Connect Instagram to SFTP — Universal File Delivery

Log into the Supermetrics Hub, create a new data transfer, select Instagram as the source and SFTP as the destination. Enter your SFTP host, port, username, and password (or SSH key). Choose the remote directory, file format, and naming convention. Select your metrics and dimensions, set a schedule, and start the transfer. Supermetrics uploads structured files directly to your SFTP server on each scheduled run. Because SFTP is a standard protocol supported on every operating system — Linux, Windows, macOS, and any cloud VM — you can receive data on any server you already manage, with no proprietary agent or vendor SDK to install.

SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) encrypts both the authentication handshake and the entire data payload over an SSH tunnel, meaning your Instagram data is never exposed in plain text during transit. Combined with Supermetrics' SOC 2 Type II certification and GDPR compliance, your data is protected end-to-end. For hardened security, use SSH key authentication instead of passwords, restrict the SFTP user to a chroot jail directory, disable password login entirely, and configure your firewall to allow connections only from Supermetrics' published IP ranges. Unlike cloud-proprietary transfer methods, SSH encryption is an open standard with decades of security auditing behind it.

Yes. You can set up multiple Supermetrics transfers delivering Instagram, Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads, and any other source to the same SFTP directory or organized into separate subdirectories on the same server. Because SFTP delivers plain files, your downstream workflow is entirely up to you: cron-scheduled shell scripts, Python or R pipelines, database LOAD DATA commands, or enterprise ETL tools can all pick up the files for unified processing. This file-based approach means zero vendor lock-in — if you ever change analytics platforms, your data is already in an open format. Supermetrics supports 170+ data sources, all deliverable to SFTP.

All standard Instagram reporting metrics and dimensions are available, including Views, Reach, Likes, Comments, Saves, Shares, and more. You select exactly which fields to include during setup. Data arrives as structured files (CSV or JSON) in the directory you specify, ready for processing by any tool that reads files — no API client libraries or cloud SDKs needed. This makes SFTP the most universal delivery method: whether your downstream system is a MySQL LOAD DATA INFILE, an on-premise SAS installation, a legacy ERP file import, or a custom Python script, the data just works.

Transfers can run hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly. Daily delivery is the most common setup. Each run uploads fresh files to your SFTP server, and you can match the delivery cadence with a cron job on your side: for example, schedule Supermetrics to deliver at 6 AM and your import script to run at 6:30 AM, so fresh Instagram data is in your database before the team's morning standup. Because SFTP works with any server and any OS, you can run this workflow on a $5/month VPS or an enterprise data center — Supermetrics handles all the API complexity, and your server just receives clean, ready-to-process files.

Yes. Reel plays, Story impressions, and all engagement metrics are included in the export.

Yes. Follower count and profile visit metrics are available for tracking audience growth over time.