Instagram Bot Using Python – My Story & Full Guide (2025)
How I caught my account sending messages & learned Python automation
Hello everyone,
I recently faced a strange issue: people from outside my country were receiving messages from my Instagram account — without me sending them! I was shocked. I double-checked everything: no unusual logins, no apps connected, and even changed my password. Still, the same message kept going out to 30–50 unknown accounts daily.
That’s when I decided to investigate deeper and understand: how do Instagram bots actually work? Can someone build a tool to send messages silently? If yes, can I replicate this behavior using Python for learning?
In this post, I’ll share everything I discovered: how bots function, what technologies they use, how to ethically build one for learning, and finally how to turn all this knowledge into something useful. Let’s go step-by-step.
What is an Instagram Bot?
An Instagram bot is an automated tool that can perform actions like liking posts, sending DMs, following/unfollowing users, or even commenting – all without human intervention. Many bots use unofficial APIs or browser automation to mimic real human behavior.
Why Do People Use Bots?
- Promote their business or product
- Engage users at scale
- Automate boring tasks (e.g., messaging followers)
- Spam accounts (unfortunately)
Technologies & Tools Used
| Library | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Python | Main programming language |
| requests | Send HTTP requests |
| instabot | Automate DM, follow, like, etc. |
| selenium | Control browser like human |
Setting Up the Project
pip install instabot requests seleniumBasic Bot Example Using Instabot
from instabot import Bot
bot = Bot() bot.login(username="your_username", password="your_password")
Send message
bot.send_message("Hello from my bot!", ["target_username"])
Follow user
bot.follow("target_username")
Like posts
bot.like_user("target_username")Manual Approach with requests (for advanced users)
import requests
headers = { "User-Agent": "Instagram 123.0.0.26.121 Android", "Content-Type": "application/x-www-form-urlencoded" } session = requests.Session() session.headers.update(headers)
Simulate login (simplified)
login_data = { 'username': 'your_username', 'enc_password': '#password_here' }
response = session.post('https://www.instagram.com/accounts/login/ajax/', data=login_data) print("Login Status:", response.status_code)Sending Messages Manually
def send_message(user_id, message):
payload = { "recipient_users": f"[[{user_id}]]", "text": message } dm_url = "https://i.instagram.com/api/v1/direct_v2/threads/broadcast/text/" res = session.post(dm_url, data=payload) print("Message sent:", res.status_code)What I Learned
- Many bots use unofficial/private Instagram APIs
- Browser automation using Selenium is harder to detect
- Instagram constantly updates its security against automation
- Always use bots for ethical and research purposes only
FAQ
Q: Can I use this on my main account?
No. Use test accounts only.
Q: Is this legal?
This guide is for learning. Automating real accounts violates Instagram’s terms.
Q: Is it safe?
Only if done carefully with good delay, logic, and no spam.
Conclusion
I started this journey just trying to figure out how my account was sending messages to strangers. But along the way, I learned so much about how automation works — and how powerful Python is.
Hope this guide helps you understand Instagram bots from inside out. And remember: with great power comes great responsibility. 🙏
