Reddit

Overview

Reddit’s API serves posts, comments, subreddits, and user data from the entire site. The official path is OAuth (register an app at reddit.com/prefs/apps → client id/secret). The legacy keyless .json endpoints still exist but are increasingly blocked for non-browser traffic.

Verified 2026-08: the public www.reddit.com/r/.../hot.json endpoint returns HTTP 403 from datacenter/cloud IPs even with a browser User-Agent. Use the official OAuth API for reliable access.

Quick Start

Official OAuth flow (script type):

# 1. Get a token (script app):
curl -X POST "https://www.reddit.com/api/v1/access_token" \
  -u "CLIENT_ID:SECRET" \
  -d "grant_type=client_credentials"

# 2. Use it:
curl "https://oauth.reddit.com/r/programming/hot?limit=5" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "User-Agent: my-app/1.0 by /u/yourname"

User-account OAuth (read/write as a user): authorize → code → token → https://oauth.reddit.com/api/v1/me.

Authentication

• OAuth required for the official API (client credentials or authorization-code flow).
• A descriptive User-Agent is mandatory — Reddit blocks generic agents.
• The listing’s “OAuth” flag is accurate.

Rate Limits & Notes

• OAuth apps: 100 requests/minute per OAuth client ID.
• Always send a unique User-Agent (<platform>:<app-id>:<version> (by /u/<username>)).
• The .json endpoints (append .json to any reddit URL) may work from residential IPs but are blocked from datacenter IPs (verified 403).
• Pagination via after/before listing params.

FAQ

Is Reddit API free? Yes — OAuth access is free with rate limits (100 req/min).

Why does the .json endpoint return 403? Reddit blocks datacenter/cloud IPs from the legacy keyless endpoints — use OAuth.

How do I get a client id? reddit.com/prefs/apps → create a “script” app.