How to Download Instagram Reels Programmatically

Building a reel downloader, a Telegram bot or a content archive sounds simple until you hit three problems: media links that expire, browsers that refuse to download them, and high-quality video that arrives without sound. This guide shows a clean way to solve all three with two API calls.

Download only content you have the right to use, and credit creators. Read the Acceptable Use Policy before you build a public tool.

The two-step flow

1. Resolve the post URL with the Post & Reel Data API. You get the author, caption and a formats list with every quality.
2. Prepare the chosen quality with the Downloader API. You get a link to a stored copy that works in any browser.

Step 1: resolve the URL

curl "https://api.igramapi.com/v1/media?url=https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cx1AbCdEfGh/" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $IGRAMAPI_KEY"

The interesting part of the response is formats:

"formats": [
  { "id": "dash-1080p", "quality": "1080p", "size_bytes": 4100000,
    "url": "https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/.../v1080.mp4",
    "audio_url": "https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/.../a.mp4" },
  { "id": "mp4-720p", "quality": "720p", "size_bytes": null,
    "url": "https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/.../v720.mp4", "audio_url": null }
]

Formats are ordered best first. Show them to your users as choices.

Why some qualities have an audio_url

Instagram delivers its highest qualities as two separate streams: one with picture only and one with sound only. If a format has an audio_url, a plain download of url gives you silent video. The Downloader merges both streams into one MP4 for you.

Step 2: prepare the file

import os
import requests

HEADERS = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['IGRAMAPI_KEY']}"}

def prepare(fmt, filename):
    body = {"type": "video", "url": fmt["url"], "filename": filename}
    if fmt.get("audio_url"):
        body["audio_url"] = fmt["audio_url"]
    r = requests.post("https://api.igramapi.com/v1/downloads", json=body, headers=HEADERS, timeout=120)
    r.raise_for_status()
    return r.json()

media = requests.get(
    "https://api.igramapi.com/v1/media",
    params={"url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cx1AbCdEfGh/"},
    headers=HEADERS, timeout=30,
).json()

result = prepare(media["formats"][0], "my-reel")
print(result["download_url"], result["size_bytes"])

The response:

{
  "download_url": "https://download.example.com/files/my-reel.mp4?signature=example",
  "expires_at": "2026-10-31T12:00:00Z",
  "filename": "my-reel.mp4",
  "content_type": "video/mp4",
  "size_bytes": 4100000
}

Send your user to download_url. The link needs no API key and works until expires_at, which is about an hour away.

Audio only (MP3)

requests.post(
    "https://api.igramapi.com/v1/downloads",
    json={"type": "audio", "url": media["video_url"]},
    headers=HEADERS, timeout=120,
)

You receive an MP3 link. For the track’s title, artist and a direct audio link, use the Audio API.

Photos and carousels

For a carousel, slides lists every item with its own type and url. Send each image to the Downloader with "type": "image", and each video the same way as above.

Costs

Errors are free. If a media link has already expired you get media_url_expired and nothing is charged: resolve the post again for a fresh URL. Identical requests reuse the stored file, so a popular reel is quick the second time.

Tips for a production downloader

• Cache results in your own database by shortcode and quality, to avoid paying twice for the same file.
• Debounce the paste box, and validate that the input looks like an Instagram URL before calling the API.
• Handle errors by code: media_unavailable (private or deleted post), login_required (age-restricted), upstream_error (retry later).
• Respect rate limits. Read Retry-After on a 429. See credits and rate limits.
• Be transparent about copyright and let rights holders reach you.

Next steps

List a creator’s reels with the Reels API, then feed each shortcode into this flow. More on building downloader tools: Reels downloader apps.