Number of Posts and Number of Followers at X

SEOguru

I am developing a feature of wizbrand.com which would be ready in 1 months. As part of this, I am allowing users to submit their X profile url and wizbrand would fetch following informations as below and display in historical way to our registered users
Number of Posts
Number of Followers

RajeshKumarin

To fetch data such as Number of Likes and Number of Followers from X (formerly Twitter) for thousands of submitted profiles without having access to their accounts, here’s a detailed guide:

Understanding the X API (formerly Twitter API):

Publicly Accessible Data: X allows public access to certain data via its Twitter API, but:
- You cannot fetch follower counts or engagement metrics without authentication.
- Public profile information (username, description, profile image, etc.) can be fetched without authorization.
Follower and Like Counts (Restricted Data):
You will need to use the X API v2 and obtain an OAuth Bearer Token from X. Unlike Facebook, Twitter allows fetching follower counts for public profiles without user-specific authorization, but you must be approved and use rate-limited API requests.

How to Fetch Follower and Like Data from X:

Step 1: Apply for X API Access

Go to developer.twitter.com.
Create a developer account and apply for Elevated Access to use the User Lookup and Tweet Metrics endpoints.

Step 2: Obtain Bearer Token

Once approved, generate a Bearer Token to access the API.

https://api.twitter.com/oauth2/token

Step 3: Fetch Data using Twitter API v2

To fetch Number of Followers, Number of Likes, and other profile information, use the GET /users/by/username/:username endpoint.

API Request:

GET https://api.twitter.com/2/users/by/username/{username}?user.fields=public_metrics
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_BEARER_TOKEN

Response Example:

{
  "data": {
    "id": "123456789",
    "name": "John Doe",
    "username": "johndoe",
    "public_metrics": {
      "followers_count": 5000,
      "following_count": 200,
      "tweet_count": 150,
      "listed_count": 10
    }
  }
}

followers_count: Number of followers.
following_count: Number of users followed.
tweet_count: Total number of tweets.
listed_count: Number of times the account has been listed.

Step 4: Store Historical Data

Create a database table to store the metrics for each X profile.
Schedule a Cron Job to periodically update the data (e.g., every 24 hours).
Use the data to display historical trends on wizbrand.com.

Database Schema Example:

| Field | Description |
|--------------------|-----------------------------|
| id | Auto-incremented ID |
| x_username | X profile username |
| followers_count | Number of followers |
| likes_count | Total likes (if tracked) |
| tweet_count | Total tweets |
| timestamp | Date and time of fetch |

Step 5: Handle API Rate Limits

X API has rate limits, so you must:

Batch API Requests for multiple profiles.
Use Caching to reduce repetitive requests.
Distribute requests over time using a scheduling system (like Redis Queues or AWS Lambda).

Current Rate Limits (X API v2):

User Lookup: 900 requests per 15-minute window (per App).
Public Tweet Metrics: 1500 requests per 15-minute window (per App).

Challenges & Considerations:

API Approval: Twitter’s new API policies have stricter requirements, and approval may take time.
Rate Limits: Managing 10,000+ profiles will require an optimized request scheduling system.
Privacy Compliance: Ensure compliance with Twitter’s API Terms—don’t expose private user data without consent.
API Costs: X (Twitter) recently introduced paid API tiers for higher request volumes.

Alternative Solutions:

Third-Party Services: Use tools like Social Blade for aggregated X data.
Manual Submission with Verification: Allow users to submit and verify their follower/like counts manually.

Conclusion:

To implement this feature, your best option is to use the X API v2 with an OAuth Bearer Token to fetch and update public metrics for each submitted profile. Let me know if you want sample code in PHP, Python, or Laravel, and I’ll provide a working example!

RajeshKumarin

Understanding the X API (formerly Twitter API):

Publicly Accessible Data: X allows public access to certain data via its Twitter API, but:
- You cannot fetch follower counts or engagement metrics without authentication.
- Public profile information (username, description, profile image, etc.) can be fetched without authorization.
Follower and Like Counts (Restricted Data):
You will need to use the X API v2 and obtain an OAuth Bearer Token from X. Unlike Facebook, Twitter allows fetching follower counts for public profiles without user-specific authorization, but you must be approved and use rate-limited API requests.

How to Fetch Follower and Like Data from X:

Step 1: Apply for X API Access

Go to developer.twitter.com.
Create a developer account and apply for Elevated Access to use the User Lookup and Tweet Metrics endpoints.

Step 2: Obtain Bearer Token

Once approved, generate a Bearer Token to access the API.

https://api.twitter.com/oauth2/token

Step 3: Fetch Data using Twitter API v2

To fetch Number of Followers, Number of Likes, and other profile information, use the GET /users/by/username/:username endpoint.

API Request:

GET https://api.twitter.com/2/users/by/username/{username}?user.fields=public_metrics
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_BEARER_TOKEN

Response Example:

{
  "data": {
    "id": "123456789",
    "name": "John Doe",
    "username": "johndoe",
    "public_metrics": {
      "followers_count": 5000,
      "following_count": 200,
      "tweet_count": 150,
      "listed_count": 10
    }
  }
}

followers_count: Number of followers.
following_count: Number of users followed.
tweet_count: Total number of tweets.
listed_count: Number of times the account has been listed.

Step 4: Store Historical Data

Create a database table to store the metrics for each X profile.
Schedule a Cron Job to periodically update the data (e.g., every 24 hours).
Use the data to display historical trends on wizbrand.com.

Database Schema Example:

Step 5: Handle API Rate Limits

X API has rate limits, so you must:

Batch API Requests for multiple profiles.
Use Caching to reduce repetitive requests.
Distribute requests over time using a scheduling system (like Redis Queues or AWS Lambda).

Current Rate Limits (X API v2):

User Lookup: 900 requests per 15-minute window (per App).
Public Tweet Metrics: 1500 requests per 15-minute window (per App).

Challenges & Considerations:

API Approval: Twitter’s new API policies have stricter requirements, and approval may take time.
Rate Limits: Managing 10,000+ profiles will require an optimized request scheduling system.
Privacy Compliance: Ensure compliance with Twitter’s API Terms—don’t expose private user data without consent.
API Costs: X (Twitter) recently introduced paid API tiers for higher request volumes.

Alternative Solutions:

Third-Party Services: Use tools like Social Blade for aggregated X data.
Manual Submission with Verification: Allow users to submit and verify their follower/like counts manually.

Conclusion:

RajeshKumarin

Fetching number of followers for 1,000 X (formerly Twitter) users once every 24 hours requires a paid plan under the new X API pricing model. Here’s a breakdown:

X API Pricing (as of recent updates)

1. Free Tier (Not Sufficient for Your Case)

Limit: 1,500 Tweets/month (read-only).
Data Access: Basic account info (but no follower counts or advanced metrics).
Ideal for: Testing and small-scale use.

2. Basic Paid Tiers (Recommended for Small Projects)

Basic Access (Paid – Starting at $100/month)
- Limit: 10,000 requests/month.
- Access: Followers count, tweet count, following count, and more.
- Rate Limits: ₉₀₀ requests per 15-minute window.

3. Enterprise Plan (For Large-Scale Access)

Custom pricing (expensive) for large-scale data fetching.
Unlimited or high-request limits for large applications.

For Your Use Case (1,000 Users Daily)

Let’s calculate your API request requirements:

1 request per user per day = 1,000 requests/day.
Over 30 days, that’s 30,000 requests/month.

Since the Basic Tier offers 10,000 requests/month, you will need to upgrade to a higher Basic Plan or Enterprise Plan.

Is it Affordable for You?

Basic Tier (~$100/month) may cover 1,000 users if optimized and cached.
For higher volume (10,000+ users), you will need to explore Enterprise solutions, which can cost significantly more.

Optimizing API Calls

To reduce costs and stay within limits:

Cache Data: Only refresh the data when necessary (e.g., if a profile’s follower count hasn’t changed, skip the API call).
Batch Requests: Use batch queries to reduce the number of API calls.
Prioritize Popular Users: Only track high-priority accounts frequently.

Let me know if you want to explore cost-saving strategies or need sample code to manage these API calls efficiently!

RajeshKumarin

To fetch Number of Followers and Number of Posts (Tweet Count) for 10,000+ X (formerly Twitter) users under the X API, you’ll primarily rely on the GET /2/users/by/username/:username endpoint. Here's a breakdown of which API plans you can use and their respective limits.

Relevant Endpoint: `GET /2/users/by/username/:username`

This API returns:

followers_count (Number of Followers)
tweet_count (Total Number of Tweets)

Free vs. Basic vs. Pro Plan Comparison

| Plan | Requests/15 mins | Requests/24 hours | Can it Handle 10,000 Users? |
|------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|---------------------------------|
| Free | 3 requests/15 mins | 288 requests/day | ❌ Not feasible (Too low) |
| Basic | 100 requests/day | 100 requests/day | ❌ Not feasible |
| Pro | 300 requests/15 mins | 28,800 requests/day | ✅ Yes, suitable |
| Enterprise | Custom limits | Unlimited/high limits | ✅ Scalable but expensive |

For 10,000+ Users

Free Plan:
- Impossible—Limited to only 288 requests per day.
Basic Plan ($100/month):
- Not sufficient—Only 100 requests/day, far too few for tracking 10,000 users.
Pro Plan (Recommended):
- Allows 300 requests per 15 minutes, which translates to 28,800 requests/day.
- You can easily handle 10,000+ profiles and track their follower and tweet counts every 24 hours.
Enterprise Plan:
- Best for large-scale applications, with custom limits and full scalability.
- Expensive, typically starts in the thousands of dollars per month.

How to Optimize for 10,000 Users:

Batch Requests: If possible, make batch requests to fetch data for multiple users in one API call.
Data Prioritization: Track priority users daily and less-important ones weekly to save API usage.
Historical Data Storage: Store the fetched data in a database and show historical trends.
API Monitoring: Use API rate-limiting mechanisms to avoid throttling.

My Recommendation

Pro Plan is the best option for handling 10,000 users.
Enterprise Plan if you expect to scale beyond 10,000 profiles with real-time updates.

Let me know if you want to see sample code for fetching and storing this data or help with designing a scalable architecture for your wizbrand feature!

RajeshKumarin

The difference between an X ID (formerly Twitter ID) and an X Username (Twitter Handle) lies in their purpose, format, and how they are used.

1. X ID (Twitter ID)

What it is: A unique numeric identifier assigned to every X user.
Format: A long numeric value (e.g., 1234567890).
Immutable: The X ID never changes, even if the username is updated.
Use Case: Primarily used for API requests and internal references. APIs often require the X ID for faster lookups and accuracy.
Example:
- Rajesh’s X ID: 1357908642

2. X Username (Twitter Handle)

What it is: A public-facing unique identifier chosen by the user.
Format: An alphanumeric string preceded by @ (e.g., @rajeshkumar).
Mutable: Users can change their usernames at any time.
Use Case: Commonly used in public interactions, tagging, and sharing profiles (e.g., https://x.com/rajeshkumar).
Example:
- Rajesh’s X Username: @rajeshkumar

Key Differences:

| Aspect | X ID | X Username |
|---------------------|-------------------------|---------------------------|
| Purpose | Unique internal reference | Public-facing identifier |
| Format | Numeric (1234567890) | Alphanumeric (@username) |
| Immutable | Yes | No (users can change it) |
| Use in API | Preferred for accuracy | Requires additional lookup |
| Visibility | Not visible to users | Visible to everyone |

Why X ID Matters for Your Use Case:

More Reliable for API Requests: Even if a user changes their username, the X ID remains the same.
Reduces Errors: Fetching data using X ID ensures you're always querying the correct account.
Improves Scalability: For managing thousands of users on wizbrand, storing X IDs will prevent conflicts caused by username changes.

Practical Example for wizbrand:

When a user submits their X profile, first convert their username to X ID using the API (GET /2/users/by/username/:username).
Store the X ID in your database for future API calls.
Fetch and update the user’s data using the X ID (GET /2/users/:id), which ensures consistency.

Would you like a sample code to convert username to X ID and store it for tracking?

RajeshKumarin

To fetch the X ID (formerly Twitter ID) of a user, you can use the X API v2. Here’s how you can do it step by step.

API Endpoint to Fetch X ID

Endpoint:
GET /2/users/by/username/:username

Example Request:

https://api.twitter.com/2/users/by/username/username_here?user.fields=id,username

Headers:

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_BEARER_TOKEN

Response Example:

{
  "data": {
    "id": "1234567890",          // This is the X ID
    "name": "John Doe",
    "username": "johndoe"
  }
}

Code Examples

Python Example:

import requests

username = "johndoe"
bearer_token = "YOUR_BEARER_TOKEN"
url = f"https://api.twitter.com/2/users/by/username/{username}?user.fields=id,username"

headers = {
    "Authorization": f"Bearer {bearer_token}"
}

response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
data = response.json()

if "data" in data:
    x_id = data["data"]["id"]
    print(f"X ID for {username}: {x_id}")
else:
    print("Error fetching X ID.")

PHP Example:

<?php
$username = "johndoe";
$bearerToken = "YOUR_BEARER_TOKEN";

$url = "https://api.twitter.com/2/users/by/username/$username?user.fields=id,username";

$options = [
    "http" => [
        "header" => "Authorization: Bearer $bearerToken"
    ]
];
$context = stream_context_create($options);
$response = file_get_contents($url, false, $context);
$data = json_decode($response, true);

if (isset($data['data'])) {
    $x_id = $data['data']['id'];
    echo "X ID for $username: $x_id";
} else {
    echo "Error fetching X ID.";
}
?>

API Rate Limits for Free, Basic, and Pro Plans:

| Plan | Requests per 15 mins | Requests per 24 hours |
|------------------|--------------------------|---------------------------|
| Free | 3 requests / 15 mins | 288 requests / day |
| Basic | 100 requests / 24 hours | 100 requests / day |
| Pro | 300 requests / 15 mins | 28,800 requests / day |

Steps to Use in wizbrand:

When a user submits their X username, fetch their X ID using the above API.
Store the X ID in your database to track their data reliably.
Use the GET /2/users/:id endpoint to fetch updated metrics (followers, tweet count) using the stored X ID.

Let me know if you want to batch fetch multiple X IDs or optimize this process for thousands of requests!

RajeshKumarin

To fetch Number of Posts (Tweet Count) and Number of Followers from X (formerly Twitter) for a given user, you’ll use the X API v2 with the following endpoint:

API Endpoint

Endpoint:
GET /2/users/by/username/:username?user.fields=public_metrics

This will return a JSON response containing:

followers_count: Number of followers
tweet_count: Total number of tweets (posts)

Example Request

https://api.twitter.com/2/users/by/username/username_here?user.fields=public_metrics

Authorization Header:

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_BEARER_TOKEN

Code Examples

Python Example:

import requests

def fetch_user_metrics(username):
    bearer_token = "YOUR_BEARER_TOKEN"
    url = f"https://api.twitter.com/2/users/by/username/{username}?user.fields=public_metrics"
    headers = {
        "Authorization": f"Bearer {bearer_token}"
    }
    
    response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
    data = response.json()
    
    if "data" in data:
        metrics = data["data"]["public_metrics"]
        followers_count = metrics["followers_count"]
        tweet_count = metrics["tweet_count"]
        print(f"Username: {username}")
        print(f"Number of Followers: {followers_count}")
        print(f"Number of Posts (Tweets): {tweet_count}")
    else:
        print(f"Error fetching data for {username}.")
        
# Example Usage
fetch_user_metrics("elonmusk")

PHP Example:

<?php
function fetchUserMetrics($username) {
    $bearerToken = "YOUR_BEARER_TOKEN";
    $url = "https://api.twitter.com/2/users/by/username/$username?user.fields=public_metrics";
    
    $options = [
        "http" => [
            "header" => "Authorization: Bearer $bearerToken"
        ]
    ];
    $context = stream_context_create($options);
    $response = file_get_contents($url, false, $context);
    $data = json_decode($response, true);

    if (isset($data['data']['public_metrics'])) {
        $metrics = $data['data']['public_metrics'];
        $followersCount = $metrics['followers_count'];
        $tweetCount = $metrics['tweet_count'];
        echo "Username: $username\n";
        echo "Number of Followers: $followersCount\n";
        echo "Number of Posts (Tweets): $tweetCount\n";
    } else {
        echo "Error fetching data for $username.\n";
    }
}

// Example Usage
fetchUserMetrics("elonmusk");
?>

Response Example

{
  "data": {
    "id": "123456789",
    "username": "johndoe",
    "public_metrics": {
      "followers_count": 5000,
      "following_count": 200,
      "tweet_count": 150,
      "listed_count": 10
    }
  }
}

Rate Limits for the API:

Optimizations for wizbrand:

Batch Requests for multiple users to reduce API calls.
Cache the results to avoid hitting rate limits frequently.
Use Pro Plan for handling large-scale data requests (10,000+ users).

Let me know if you want to batch fetch for multiple usernames and I’ll provide the optimized code!