Instagram api thumbnail_url gives 5xx Server Error

Question

thumbnail_url link gives 5xx Server Error only for slide show posts. Works fine for Video and Image only posts.

Failing case: https://www.instagram.com/p/BvEv0AVlgGb

API Call:

https://api.instagram.com/oembed/?url=https://www.instagram.com/p/BvEv0AVlgGb

Response:

{   
    "version": "1.0",   
    "title": "Higher. Further. Faster. Complete your #CaptainMarvel look with these Carol Danvers-approved glasses from @diffeyewear! Shop now at diffeyewear.com #ad",   
    "author_name": "marvel",   
    "author_url": "https://www.instagram.com/marvel",   
    "author_id": 204633036,   
    "media_id": "2000934416420307355_204633036", 
    "provider_name": "Instagram",   
    "provider_url": "https://www.instagram.com",   
    "type": "rich",   
    "width": 658,   
    "height": null,   
    "html": "<blockquote ......>",   
    "thumbnail_url": "https://scontent-sin2-2.cdninstagram.com/vp/d49a6c1ebb809f2a678807c6c668dc20/5D4E7C9B/t51.2885-15/e35/s612x612/51757368_424979878262102_7818160988900314568_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-sin2-2.cdninstagram.com", 
    "thumbnail_width": 612,   
    "thumbnail_height": 611 
}

This image post works fine: https://www.instagram.com/p/BvE6t9fA3BE

Why is the thumbnail url broken only for image stacks?

Answer 1

The best way to track this information is by adding the __a=1 param and value to the original url. This will return a GraphQL response which holds all the required information.

For the failing case posted above: https://www.instagram.com/p/BvEv0AVlgGb, simply change the url to https://www.instagram.com/p/BvEv0AVlgGb?__a=1