Social Media Integration

Connect your TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube accounts for automated posting

Overview

OpenShorts integrates with Upload-Post to publish your generated clips directly to TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. The integration supports:

• ✅ Multiple social media accounts per profile
• ✅ Async uploads (non-blocking API)
• ✅ Platform-specific metadata (titles, descriptions)
• ✅ Scheduled posting with timezone support
• ✅ Free tier available (no credit card required)

Setup Guide

Follow these steps to enable social media posting:

1. Login or Register

   Visit app.upload-post.com/login and create an account.

   Note: Free tier is available with no credit card required for testing.

2. Create Profile

   Navigate to Manage Users and create a user profile.

   This profile will represent a collection of connected social accounts (e.g., “My Brand”, “Personal”, “Client A”).

3. Connect Accounts

   In the same Manage Users section, connect your social media accounts to the profile:

   • TikTok: OAuth authentication
   • Instagram: OAuth authentication (requires Business or Creator account)
   • YouTube: OAuth authentication with upload permissions

   You can connect multiple platforms to a single profile.

4. Get API Key

   Navigate to API Keys and generate your key.

   Security: Keep this key secure. It provides full access to your Upload-Post account.

5. Use in OpenShorts

   In the OpenShorts dashboard:

   1. Click the Settings icon (⚙️)
   2. Paste your Upload-Post API Key
   3. Select your profile from the dropdown
   4. Click Save

   The dashboard will automatically fetch your connected platforms.

API Integration

OpenShorts uses the Upload-Post REST API to handle uploads:

Endpoint

POST https://api.upload-post.com/api/upload

Authentication

# app.py:845-847
url = "https://api.upload-post.com/api/upload"
headers = {
    "Authorization": f"Apikey {req.api_key}"
}

Request Format

# app.py:849-875
data_payload = {
    "user": req.user_id,              # Profile username from Manage Users
    "title": final_title,              # Fallback title
    "platform[]": req.platforms,       # ["tiktok", "instagram", "youtube"]
    "async_upload": "true",            # Enable background upload
    
    # Optional scheduling
    "scheduled_date": "2025-03-15T14:30:00",  # ISO-8601 format
    "timezone": "America/New_York",
    
    # Platform-specific fields
    "tiktok_title": final_description,
    "instagram_title": final_description,
    "media_type": "REELS",
    "youtube_title": yt_title,
    "youtube_description": final_description,
    "privacyStatus": "public"
}

Code Example

Backend (app.py:816-900)

@app.post("/api/social/post")
async def post_to_socials(req: SocialPostRequest):
    # Resolve file path
    clip = job['result']['clips'][req.clip_index]
    filename = clip['video_url'].split('/')[-1]
    file_path = os.path.join(OUTPUT_DIR, req.job_id, filename)
    
    # Prepare metadata
    final_title = req.title or clip.get('video_title_for_youtube_short')
    final_description = req.description or clip.get('video_description_for_instagram')
    
    # Upload using httpx (sync client for multipart files)
    with httpx.Client(timeout=120.0) as client:
        response = client.post(url, headers=headers, data=data_payload, files=files)
    
    return response.json()

Platform-Specific Requirements

TikTok

Required Fields:

• tiktok_title: Description text (max 2200 characters)
• platform[]: Must include "tiktok"

Best Practices:

• Include hashtags in the title
• Keep titles under 150 characters for mobile visibility
• Use emojis sparingly
• Add trending hashtags (#fyp, #viral, #foryou)

Example:

"tiktok_title": "This changed everything 🤯 #fyp #viral #mindblown"

Instagram Reels

Required Fields:

• instagram_title: Caption text (max 2200 characters)
• media_type: Must be "REELS"
• platform[]: Must include "instagram"

Account Requirements:

• Must be a Business or Creator account
• Personal accounts cannot upload via API

Best Practices:

• First line is most important (appears in feed)
• Use line breaks for readability
• Include 5-10 relevant hashtags
• Tag locations when relevant

Example:

"instagram_title": "Wait for the ending 😱\n\nDouble tap if this surprised you!\n\n#reels #viral #trending",
"media_type": "REELS"

YouTube Shorts

Required Fields:

• youtube_title: Video title (max 100 characters)
• youtube_description: Description text (max 5000 characters)
• privacyStatus: "public", "private", or "unlisted"
• platform[]: Must include "youtube"

Title Best Practices:

• Use ALL CAPS for emphasis (sparingly)
• Include keywords for SEO
• Keep under 60 characters for mobile
• Add emojis for attention

Description Tips:

• Include timestamps if relevant
• Add links to related content
• Use hashtags (max 15)
• Include call-to-action (subscribe, comment)

Example:

"youtube_title": "This Secret Hack CHANGED My Life 🤯",
"youtube_description": """The moment at 0:15 will blow your mind!

🔔 Subscribe for more life hacks
💬 Comment your thoughts below

#shorts #lifehack #viral""",
"privacyStatus": "public"

Profile Selection

The dashboard fetches available profiles from Upload-Post:

# app.py:902-954
@app.get("/api/social/user")
async def get_social_user(api_key: str = Header(..., alias="X-Upload-Post-Key")):
    url = "https://api.upload-post.com/api/uploadposts/users"
    headers = {"Authorization": f"Apikey {api_key}"}
    
    async with httpx.AsyncClient(timeout=30.0) as client:
        resp = await client.get(url, headers=headers)
        data = resp.json()
        
        # Parse profiles and connected platforms
        profiles_list = []
        for p in data.get('profiles', []):
            username = p.get('username')
            socials = p.get('social_accounts', {})
            connected = []
            
            for platform in ['tiktok', 'instagram', 'youtube']:
                account_info = socials.get(platform)
                if isinstance(account_info, dict):
                    connected.append(platform)
            
            profiles_list.append({
                "username": username,
                "connected": connected
            })
        
        return {"profiles": profiles_list}

Response Format

{
  "profiles": [
    {
      "username": "my-brand",
      "connected": ["tiktok", "instagram", "youtube"]
    },
    {
      "username": "personal",
      "connected": ["tiktok"]
    }
  ]
}

Scheduling Options

Schedule posts for optimal engagement times:

# app.py:857-861
if req.scheduled_date:
    data_payload["scheduled_date"] = req.scheduled_date  # ISO-8601
    if req.timezone:
        data_payload["timezone"] = req.timezone

Timezone Support

{
  "scheduled_date": "2025-03-15T14:30:00",
  "timezone": "America/New_York"
}

Common Timezones:

• America/New_York (EST/EDT)
• America/Los_Angeles (PST/PDT)
• Europe/London (GMT/BST)
• Asia/Tokyo (JST)
• Australia/Sydney (AEDT)
• UTC (Default)

Best Posting Times:

• TikTok: 6-10 AM, 7-11 PM (user’s local time)
• Instagram: 11 AM - 2 PM, 7-9 PM
• YouTube: 2-4 PM, 8-10 PM

Schedule across timezones for maximum reach.

Frontend Integration

The dashboard provides a publish modal:

// Example usage in React
const publishClip = async (clipIndex) => {
  const response = await fetch('/api/social/post', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      job_id: currentJobId,
      clip_index: clipIndex,
      api_key: uploadPostApiKey,
      user_id: selectedProfile,
      platforms: ['tiktok', 'instagram', 'youtube'],
      title: customTitle || clip.video_title_for_youtube_short,
      description: customDescription || clip.video_description_for_instagram,
      scheduled_date: scheduleDate,  // Optional
      timezone: 'America/New_York'    // Optional
    })
  });
  
  const result = await response.json();
  if (result.success) {
    console.log('Upload queued:', result.upload_id);
  }
};

Error Handling

# app.py:892-894
if response.status_code not in [200, 201, 202]:
    print(f"❌ Upload-Post Error: {response.text}")
    raise HTTPException(status_code=response.status_code, detail=f"Vendor API Error: {response.text}")

Common Errors:

401 Unauthorized

{
  "error": "Invalid API key"
}

Rate Limits

Upload-Post enforces rate limits per API key:

• Free Tier: 10 uploads/day
• Pro Tier: 100 uploads/day
• Enterprise: Custom limits

Burst Protection: If you hit rate limits, the API returns 429 Too Many Requests. Implement exponential backoff:

const retryWithBackoff = async (fn, maxRetries = 3) => {
  for (let i = 0; i < maxRetries; i++) {
    try {
      return await fn();
    } catch (error) {
      if (error.status === 429 && i < maxRetries - 1) {
        await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, Math.pow(2, i) * 1000));
      } else {
        throw error;
      }
    }
  }
};

Best Practices

1. Test with Private Posts: Use "privacyStatus": "private" for testing
2. Monitor Async Status: Check Upload-Post dashboard for upload progress
3. Customize Per Platform: Use platform-specific titles and descriptions
4. Schedule Strategically: Post during peak engagement times
5. Verify Profiles: Ensure platforms are connected before posting
6. Handle Errors Gracefully: Show user-friendly error messages

Troubleshooting

”Profile not found”

Solution: Verify the profile username matches exactly (case-sensitive):

curl -H "Authorization: Apikey YOUR_KEY" \
  https://api.upload-post.com/api/uploadposts/users

“Platform not connected”

Solution: Reconnect the platform in Upload-Post dashboard:

1. Go to Manage Users
2. Click the profile
3. Re-authenticate the platform

”Upload queued but not appearing”

Solution: Async uploads may take 5-30 minutes depending on file size. Check the Upload-Post dashboard for status.

Next Steps

• Configure automatic S3 backup
• Customize clip output
• Learn about video processing