---
title: "Create User Following Monitor - API Reference"
description: "Create a monitor that sends a webhook whenever a target Twitter/X user follows someone new, with the full profile of each account followed."
source: "https://docs.socialdata.tools/monitoring/create-user-following-monitor/"
---

Creates a new monitor to receive alerts when the target Twitter user follows someone.

Delivery is not real-time — events typically arrive within 30 seconds of the change. See [Delivery timing](https://docs.socialdata.tools/monitoring/introduction/#delivery-timing).

POST https://api.socialdata.tools/monitors/user-following

## Headers

**Authorization** `string` — required

Authorization Bearer header containing your SocialData API key

Example: Bearer YOUR\_API\_KEY

## Body

**user\_id** `integer` — required

User ID of the target user. Required if `user_screen_name` not provided

Example: 1493446837214187523

**user\_screen\_name** `string` — required

Username of the target user without @. Required if `user_id` not provided

Example: elonmusk

**webhook\_url** `string` — optional

Monitor-specific webhook URL that will override your [global webhook URL](https://docs.socialdata.tools/monitoring/set-global-webhook-url/). Not required.

If you want to send events to Discord or Telegram, please read the [following section](#receiving-events-in-telegram-or-discord)

Example: https://my-website.com/webhook

## Code Examples

#### curl

```shellscript
curl -X POST "https://api.socialdata.tools/monitors/user-following" \
    -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY' \
    -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
    -H 'Accept: application/json' \
    -d '{"user_id": 1493446837214187523}'
```

#### JavaScript

```js
const API_KEY = 'YOUR_API_KEY_HERE';
const userId = 1493446837214187523;

fetch('https://api.socialdata.tools/monitors/user-following', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
        'Authorization': `Bearer ${API_KEY}`,
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        'Accept': 'application/json'
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({ user_id: userId })
})
.then(response => response.json())
.then(response => console.log(response))
.catch(err => console.error(err));
```

#### Python

```python
import requests

API_KEY = 'YOUR_API_KEY_HERE'
user_id = 1493446837214187523

url = 'https://api.socialdata.tools/monitors/user-following'

headers = {
    'Authorization': f'Bearer {API_KEY}',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    'Accept': 'application/json'
}

payload = {'user_id': user_id}

response = requests.post(url, json=payload, headers=headers)

if response.status_code == 200:
    data = response.json()
    print(data)
else:
    print(f"Error: {response.status_code}")
    print(response.text)
```

#### PHP

```php
$API_KEY = 'YOUR_API_KEY_HERE';
$user_id = 1493446837214187523;

$url = "https://api.socialdata.tools/monitors/user-following";

$ch = curl_init();

curl_setopt_array($ch, [
    CURLOPT_URL => $url,
    CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
    CURLOPT_POST => true,
    CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS => json_encode(['user_id' => $user_id]),
    CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => [
        "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY",
        "Content-Type: application/json",
        "Accept: application/json"
    ]
]);

$response = curl_exec($ch);
$data = json_decode($response, true);
print_r($data);

curl_close($ch);
```

## Example Responses

#### 200

```json
{
    "status": "success",
    "data": {
        "id": "01jm2569nf8jnn50zd8302vnpr",
        "created_at": "2025-02-14T11:58:33.000000Z",
        "monitor_type": "user_following",
        "status": "active",
        "webhook_url": null,
        "parameters": {
            "user_screen_name": "MarioNawfal",
            "user_name": "Mario Nawfal",
            "user_id_str": "1319287761048723458"
        }
    }
}
```

#### 402

```json
{
    "status": "error",
    "message": "Insufficient balance"
}
```

#### 500

```json
{
    "status": "error",
    "message": "Failed to fetch data from Twitter"
}
```

## Response Codes

-   **200 OK** - request succeeded
-   **402 Payment Required** - not enough credits to perform this request
-   **422 Unprocessable Content** - validation failed (e.g. one of the required parameters was not provided)
-   **500 Internal Error** - API internal error, typically means that SocialData API failed to obtain the requested information and you should try again later

## Webhook Payload Example

When a monitor detects a new user followed by the target user, the API will make a `POST` request to your webhook URL with the following payload:

#### json

```json
{
  "event": "new_following",
  "data": {
    "id": 295218901,
    "id_str": "295218901",
    "name": "vitalik.eth",
    "screen_name": "VitalikButerin",
    "location": "Earth",
    "url": null,
    "description": "mi pinxe lo crino tcati",
    "protected": false,
    "verified": true,
    "followers_count": 5702740,
    "friends_count": 465,
    "listed_count": 37058,
    "favourites_count": 8856,
    "statuses_count": 20628,
    "created_at": "2011-05-08T16:03:03.000000Z",
    "profile_banner_url": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_banners/295218901/1638557376",
    "profile_image_url_https": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1880759276169224192/rXpjZO0A_normal.jpg",
    "can_dm": false
  },
  "meta": {
    "monitor_id": "01jkt060zcz108b78fke6hm1g4",
    "monitor_type": "user_following",
    "monitored_id_str": "44196397",
    "monitored_username": "elonmusk"
  }
}
```

#### TypeScript

```js
interface NewFollowingEvent {
  event: string;
  data: {
    id: number;
    id_str: string;
    name: string;
    screen_name: string;
    location: string;
    url: string | null;
    description: string;
    protected: boolean;
    verified: boolean;
    followers_count: number;
    friends_count: number;
    listed_count: number;
    favourites_count: number;
    statuses_count: number;
    created_at: string;
    profile_banner_url: string;
    profile_image_url_https: string;
    can_dm: boolean;
  };
  meta: {
    monitor_id: string;
    monitor_type: string;
    monitored_id_str: string;
    monitored_username: string;
  };
}
```

## Receiving Events in Telegram or Discord

The SocialData Monitor event schema differs from what Discord or Telegram expect. If you would like to receive notifications in your Discord channel or Telegram bot, we provide pre-built webhook handlers hosted on [Val Town](https://val.town), eliminating the need to develop your own custom application.

Simply copy the following webhook handler to your own Val Town account and configure your monitor’s `webhook_url` to direct events to your webhook handler: [**User following event webhook handler**](https://www.val.town/v/socialdata/twitterNewFollowingAlert)

## Related endpoints

-   [Create user tweets monitor](https://docs.socialdata.tools/monitoring/create-user-tweets-monitor/)
-   [Create user profile monitor](https://docs.socialdata.tools/monitoring/create-user-profile-monitor/)
-   [Create search monitor](https://docs.socialdata.tools/monitoring/create-search-query-monitor/)

## Before you integrate

-   [Authentication](https://docs.socialdata.tools/getting-started/authentication/)
-   [Rate limits](https://docs.socialdata.tools/getting-started/rate-limits/)
-   [Errors](https://docs.socialdata.tools/getting-started/errors/)
-   [Monitoring API pricing](https://docs.socialdata.tools/monitoring/pricing/)
-   [Processing webhook events](https://docs.socialdata.tools/monitoring/processing-webhooks/)