l.instagram.com
Instagram link redirect
What it is
Instagram's outbound link redirect. Instagram's web pages are configured to send external links through l.instagram.com, the same link shim approach Facebook uses.
Why there's no full URL
The visitor passes through Instagram's redirect host, so the referrer is that host rather than the profile or post the link was on.
What traffic it represents
Clicks on links to your site from Instagram, such as a link in a bio.
Sources
"linkshim_host":"l.instagram.com"
Instagram page source (checked 2026-10-06)
We still need to let the websites you navigate to know the traffic is from Facebook, but we also want to prevent them from reading the full source url.
A faster, better link shim - Engineering at Meta
Related referrers
android-app://com.linkedin.androidLinkedIn app on Androidandroid-app://com.reddit.frontpageReddit app on Androidandroid-app://com.twitter.androidX (formerly Twitter) app on Androidandroid-app://com.google.android.youtubeYouTube app on Androidl.facebook.comFacebook link redirect (link shim)lm.facebook.comFacebook link redirect (mobile)t.coX (Twitter) link shortenerlnkd.inLinkedIn short linkwww.linkedin.comLinkedIn websitewww.youtube.comYouTube (via youtube.com/redirect)news.ycombinator.comHacker News
Referrers, grouped by how people arrived
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