Social media API
A social media API is an interface a social network offers so that other software can read data from it or publish content to it on a user's behalf, with the user's permission.
How publishing APIs work
Each network has its own: Instagram Graph API, TikTok Content Posting API, YouTube Data API, LinkedIn Posts API, X API, Threads API and Pinterest API. They share a pattern:
- You authorize an app (for example a scheduler) to act for your account, usually with OAuth.
- The app sends the post (text, media) to the API.
- The network checks it against its rules (length, format, size) and publishes it.
Each API has its own limits, which is why a post accepted on one network may be rejected on another. The social media limits page collects them, with sources from each network's developer documentation.
Unified APIs and schedulers
Integrating eight networks separately is a lot of work. A scheduler with its own API lets developers publish to all of them through one interface. Postika's REST API uses per-project API keys and takes JSON over HTTPS: you create a post once and choose the channels. Automation platforms like n8n, Make and Zapier connect through that API, and AI assistants connect through Postika's MCP server.
Documentation: API docs, automations, and Postika for developers. Related: MCP.
Frequently asked questions
Is there one API to post to all social media?
No network offers that. Schedulers like Postika provide one API that publishes to several networks through their individual APIs.
Do social media APIs cost money?
It varies by network and usage level. Using a scheduler's API means the scheduler handles the network APIs for you.
Can I post to Instagram through an API?
Yes, with a professional (Business or Creator) account through Instagram's content publishing API.
What is the difference between an API and MCP?
An API is built for programs written by developers, with fixed requests and responses. MCP is a protocol built for AI assistants, describing tools the AI can choose to call. Postika offers both.
Keep reading
- AI agentAn AI agent is an AI system that can take actions with tools, not just answer. What makes it an agent, examples, and how agents manage social media posts.
- Carousel postA carousel post is a single social media post with several images people swipe through. Limits on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn, and how to make one work.
- Content repurposingContent repurposing turns one piece of content into new formats for other channels, like a blog post into a carousel. Examples and a simple workflow.
- MCP (Model Context Protocol)MCP, the Model Context Protocol, is an open standard that lets AI assistants like Claude and ChatGPT use outside tools and data. How it works, simply.
- Social media glossaryPlain-English definitions of social media scheduling and AI terms: MCP, content calendar, approval workflow, cross-posting, UTM parameters and more.