📸 delta-instagram-feed

A plug-and-play Instagram Feed API for Node.js & Express with built-in caching, secure token handling, and zero frontend exposure.

Fetch Instagram posts using the official Instagram Graph API, cache them automatically, and serve them safely to your frontend.

✨ Features

• ✅ Official Instagram Graph API
• 🔐 Secure server-side token usage
• ⚡ Built-in 3-hour caching (prevents rate limits)
• 🧩 Express-ready router
• 🎥 Supports Images, Videos & Carousel posts
• 🚫 No frontend token leakage
• 📦 ESM compatible (import syntax)

📦 Installation

npm i @it_dhruv/delta-instagram-feed

⚙️ Prerequisites

Before using this package, you must have:

• Instagram Business / Creator account
• Facebook App with Instagram Graph API enabled
• Long-Lived Access Token (valid for 60 days)

🔐 Environment Variables

Create a .env file in your backend project:

INSTAGRAM_BASE_URL=https://graph.instagram.com
INSTAGRAM_ACCOUNT_ID=YOUR_INSTAGRAM_USER_ID
INSTAGRAM_ACCESS_TOKEN=YOUR_LONG_LIVED_ACCESS_TOKEN

Important Notes

• ❌ Do NOT use short-lived tokens
• ❌ Do NOT wrap values in quotes
• ❌ Do NOT use Facebook Page ID
• ✅ Use Instagram User ID from /me endpoint

🚀 Usage (Express)

Basic Setup

import express from "express";
import dotenv from "dotenv";
import { instagramRoutes } from "@it_dhruv/delta-instagram-feed";

dotenv.config();

const app = express();

app.use("/api/instagram", instagramRoutes);

app.listen(2025, () => {
  console.log("Server running on port 2025");
});

🌐 API Endpoint

GET /api/instagram/feed

Returns a list of Instagram posts.

Example Response

[
  {
    "id": "17905934592164608",
    "media_type": "IMAGE",
    "media_url": "https://...",
    "permalink": "https://www.instagram.com/p/..."
  }
]

Supported Media Types

• IMAGE
• VIDEO
• CAROUSEL_ALBUM

⚡ Caching Behavior

• Instagram API is called once every 3 hours
• Subsequent requests return cached data
• Improves performance & avoids rate limits

Cache duration is currently fixed at 3 hours

❌ Error Handling

If something goes wrong, the API responds with:

{
  "message": "Unable to fetch Instagram feed"
}

Common Causes

• Expired or invalid access token
• Wrong Instagram User ID
• Missing API permissions
• App not in Live / Tester mode

Check backend logs for detailed error output.

🔎 Debug Tip

To verify your token manually:

https://graph.instagram.com/me?access_token=YOUR_TOKEN

If this fails, regenerate your long-lived token.

🧠 Security Best Practices

• Tokens are never exposed to frontend
• Always fetch Instagram data from your backend
• Safe for production usage

📁 Package Structure (Internal)

instagram.routes.js     → Express routes
instagram.controller.js → Request handling
instagram.services.js   → Instagram API calls
instagram.util.js       → Cache logic
instagram.types.js      → Media constants

🛠️ Roadmap (Planned)

• 🔁 Auto token refresh
• 📄 Pagination support
• ⚙️ Configurable cache duration
• 🔐 Optional API key middleware
• 📘 TypeScript support

🧑‍💻 Author

Dhruv Itwala MERN Stack Developer

📦 npm: @it_dhruv/delta-instagram-feed

⭐ Support

If this package helps you:

• ⭐ Star it on npm
• 🐛 Report issues
• 🚀 Suggest improvements