Does Reddit have an API?
Short answer: Yes. Reddit runs an official Data API that reads and writes posts, comments and user data. You need a registered app and OAuth to use it, free use is non-commercial, and access is reviewed. There are also third-party APIs and public archives.
The three routes
| Route | What it is | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official Data API | Reddit's own REST API with OAuth | Anything that posts or acts as a user, and projects that need Reddit's sign-off | App review, 100 queries per minute, commercial use by agreement |
| Third-party API | A hosted service that returns public Reddit data for an API key | Reading at volume, starting today, no OAuth | Not affiliated with Reddit, usually read-only, paid |
| Archives | Bulk dumps of historical posts and comments | Research on past years | Not current, large files, no live queries |
What the official API can do
- Read listings, threads, search results, user profiles and subreddit details.
- Write posts, comments and votes for a user who has authorized your app.
- Moderate communities you have permissions in.
Reddit documents the rules in its Data API wiki. To set it up, follow how to get a Reddit API key.
What happened to the .json trick
For years you could add .json to almost any Reddit URL and read the response without credentials. Reddit has since locked down unauthenticated access. Those requests are throttled hard and frequently refused, so the trick is not a dependable foundation any more.
Which route for which project
| Your project | Start with |
|---|---|
| A bot that posts or replies | Official API |
| A hobby script under 100 calls a minute | Official API |
| Monitoring mentions or collecting posts for a product | Third-party API |
| An AI agent that needs to read Reddit | Third-party API or its MCP server |
| A study of Reddit from 2015 to 2022 | Archives |
| A dataset from today forward | Third-party API on a schedule |
Apixstar is a third-party API. It reads public listings, threads, profiles and search for $0.0007 per request, or per 10 results of a listing or search, and it cannot post. See the comparison with other providers and the comparison with the official API.
Questions about Reddit's API
Does Reddit have a public API?
Yes. The Reddit Data API is public in the sense that anyone can apply, but it needs a registered app and OAuth, and Reddit reviews access.
Can I still add .json to a Reddit URL?
Reddit has restricted unauthenticated access to those endpoints. Requests without OAuth are heavily rate limited and are often refused, so do not build a product on them.
Is there a Reddit API without OAuth?
Not from Reddit. Third-party APIs such as Apixstar accept a single API key and handle access for you.
Does Reddit have an API for posting?
Yes, the official API can submit posts and comments for a user who has authorized your app with the right scopes.
Does Reddit have a streaming or webhook API?
No. Reddit has no push stream. Every tool that looks real-time is polling a listing or a search on a short interval.