Lurk Follow Index · Updated July 3, 2026

The Follow Index Data API

Name: The Lurk Instagram Follow Index
Creator: Lurk
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

What this is

A free, CORS-enabled JSON API that returns the anonymized aggregate statistics behind The Lurk Instagram Follow Index — follows, unfollows, gained followers and the follow:unfollow ratio across a network of 116,654 public Instagram profiles. One GETrequest, no signup, reusable under CC BY 4.0.

Endpoint

GET https://getlurk.app/api/v1/follow-index

Method	GET
Format	JSON (application/json)
Authentication	None required — optional API key raises the rate limit
CORS	Enabled (Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *) — safe to call from the browser
Rate limit	60 requests / 10 min (anonymous) · 1,000 / 10 min (keyed)
Caching	Refreshed every 6 hours; responses carry s-maxage + stale-while-revalidate
License	CC BY 4.0 — free to reuse with attribution

Quick start

No key needed for the anonymous tier — just call the endpoint:

curl https://getlurk.app/api/v1/follow-index

With an API key (query string or the x-api-key header) for the higher rate limit:

curl -H "x-api-key: YOUR_KEY" \
  "https://getlurk.app/api/v1/follow-index?key=YOUR_KEY"

Sample response

Live values from the current snapshot (updated July 3, 2026). The meta.rate_limit block is per-request; the example shows the anonymous tier.

{
  "dataset": "The Lurk Instagram Follow Index",
  "description": "Anonymized aggregate statistics on Instagram following behavior, computed from Lurk's public follow-edge network.",
  "source_url": "https://getlurk.app/follow-index",
  "docs_url": "https://getlurk.app/developers",
  "license": "CC BY 4.0",
  "license_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "attribution": "The Lurk Instagram Follow Index (https://getlurk.app/follow-index), CC BY 4.0",
  "updated_at": "2026-07-03T12:01:31Z",
  "updated_date": "2026-07-03",
  "metrics": {
    "profiles_in_network": 116654,
    "follow_relationships_mapped": 2021740,
    "follow_activity_events": 404274,
    "accounts_with_tracked_activity": 1505,
    "events_last_7d": 71653,
    "events_last_30d": 287396,
    "events_by_type": {
      "follow": 214367,
      "unfollow": 842,
      "new_story": 177,
      "gained_follower": 188888
    },
    "follow_to_unfollow_ratio": 255
  },
  "top_tracked": [
    {
      "rank": 1,
      "username": "cristiano"
    },
    {
      "rank": 2,
      "username": "leomessi"
    },
    {
      "rank": 3,
      "username": "kyliejenner"
    }
  ],
  "meta": {
    "api_version": "v1",
    "tier": "anonymous",
    "rate_limit": {
      "limit": 60,
      "remaining": 59,
      "reset_at": "2026-01-01T00:10:00.000Z",
      "window_seconds": 600
    },
    "cache": "Served from a 6-hour cache; the underlying dataset refreshes every 6 hours."
  }
}

Response fields

Field	Description
metrics.profiles_in_network	Distinct public Instagram profiles observed in the follow-edge network.
metrics.follow_relationships_mapped	Distinct directed follow relationships (edges) mapped.
metrics.follow_activity_events	Total tracked follow-graph events (follows + unfollows + gained followers).
metrics.accounts_with_tracked_activity	Accounts with at least one tracked activity event.
metrics.events_last_7d / events_last_30d	Follow-graph events observed in the trailing 7 and 30 days.
metrics.events_by_type	Event counts broken out by type (follow, unfollow, gained_follower, …).
metrics.follow_to_unfollow_ratio	Whole-number ratio of new follows to unfollows across the network.
top_tracked	The most-tracked public accounts (rank + handle). Same leaderboard shown on /follow-index.
updated_at / updated_date	When the snapshot was generated (ISO 8601 and YYYY-MM-DD).
meta	API version, your rate-limit tier + remaining quota, and cache notes.

This endpoint returns aggregate data only — no private, personal, or per-user information is exposed. It is the same anonymized dataset already published on the public Follow Index page.

Authentication & rate limits

The anonymous tier (60 requests / 10 minutes per IP) needs no key and is plenty for most uses — the dataset only changes every 6 hours, so polling more often returns the same snapshot. For a higher-volume or server-to-server use case, request a free API key by emailing support@getlurk.app with a one-line description of what you're building. Pass the key as ?key= or the x-api-key header to unlock 1,000 requests / 10 minutes.

License & attribution

Cite this

The data is free to reuse — including commercially — under CC BY 4.0, provided you credit the source with a link. Suggested attribution:

Data: The Lurk Instagram Follow Index — getlurk.app/follow-index (CC BY 4.0)

Built something with the data?

We'd love to see it — and if you want to track who any public Instagram account really follows, Lurk is free to try, no login.

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