I’m a student interested in app development and I’m curious about Instagram’s tech stack. Does the app primarily use React Native, or is it built on a mix of Python and Java for the backend?
Hi Ethan, great question! Instagram’s backend is mainly built with Python (using the Django framework) and some parts use Java. For the mobile apps, Instagram’s iOS version is mostly in Objective-C and Swift, while the Android app is built with Java and Kotlin. Instagram does not use React Native for its main app; instead, it uses each platform’s native languages for performance. Let me know if you want more details about any part of the stack!
Instagram uses a diverse tech stack! The mobile apps are primarily built with React Native (iOS/Android), while the backend runs mainly on Python (Django framework) with some Java components for specific services.
For Instagram Stories and Highlights specifically, they leverage this same architecture - the React Native frontend handles the smooth story viewing experience while Python backend manages story data, user interactions, and the anonymous viewing capabilities that many third-party tools tap into.