Connect to Instagram Data in JRuby

JRuby is a high-performance, stable, fully threaded Java implementation of the Ruby programming language. The CData JDBC Driver for Instagram makes it easy to integrate connectivity to live Instagram data in JRuby. This article shows how to create a simple JRuby app that connects to Instagram data, executes a query, and displays the results.

Configure a JDBC Connection to Instagram Data

Before creating the app, note the installation location for the JAR file for the JDBC Driver (typically C:\Program Files\CData\CData JDBC Driver for Instagram\lib).

JRuby natively supports JDBC, so you can easily connect to Instagram and execute SQL queries. Initialize the JDBC connection with the getConnection function of the java.sql.DriverManager class.

Instagram uses the OAuth 2 authentication standard. Obtain the OAuthClientId, OAuthClientSecret, and CallbackURL by registering an app with Instagram. See the help documentation for a guide.

Built-in Connection String Designer

For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the Instagram JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the jar file from the command-line.

java -jar cdata.jdbc.instagram.jar

Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.

Below is a typical JDBC connection string for Instagram:

jdbc:instagram:OAuthClientId=MyOAuthClientId;OAuthClientSecret=MyOAuthClientSecret;CallbackURL=http://localhost:portNumber;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;

Create a JRuby App with Connectivity to Instagram Data

Create a new Ruby file (for example: InstagramSelect.rb) and open it in a text editor. Copy the following code into your file:

require 'java'
require 'rubygems'
require 'C:/Program Files/CData/CData JDBC Driver for Instagram 2018/lib/cdata.jdbc.instagram.jar'

url = "jdbc:instagram:OAuthClientId=MyOAuthClientId;OAuthClientSecret=MyOAuthClientSecret;CallbackURL=http://localhost:portNumber;InitiateOAuth=GETANDREFRESH;"
conn = java.sql.DriverManager.getConnection(url)
stmt = conn.createStatement
rs = stmt.executeQuery("SELECT Link, LikesCount FROM Media")
while (rs.next) do
 puts rs.getString(1) + ' ' + rs.getString(2)
end

With the file completed, you are ready to display your Instagram data with JRuby. To do so, simply run your file from the command line:

jruby -S InstagramSelect.rb

Writing SQL-92 queries to Instagram allows you to quickly and easily incorporate Instagram data into your own JRuby applications. Download a free trial today!