Build powerful integrations with the Modash API. Whether you're pulling creator data into your own tools, automating discovery workflows, or powering custom dashboards, these best practices will help you get the most out of every API call.
Discovery API vs RAW API
Modash offers two APIs that work best together:
Discovery API: Search and filter creators from 250M+ profiles. Find creators matching specific criteria like audience demographics, engagement rates, and content topics.
RAW API: Programatically pull social profiles and content data to enrich creators, analyze performance, and make activation decisions at scale.
Most integrations use both: Discovery API to find creators, then RAW API to get the deep data on the ones you want.
Authentication
All API requests require your API key in the Authorization header. Find your API key in your Account Settings.
Keep your API key secure and never expose it in client-side code or send it using any messaging services.
💡 You can also regenerate a new API key here if you ever need to.
Discovery API best practices
Start broad, then narrow: Begin with fewer filters and add more as needed. Over-filtering may miss good matches.
Use pagination: Results are paginated. Always check for the next page token and iterate through all pages.
Optimise your filters: The most efficient searches combine 2-3 strong filters (like platform + audience location + follower range) rather than many weak filters.
Handle rate limits gracefully: Implement exponential backoff when you hit limits. Wait, then retry with increasing delays.
RAW API best practices
Group requests into small chunks that can be processed sequentially - This will help you avoid timeouts, stay within your rate limit, and allow you to retry any failed batches without having to pull everything again.
Keep an eye on your rate limits using the user info endpoint.
Handle rate limits gracefully: As with Discovery API - Implement exponential backoff when you hit limits. Wait, then retry with increasing delays.
Caching best practices
Check data freshness: Discovery API profile data refreshes on individual cycles. Basic data (followers, username, recent posts) updates roughly every 1–2 weeks, while deeper analysed data (audience demographics, detailed metrics) refreshes about once a month. Check the
last_updatedfield to know how recent the data is before re-fetching.Store what you need: Cache Discovery API data locally to save your credits. Only re-fetch when you actually need updated metrics - polling more frequently won't give you new data and will consume your quota unnecessarily.
RAW API is real-time: The RAW API fetches data directly from social platforms at the time of your request. Cache RAW API results based on your freshness needs, but be mindful of your request quota.
Usage monitoring
Keep an eye on your API usage in your account settings:
Requests per endpoint
For more information on endpoint specific limits, refer to your contract.
Rate limit consumption
1 number is visible for Discovery and 1 for RAW (i.e. 2 and 2)
Monthly usage against your plan limits
💡 We recommend building a weekly credit/request consumption check in your workflow to prevent unexpected errors and failed calls.
💡 Set up alerts on your side to track when you're approaching rate limits or monthly quotas. Stay ahead of interruptions and keep your integration running smoothly.
The API gives you the same powerful creator data that drives Discover, but programmatically. Build custom workflows, connect Modash data to your internal systems, and automate the parts of influencer marketing that used to eat up your time.
How are credits used
Discovery
Responses where credits are used
2xx - Success
Responses where credits are not used
3xx - Redirect
4xx - Client errors
5xx - Server errors
RAW
All requests count as a used request.
FAQs
FAQs
What are the rate limits?
Rate limits vary by plan. Call /user/info endpoint, or speak with your CSM, for your specific limits, and implement retry logic with exponential backoff.
Can I use both APIs together?
Yes, and you should. Most integrations use Discovery API to find creators and RAW API to get detailed profile data.
How do I handle errors?
Check the HTTP status code and error message. Common errors: 429 (rate limited), 401 (authentication), and 404 (profile not found).
Is there a sandbox environment?
Contact your Success Manager about testing environments and development API keys.
How often can I re-fetch profile data?
Discovery API profile data refreshes every 2-4 weeks. Re-fetching more frequently won't give you new data and will consume your quota unnecessarily. The RAW API returns live data at the time of your request - refresh as needed based on your use case.
Who can I speak to if I have other questions?
Get in touch with your Customer Success Manager, or reach out to hello+api@modash.io