README

A simple PHP library for posting to Instagram Business Accounts using the Instagram Graph API. This package allows you to post images and create carousel posts to your Instagram Business account.

Requirements

• PHP >= 8.2
• cURL extension
• JSON extension
• Facebook App with Instagram permissions
• Instagram Business Account (linked to a Facebook Page)
• Long-lived Facebook Page Access Token (with Instagram permissions)

Setup Requirements

1. Instagram Business Account

• You must have an Instagram Business Account
• It needs to be linked to a Facebook Page
• Go to Instagram Business Account Setup to create/convert

2. Facebook App Permissions

Your access token needs these permissions:

• pages_show_list
• pages_read_engagement
• instagram_basic
• instagram_content_publish

Installation

composer require codechap/i
composer require codechap/i @dev

Quick Start

1. Setup

Run the setup script to configure your Facebook page and Instagram account:

php setup.php

This will guide you through:

• Getting an access token from Facebook
• Selecting your Facebook page
• Verifying your Instagram Business Account connection

2. Post to Instagram

<?php

require 'vendor/autoload.php';

use Codechap\I\I;
use Codechap\I\Msg;

// Initialize Instagram client
$ig = new I();
$ig->set('facebookPageId', 'YOUR_FACEBOOK_PAGE_ID');
$ig->set('accessToken', 'YOUR_FACEBOOK_PAGE_ACCESS_TOKEN');

// Create a photo post
$msg = new Msg();
$msg->set('content', 'Hello Instagram!');
$msg->set('image', 'https://example.com/photo.jpg'); // Public URL required

$response = $ig->post($msg);
echo "Posted! ID: " . $response['id'];

Examples

Photo Post

$msg = new Msg();
$msg->set('content', 'Check out this photo!');
$msg->set('image', 'https://example.com/photo.jpg');
$ig->post($msg);

Carousel Post (Multiple Photos)

$photo1 = new Msg();
$photo1->set('image', 'https://example.com/photo1.jpg');

$photo2 = new Msg();
$photo2->set('image', 'https://example.com/photo2.jpg');

$photo3 = new Msg();
$photo3->set('content', 'Photo gallery from my trip!');
$photo3->set('image', 'https://example.com/photo3.jpg');

$ig->post([$photo1, $photo2, $photo3]);

Get Account Info

$info = $ig->me();
echo "Instagram Username: @" . $info['data']['username'];
echo "Followers: " . $info['data']['followers_count'];

Getting Access Token

Method 1: Using Setup Script (Recommended)

php setup.php

Follow the prompts to get your token from Facebook Graph API Explorer.

Method 2: Manual Setup

1. Go to Facebook Graph API Explorer
2. Select your app from the dropdown
3. Click "User or Page" → "Get User Token"
4. Add these permissions:
   • pages_show_list
   • pages_read_engagement
   • instagram_basic
   • instagram_content_publish
5. Click "Generate Access Token"
6. Grant permissions and select your pages
7. Copy the token

Extend Token Lifetime

To get a long-lived token (60+ days):

1. Go to Access Token Debugger
2. Paste your token
3. Click "Extend Access Token"
4. Use the extended token in your code

Facebook App Credentials

This package is configured to work with an app:

• App ID: YOUR_APP_ID_HERE
• App Secret: YOUR_APP_SECRET_HERE

You can also use your own Facebook app by updating these values in setup.php.

API Reference

I Class

Main class for Instagram operations.

Methods

• set(string $key, string $value) - Set configuration (facebookPageId, igAccountId, accessToken, apiVersion)
• post($content) - Post content to Instagram (accepts Msg or array of Msg)
• me() - Get Instagram account information

Configuration Keys

• facebookPageId: Your Facebook Page ID (required if igAccountId not set)
• igAccountId: Your Instagram Business Account ID (optional, will be retrieved from Facebook Page)
• accessToken: Facebook Page Access Token with Instagram permissions
• apiVersion: Facebook Graph API version (default: v18.0)

Msg Class

Message content handler.

Methods

• set(string $key, string $value) - Set content or image URL
• get(string $key) - Get content or image URL
• hasContent() - Check if message has text
• hasImage() - Check if message has an image URL

Configuration

After running setup.php, your configuration is saved to .env.local:

FACEBOOK_PAGE_ID=YOUR_PAGE_ID
FACEBOOK_PAGE_NAME="Your Page Name"
INSTAGRAM_ACCOUNT_ID=YOUR_IG_ACCOUNT_ID
FACEBOOK_ACCESS_TOKEN=YOUR_TOKEN
FACEBOOK_APP_ID=YOUR_APP_ID
FACEBOOK_APP_SECRET=YOUR_APP_SECRET_HERE

Image Requirements

Instagram requires images to be publicly accessible URLs (not local file paths). You must upload images to a cloud storage service first:

Supported Cloud Storage Services

• AWS S3
• Google Cloud Storage
• Cloudinary
• Azure Blob Storage
• Or any public file hosting service

Example: AWS S3 Integration

function uploadToCloudStorage(string $localFilePath): string {
    $s3Client = new \Aws\S3\S3Client([
        'region' => 'us-east-1',
        'version' => 'latest',
        'credentials' => [
            'key' => 'YOUR_AWS_KEY',
            'secret' => 'YOUR_AWS_SECRET',
        ],
    ]);

    $bucketName = 'your-bucket-name';
    $key = 'instagram-uploads/' . basename($localFilePath);

    $result = $s3Client->putObject([
        'Bucket' => $bucketName,
        'Key' => $key,
        'SourceFile' => $localFilePath,
        'ACL' => 'public-read'
    ]);

    return $result['ObjectURL'];
}

// Usage
$publicUrl = uploadToCloudStorage('local-photo.jpg');
$msg = new Msg();
$msg->set('image', $publicUrl);

Image Specifications

• Maximum size: 10MB
• Supported formats: JPEG, PNG, WEBP
• Minimum dimensions: 200x200 pixels
• Aspect ratios:
  • Single posts: 4:5 to 1.91:1
  • Carousel posts: All images should have similar aspect ratios

Error Handling

try {
    $ig->post($msg);
} catch (\RuntimeException $e) {
    // Instagram API errors
    echo "API Error: " . $e->getMessage();
} catch (\Exception $e) {
    // Other errors
    echo "Error: " . $e->getMessage();
}

Rate Limits

Instagram enforces rate limits on API calls. Be mindful of:

• Posting frequency (typically 1-2 posts per hour)
• Number of API calls per hour
• Carousel post limitations (up to 10 images per carousel)

Limitations

• Instagram does not support text-only posts (media is required)
• All images must be publicly accessible URLs
• Carousel posts require at least 2 images
• Only Instagram Business Accounts are supported (not Personal Accounts)

Security

• Never commit access tokens to version control
• Use environment variables or .env.local files
• Add .env.local to .gitignore
• Regenerate tokens periodically
• Keep app credentials secure

Troubleshooting

No Instagram Business Account found

• Make sure your Facebook Page has an Instagram Business Account linked
• Go to your Facebook Page Settings → Instagram → Connect Account
• The Instagram account must be a Business Account (not Personal)

Permission errors

• Ensure your app has all required Instagram permissions
• Regenerate token with all permissions granted
• Check that your access token hasn't expired (extend it to 60 days)

Token expired

• Tokens expire after 60 days
• Run setup.php again to get a new token
• Consider implementing automatic token refresh

Media upload errors

• Ensure images are publicly accessible via HTTPS URLs
• Check image format and size (JPEG, PNG, WEBP; max 10MB)
• Verify aspect ratios meet Instagram requirements

API rate limits

• Wait between API calls
• Monitor your API usage in Facebook Developer Console
• Implement proper error handling and retry logic

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.