# Lobste.rs Tech News and Engineering Stories Radar (`adaptive_nightmare/lobsters-tech-news-radar`) Actor

Extract Lobste.rs Tech News and Engineering Stories data in clean JSON or CSV. Query by feed, maxStories for records, engagement metrics, and metadata. Export datasets, run via API or Python/Node.js SDK, schedule runs, or integrate with webhooks with zero proxy fees.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/adaptive_nightmare/lobsters-tech-news-radar.md
- **Developed by:** [Darim Quraishi](https://apify.com/adaptive_nightmare) (community)
- **Categories:** News, Developer tools, Open source
- **Security:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$0.85 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Lobste.rs Tech News and Engineering Stories Radar

Extract top technology discussions, engineering stories, vote scores, comment counts, and outbound links from Lobste.rs without API keys.

### Features

- Scrapes the official Lobste.rs JSON endpoints tracking curated software engineering discussions.
- Captures headline titles, original source links, community discussion URLs, and vote scores.
- Collects comment thread counts, submitter usernames, and domain taxonomy tags.
- Operates via public JSON endpoints with zero authentication tokens and zero proxy overhead.
- Delivers clean structured records formatted for export to JSON, CSV, Excel, or technical newsletters.

### Input parameters

- Feed Selection: Choose between Hottest Stories or Newest Submissions. Default is hottest.
- Maximum Stories: Maximum number of story records to collect, up to 50. Default is 25.

### Output dataset fields

Each dataset record contains:

- shortId: Short alphanumeric identifier (such as abc123).
- title: Submission headline title.
- url: External article link or primary discussion URL.
- commentsUrl: Permanent link to the comments thread on lobste.rs.
- score: Community net upvote score.
- commentCount: Total replies posted to the discussion thread.
- submitter: Username of the submitting developer.
- tags: Array of technical classification tags (such as rust, security, or linux).
- description: Editorial commentary or excerpt provided by the submitter.
- createdAt: ISO formatted publication timestamp.
- scrapedAt: UTC timestamp when the data was extracted.

### Use cases

- Developer newsletters: Curate weekly digests of deeply technical software discussions.
- Engineering intelligence: Spot emerging compiler developments, kernel patches, and system architecture paradigms.
- High-signal tech monitoring: Filter signal from noise by following invite-only developer community discussions.

# Actor input Schema

## `feed` (type: `string`):

Feed channel to extract stories from.

## `maxStories` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of story discussions to retrieve.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "feed": "hottest",
  "maxStories": 25
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("adaptive_nightmare/lobsters-tech-news-radar").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("adaptive_nightmare/lobsters-tech-news-radar").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{}' |
apify call adaptive_nightmare/lobsters-tech-news-radar --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,adaptive_nightmare/lobsters-tech-news-radar"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/zEksGGSphgofJN1Rp/builds/8OvE6YyRhB7G7scAN/openapi.json