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This guide walks you through using ngrok to receive Instagram webhooks on your localhost app. By integrating ngrok with Instagram, you can:
  • Develop and test Instagram webhooks locally without deploying to a public environment or setting up HTTPS.
  • Inspect and troubleshoot requests from Instagram in real time via the inspection UI and API.
  • Modify and replay Instagram webhook requests with a single click instead of reproducing events manually in your Instagram account.
  • Secure your app with Instagram webhook validation provided by ngrok. Invalid requests are blocked by ngrok before reaching your app.

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What you’ll need

  • An ngrok account and your authtoken.
  • The ngrok agent installed.
  • Node.js installed (for the sample app, or use your own app).
  • A Facebook page and a Facebook app linked to that page; connect your Instagram account to the page.
This integration requires an ngrok Pro or Enterprise license because Facebook validates your ngrok domain.

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1. Start your app

For this tutorial, you can use the sample Node.js app on GitHub. To install the sample, run the following in a terminal: 
git clone https://github.com/ngrok/ngrok-webhook-nodejs-sample.git
cd ngrok-webhook-nodejs-sample
npm install
Then start the app: 
npm run startFacebook
The app runs on port 3000 by default. You can confirm it’s running by visiting http://localhost:3000. The app logs request headers and body in the terminal and shows a message in the browser.

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2. Expose your app with ngrok

Once your app is running locally, you’re ready to put it online securely using ngrok.
The ngrok agent uses your authtoken to authenticate when you start a tunnel.
  • In the dashboard, expand Universal Gateway and click Domains.
If you don’t have an ngrok Pro or Enterprise license, sign up by clicking Update Subscription and following the procedure.
  • On the Domains page, click + Create Domain or + New Domain.
  • In the Domain pane, enter a domain (for example, myexample.ngrok.app) and click Continue.
Make sure your domain is available.
  • Close the Start a Tunnel and Domain panes.
  • Start ngrok with your domain: 
    ngrok http 3000 --url myexample.ngrok.app
  • Copy the URL ngrok displays. Your app is now exposed at that URL for use with Instagram.

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3. Configure Instagram to send webhooks

Instagram can send webhook requests to your app when events occur in your account. Connect your Facebook page to Instagram (in Facebook, go to your page, Meta Business Suite, Inbox, Instagram Comments, Connect account), then register the webhook:
  • Sign in to Meta for Developers.
  • Click My Apps and your app.
  • Click Add Product and Set up for Webhooks.
  • On the Webhooks page, select Instagram and click Subscribe to this object.
  • In the Edit User subscription popup, enter your ngrok URL with /webhooks at the end in Callback URL (for example, https://myexample.ngrok.app/webhooks).
  • Enter 12345 in Verify token, set Include values to Yes, and click Verify and save.
  • Confirm your localhost app receives the validation request and logs WEBHOOK_VERIFIED in the terminal.
  • With Instagram selected, click Subscribe for the comments field.
You can subscribe to more fields under Instagram and other objects; use the same URL.
  • Click Test for comments, click Send to My Server, and confirm your localhost app receives the test request.
  • Set App Mode to Live at the top of your app page.

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Run webhooks with Instagram and ngrok

Instagram sends different request body contents depending on the object and field. With comments you can test by commenting on a post:
  • Open your Instagram account, open a story, enter a comment, and post it.
Confirm your localhost app receives the message and logs both headers and body in the terminal.

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Inspecting requests

ngrok’s Traffic Inspector captures all requests made through your ngrok endpoint to your localhost app. Select any request to view detailed information about both the request and response.
To avoid exposing secrets, accounts only collect traffic metadata by default. You must enable full capture in the Observability section of your account settings to capture complete request and response data.
Use the traffic inspector to:
  • Validate webhook payloads and response data
  • Debug request headers, methods, and status codes
  • Troubleshoot integration issues without adding logging to your app

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Replaying requests

Test your webhook handling code without triggering new events from your service using the Traffic Inspector’s replay feature:
  1. Send a test webhook from your service to generate traffic in your Traffic Inspector.
  2. Select the request you want to replay in the traffic inspector.
  3. Choose your replay option:
    • Click Replay to send the exact same request again
    • Select Replay with modifications to edit the request before sending
  4. (Optional) Modify the request: Edit any part of the original request, such as changing field values in the request body.
  5. Send the request by clicking Replay.
Your local application will receive the replayed request and log the data to the terminal.

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Secure webhook requests

ngrok can verify that incoming requests are from your Instagram webhook so only that traffic reaches your app.
Webhook verification is limited to 500 validations per month on free accounts. If you need more, you can upgrade to Hobbyist or Pay-as-you-go. See TPU Pricing for details.
To add verification:
  • In Meta for Developers, go to My Apps, Settings, Basic.
  • Click Show next to App secret and copy the value.
  • Create a Traffic Policy file named instagram_policy.yml. Replace {your app secret} with the value you copied: 
    on_http_request:
  - name: "Instagram Webhooks"
    actions:
      - type: "webhook-validation"
        config:
          provider: facebook_graph_api
          secret: "{your app secret}"
  • Restart ngrok with the policy file: 
    ngrok http 3000 --traffic-policy-file instagram_policy.yml
  • Trigger an Instagram event (for example, comment on a post) to send a request.
Your app should receive the request and log it in the terminal.