Instagram — media/createContainer

Two-step publishing: Instagram requires creating a container first, then publishing it as a separate call. Connect media/createContainer to media/publish via {{ $output.instagram.creationId }}.

When to Use

Automated product launches: When a product is added to your e-commerce platform, generate an image on CDN, then create a container with a pre-written caption and location tag before publishing.
Scheduled content calendar: A content team approves posts in a CMS; a workflow creates containers for approved items, stores the creationId, and publishes at the scheduled time.
Carousel album creation: Build multi-image posts by creating individual item containers with isCarouselItem: true, then passing all container IDs to the parent carousel container.
UGC republishing pipeline: When user-generated content is approved for resharing, re-host the media publicly and create a container with attribution credit in the caption.
Reel publishing workflow: Upload an edited video to your CDN, create a REELS container, then publish after video processing completes.

Configuration

Connection

Field	Required	Description
`accessToken`	Required	Long-lived Instagram access token stored in BizFirst Credentials Manager.
`igUserId`	Required	Your Instagram Business/Creator account ID (numeric string).

Operation

Field	Required	Description
`resource`	Required	Must be `media`.
`operation`	Required	Must be `create-container`.
`mediaType`	Required	`IMAGE`, `VIDEO`, `REELS`, or `CAROUSEL`.
`imageUrl`	Optional	Publicly accessible HTTPS URL of the image (required for IMAGE type). Minimum 320px on shortest side.
`videoUrl`	Optional	Publicly accessible HTTPS URL of the video (required for VIDEO/REELS). MOV or MP4 format.
`caption`	Optional	Post caption text (up to 2200 characters). Hashtags and @mentions supported.
`locationId`	Optional	Facebook Place ID to tag a location on the post.
`userTags`	Optional	JSON array: `[{"username":"handle","x":0.5,"y":0.3}]`. Coordinates are 0.0–1.0 relative to image dimensions.
`isCarouselItem`	Optional	`true` if this is a child of a CAROUSEL container. Default `false`.

Media URL accessibility: The imageUrl or videoUrl must be publicly accessible over HTTPS at container creation time. Instagram's servers fetch the media directly. Pre-signed URLs with short expiry, private CDN URLs, or localhost URLs will fail.

Sample Configuration JSON

{
  "resource": "media",
  "operation": "create-container",
  "accessToken": "{{ $credential.instagram.accessToken }}",
  "igUserId": "17841400000000000",
  "mediaType": "IMAGE",
  "imageUrl": "https://cdn.yourbrand.com/posts/summer-launch-2025.jpg",
  "caption": "Our summer collection is live! Shop the link in bio. #fashion #summer2025",
  "locationId": "213385402",
  "userTags": "[{\"username\":\"partner_brand\",\"x\":0.5,\"y\":0.3}]"
}

Validation Errors

Error	Cause
`accessToken is required`	`accessToken` field is missing or empty.
`igUserId is required`	`igUserId` field is missing or empty.
Graph API error 100	Invalid or inaccessible `imageUrl` / `videoUrl`.
Graph API error 2207026	Caption exceeds 2200 character limit.

Output

Success Port

Field	Type	Description
`status`	string	`"success"`
`creationId`	string	Container ID. Pass to media/publish as `creationId`.
`payload`	string	Raw JSON response from the Graph API.

Error Port

Field	Type	Description
`status`	string	`"error"`
`errorCode`	string	Graph API error code.
`errorMessage`	string	Error description.
`payload`	string	Raw error response.

Sample Output JSON

{
  "status": "success",
  "creationId": "17889615814797510",
  "payload": "{\"id\":\"17889615814797510\"}"
}

Expression Reference

Expression	Value
`{{ $output.instagram.creationId }}`	Container ID for use in media/publish

Node Policies & GuardRails

Container expiry: Media containers expire 24 hours after creation if not published. If the publish step is delayed beyond 24 hours, re-run media/createContainer.
Video processing time: Video containers may take several minutes to process. Introduce a delay between create and publish steps, or poll container status via the Graph API before publishing.
Content policy: Instagram enforces community guidelines on captions and media. Posts with prohibited content fail at container or publish step. Validate content before automation.
Rate limit: 200 calls per user per hour. For bulk publishing, spread container creation across time windows.

Examples

Image post from workflow data

{
  "resource": "media",
  "operation": "create-container",
  "accessToken": "{{ $credential.instagram.accessToken }}",
  "igUserId": "{{ $env.IG_USER_ID }}",
  "mediaType": "IMAGE",
  "imageUrl": "{{ $output.cdnUpload.publicUrl }}",
  "caption": "{{ $input.postCaption }}",
  "locationId": "{{ $input.facebookPlaceId }}"
}

Reel container creation

{
  "resource": "media",
  "operation": "create-container",
  "accessToken": "{{ $credential.instagram.accessToken }}",
  "igUserId": "17841400000000000",
  "mediaType": "REELS",
  "videoUrl": "https://cdn.yourbrand.com/reels/product-demo-v2.mp4",
  "caption": "Watch how it works in 30 seconds! #productdemo #howto"
}

After success, pass {{ $output.instagram.creationId }} to media/publish.