tests
npm test

# Format code
npm run format

🏗 Build Process

The build process includes:

• TypeScript compilation
• Automatic copying of SVG assets
• Type declaration generation
• Source map generation (optional)

🧪 Testing

The project includes:

• Unit tests for core functionality
• Integration tests for API methods
• Type safety validation
• Error handling verification

License

MIT

Made with ❤️ for the n8n community