Snapchat

Publish Stories, Saved Stories and Spotlight videos to Snapchat with POST /v1/posts and platform: "snapchat". Snapchat is in closed beta, so new connections need approval before anything on this page works.

Quick reference

Before you start

Snapchat requires a Public Profile (Person, Business or Official); a regular Snapchat account cannot publish through the API. Every post carries exactly 1 image or video: there are no text-only posts, no carousels and no albums, and 9:16 vertical media is expected. Zernio encrypts each file with AES-256-CBC before uploading it to Snapchat, so nothing changes on your side.

Connect

Call GET /v1/connect/snapchat with profileId on Get OAuth connect URL. After the user authorizes, they pick which Public Profile to connect, so Snapchat is one of the platforms requiring secondary selection: in standard mode Zernio hosts that screen, in headless mode you build it. The connecting accounts guide covers the OAuth flow and scopes in general.

import Zernio from '@zernio/node';

const zernio = new Zernio();

const { data: connect } = await zernio.connect.getConnectUrl({
  path: { platform: 'snapchat' },
  query: { profileId: '66a1f0c2a4b9d3e8f1a2b3c4', redirect_url: 'https://myapp.com/callback' }
});
// Send the user's browser to connect.authUrl

Response (200):

{
  "authUrl": "https://accounts.snapchat.com/accounts/oauth2/auth?client_id=...",
  "state": "..."
}

In standard mode the user picks a Public Profile on Zernio's screen and lands on your redirect_url with the connection details appended.

OAuth scopes

The consent screen asks for 1 scope:

Headless mode

Add headless=true to the connect call to show your own Public Profile picker. After OAuth the user lands on your redirect_url with these query parameters:

• tempToken: temporary Snapchat access token
• userProfile: URL-encoded JSON with the user's info
• publicProfiles: URL-encoded JSON array of the available Public Profiles
• connect_token: short-lived token that authenticates the 2 calls below
• platform=snapchat and step=select_public_profile

List the Public Profiles with List Snapchat profiles, passing connect_token in the X-Connect-Token header:

const { data: profiles } = await zernio.connect.snapchat.listSnapchatProfiles({
  headers: { 'X-Connect-Token': connectToken },
  query: { profileId: '66a1f0c2a4b9d3e8f1a2b3c4', tempToken }
});

console.log(profiles.publicProfiles);

Response (200):

{
  "publicProfiles": [
    {
      "id": "abc123-def456",
      "display_name": "My Brand",
      "username": "mybrand",
      "profile_image_url": "https://cf-st.sc-cdn.net/...",
      "subscriber_count": 15000
    },
    {
      "id": "xyz789-uvw012",
      "display_name": "Side Project",
      "username": "sideproject",
      "profile_image_url": "https://cf-st.sc-cdn.net/...",
      "subscriber_count": 5000
    }
  ]
}

Connect the chosen profile with Select Snapchat profile:

const { data: selected } = await zernio.connect.snapchat.selectSnapchatProfile({
  headers: { 'X-Connect-Token': connectToken },
  body: {
    profileId: '66a1f0c2a4b9d3e8f1a2b3c4',
    selectedPublicProfile: {
      id: 'abc123-def456',
      display_name: 'My Brand',
      username: 'mybrand'
    },
    tempToken,
    userProfile
  }
});

console.log(selected.account.accountId);

Response (200):

{
  "message": "Snapchat connected successfully with public profile",
  "account": {
    "accountId": "66b2e19d8c3f5a7e9d0b1c2d",
    "platform": "snapchat",
    "username": "mybrand",
    "displayName": "My Brand",
    "profilePicture": "https://cf-st.sc-cdn.net/...",
    "isActive": true,
    "publicProfileName": "My Brand"
  }
}

account.accountId is the accountId for every call below.

Publish

A plain post becomes a Story: contentType defaults to "story". Set it to "saved_story" or "spotlight" for the other 2 types.

Story

A Story is visible for 24 hours and carries no caption, so content is not used:

const { data: published } = await zernio.posts.createPost({
  body: {
    mediaItems: [
      { type: 'video', url: 'https://cdn.example.com/backstage.mp4' }
    ],
    platforms: [
      {
        platform: 'snapchat',
        accountId: '66b2e19d8c3f5a7e9d0b1c2d',
        platformSpecificData: { contentType: 'story' }
      }
    ],
    publishNow: true
  }
});

console.log(published.post.status);

Response (201):

{
  "post": {
    "_id": "65f1c0a9e2b5af0012ab34cd",
    "status": "published",
    "platforms": [
      {
        "platform": "snapchat",
        "status": "published"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Every sample below changes only the content or the platforms entry of this request. An image works the same way with { "type": "image", "url": "https://cdn.example.com/backstage.jpg" }.

Saved Story

A Saved Story stays on the Public Profile. content becomes its title, at most 45 characters:

{
  "content": "Behind the scenes",
  "platforms": [
    {
      "platform": "snapchat",
      "accountId": "66b2e19d8c3f5a7e9d0b1c2d",
      "platformSpecificData": { "contentType": "saved_story" }
    }
  ]
}

Spotlight

Spotlight is Snapchat's public video feed and takes video only. content becomes the description, at most 160 characters including hashtags:

{
  "content": "Sunset over the pier #sunset #nature",
  "platforms": [
    {
      "platform": "snapchat",
      "accountId": "66b2e19d8c3f5a7e9d0b1c2d",
      "platformSpecificData": { "contentType": "spotlight" }
    }
  ]
}

Platform fields

All fields go in platformSpecificData on the Snapchat entry.

Media requirements

Every post needs exactly 1 media item; a video outside these limits is rejected rather than compressed.

Images

Videos

Zernio encrypts the file with AES-256-CBC before uploading it to Snapchat. Upload files through the media endpoint to get a URL that qualifies.

Analytics

Call GET /v1/analytics?platform=snapchat (Analytics API). Metrics are fetched per content type (story, saved_story, spotlight), and 3 of them come back: views, reach, which is Snapchat's unique viewer count, and shares. likes, comments and saves read 0, because Snapchat has none of them, and its screenshot count and completion rate stop at Snapchat rather than reaching this response.

const { data: analytics } = await zernio.analytics.getAnalytics({
  query: { platform: 'snapchat', fromDate: '2026-08-01', toDate: '2026-08-31' }
});

console.log(analytics.posts);

Response (200), one entry per post:

{
  "posts": [
    {
      "_id": "65f1c0a9e2b5af0012ab34cd",
      "platform": "snapchat",
      "status": "published",
      "publishedAt": "2026-08-14T10:00:05Z",
      "analytics": {
        "views": 15420,
        "reach": 12350,
        "shares": 45
      }
    }
  ]
}

Inbox

Snapchat has no inbox: its messaging API is closed to third-party apps, so there are no DMs, and snap comments are not accessible through the API.

What you cannot do

Snapchat's API does not expose:

• AR lenses or filters
• Ads
• Snap Map
• Snapchat sounds
• Collaborative stories
• Friends' stories
• DMs or comments
• Text-only posts (media is required)
• More than 1 media item per post

Common errors

While the account is not approved, the connect call fails before any OAuth screen appears:

{
  "error": "Snapchat is in closed beta. New connections require approval.",
  "type": "permission_error",
  "code": "PLATFORM_BETA_RESTRICTED"
}

Branch on code, never on error. Request access for your account and retry the same call once it is approved; nothing else on the request needs to change. Error handling covers the envelope.

Related

• Connecting accounts: the OAuth flow and the Public Profile selection step.
• Create post: every field of the request.
• Media uploads: upload images and videos instead of hosting them.
• Analytics: post performance metrics.
• Pricing: what a connected account and analytics cost.