Grover AliceSocial media APIs work by connecting social media platforms with external tools and applications. This gives external developers access to certain types of data that are required for social media tools to work.
All popular social media networks have APIs that developers can use to create social media management tools. You can learn more on each network’s developer site:
- Instagram API
- Facebook API
- YouTube API
- Twitter API
- LinkedIn API
- Pinterest API
- TikTok API
How does it work in practice? Social media tools like Hootsuite have full integration with all the major social networks through API access. APIs connect Hootsuite with your social media accounts. With them, you can manage all your social media accounts from one centralized dashboard, rather than switching between tabs to handle profiles on different platforms separately. This includes scheduling and publishing posts, generating analytical reports, responding to messages and comments, and more.
Networks decide how much social media data their APIs give developers access to. This means that apps and other tools that help you manage your social media accounts must follow the rules set by the social platforms. That’s why connecting social accounts to a third-party tool for the first time can be cumbersome – social platforms usually ask you to confirm your consent to share data before granting initial access through their APIs.
Social media APIs also define what features third-party tools can – and cannot – provide. Does it seem like your social media management tools make you jump through hoops to get things done? That’s probably because they’re working within the limitations of the social platform’s APIs.
For example, Instagram has two main APIs. Instagram’s basic display API allows developers to create consumer-level applications (e.g., applications that allow users to host their Instagram feed on their website). It only requires basic access to an Instagram account.
The Instagram Graph API provides more functionality. It is designed for applications that allow professional Instagram accounts to manage their Instagram presence, such as Hootsuite.