Instagram (Graph API)

Lightweight, dependency-free, in-memory fake of the Instagram Graph API for testing code that publishes media (the two-step container → publish flow) and reads an IG account's media.

Default port: 4802

Quick start

import { InstagramServer } from "./services/instagram/src/server.js";

const server = new InstagramServer(4802);
await server.start();
// ... run your app/tests ...
await server.stop();

Point your Graph client (or raw fetch) at http://127.0.0.1:4802. The access token may be passed as a ?access_token= query parameter or as Authorization: Bearer <token>:

const igUserId = "17841400000000001";

// 1. Create a media container
const container = await fetch(`http://127.0.0.1:4802/v18.0/${igUserId}/media`, {
  method: "POST",
  headers: { Authorization: "Bearer parlel-test-token", "Content-Type": "application/json" },
  body: JSON.stringify({ image_url: "https://example.com/photo.jpg", caption: "Hello!" }),
}).then((r) => r.json());

// 2. Publish it
const published = await fetch(`http://127.0.0.1:4802/v18.0/${igUserId}/media_publish`, {
  method: "POST",
  headers: { Authorization: "Bearer parlel-test-token", "Content-Type": "application/json" },
  body: JSON.stringify({ creation_id: container.id }),
}).then((r) => r.json());
// published.id => the new media id

Implemented operations

Routes are versioned (/v18.0/...). Auth via ?access_token= query OR Authorization: Bearer <token> (any non-empty token accepted). State is in-memory and ephemeral.

GET /v18.0/:igUserId — IG account node ({ id, username, name, followers_count, media_count }).
GET /v18.0/:igUserId/media — list published media ({ data: [{ id }], paging }).
POST /v18.0/:igUserId/media — create a media container ({ id }). Requires image_url or video_url.
POST /v18.0/:igUserId/media_publish — publish a container ({ id }). Requires a valid creation_id.

Service & inspection operations (parlel extensions)

GET / — service metadata.
GET /health — health check.
POST /__parlel/reset — reset all in-memory state.
GET /__parlel/media — list published media.
GET /__parlel/containers — list created containers.

Access via MCP / preview URL

When run inside a Daytona sandbox, this HTTP service is auto-exposed at the sandbox's preview URL. Send requests to the preview URL with the x-daytona-preview-token header to reach the service from outside the sandbox. The MCP layer surfaces the same endpoints described above.

Surface coverage

This emulator faithfully replicates the API surface most application code and agents exercise. Anything below the supported lines is either an intentional design choice for a fast, zero-cost local emulator (✓ By design) or a candidate for a future release (⟳ Roadmap) — never a silent inaccuracy.

Legend: ✅ fully supported · ◐ accepted (stored, not strictly enforced) · ✓ by design · ⟳ on the roadmap.

Feature	Status
IG user node lookup	✅ Supported
Media listing	✅ Supported
Container create → publish flow	✅ Supported
`?access_token=` query and Bearer auth	✅ Supported
Token validity / scope enforcement	✓ By design — Any non-empty credential is accepted — no real secrets needed
Carousel / Reels / Stories specifics	◐ Containers accepted, not fully modeled
Insights / comments / hashtag search	⟳ Roadmap
Real media hosting / publishing to Instagram	✓ By design — Intentionally unsupported (fake only)

Configuration — `test.env`

Copy these into your test.env (used by the bridge sidecar flow). Tokens are Parlel's seeded test credentials — any non-empty value is accepted by the emulator, so you rarely need to change them. Swap in real credentials only when pointing at the live service in prod.env.

INSTAGRAM_ACCESS_TOKEN=parlel
INSTAGRAM_BASE_URL=http://parlel-bridge:4802