Lemmy Communities Scraper

Collect community directory data from any public Lemmy instance. Choose a sorting method and listing scope, set a result limit, and export community IDs, names, subscriber counts, and post counts in JSON, CSV, or Excel.

What It Does

This actor retrieves community listings from a Lemmy instance using its community list endpoint. It collects community identifiers, names, titles, actor URLs, subscriber counts, and post counts.

Results are paginated using limit and page, deduplicated by community ID, and collected until the configured item limit is reached.

Input Example

{
  "instance": "lemmy.world",
  "sort": "TopAll",
  "listingType": "All",
  "maxItems": 50,
  "requestDelayMs": 1000
}

Input Parameters

Field	Type	Default	Description
instance	string	lemmy.world	Lemmy instance hostname without a URL scheme.
sort	string	TopAll	Community sorting method, such as TopAll, Hot, New, or Active.
listingType	string	All	Community listing scope. Use All or Local.
maxItems	integer	100	Maximum successful rows per run. Hard limit: 1,000.
requestDelayMs	integer	1000	Delay between requests in milliseconds.
userAgent	string	ActorResearch/1.0	User-Agent header used for requests.
timeoutSecs	integer	300	Overall actor run timeout in seconds.
requestTimeoutSecs	integer	30	Timeout for each individual request in seconds.
proxyConfiguration	object	Proxy off	Optional proxy configuration. Proxy is disabled by default.

Output Example

{
  "communityId": 2478,
  "name": "technology",
  "communityTitle": "Technology",
  "actor_id": "https://lemmy.world/c/technology",
  "subscribers": 88731,
  "posts": 22199,
  "scrapedAt": "2026-10-12T05:30:00+00:00"
}

Output Fields

Field	Description
communityId	Unique identifier of the community.
name	Community name.
communityTitle	Display title of the community.
actor_id	Community actor URL.
subscribers	Number of community subscribers.
posts	Number of posts in the community.
scrapedAt	Timestamp when the record was collected.

Use Cases

• Community directories: Build searchable directories of Lemmy communities with subscriber and post statistics.
• Research and analysis: Collect a limited sample of communities for data analysis.
• Instance comparison: Compare federated and local community listings using All and Local scopes.
• Directory maintenance: Schedule recurring runs to refresh community listing datasets.

Frequently Asked Questions

What data does this actor collect?

It collects community IDs, names, titles, actor URLs, subscriber counts, post counts, source URLs, and collection timestamps.

Can I collect communities from different Lemmy instances?

Yes. Set instance to the hostname of the Lemmy instance you want to query, such as lemmy.world.

What is the difference between All and Local?

All retrieves the instance's federated community listing, while Local limits the listing to communities local to that instance.

Which sorting methods are available?

The sort parameter accepts Lemmy community listing sort options, including TopAll, Hot, New, and Active.

How many communities can one run collect?

The actor supports up to 1,000 successful output rows per run. Use maxItems to set a smaller collection limit.

Does the actor support pagination?

Yes. It uses the limit and page parameters to retrieve successive community listing pages and avoids duplicate records using community IDs.

What happens if a request fails?

The actor continues processing and stores an error row instead of stopping the entire run.

Can I export the results?

Yes. Export the dataset in JSON, CSV, Excel, and other formats supported by Apify.

Can I schedule recurring runs?

Yes. Configure an Apify schedule to refresh your community directory at your preferred interval.

Trademark Notice

Lemmy is a trademark and project name belonging to its respective owners. This actor is an independent data collection tool and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the Lemmy project or individual Lemmy instances.

Disclaimer

This actor collects community listing information from publicly accessible Lemmy instances. Users are responsible for following applicable laws, instance policies, and data usage requirements when collecting or reusing the results.

Is Web Scraping Legal?

This actor collects publicly accessible community directory information without bypassing login screens, paywalls, or technical security measures. How collected information can be used depends on applicable laws and the source instance's policies.

• Personal Data: Community names and actor URLs may identify individuals or groups. Handle potentially personal information responsibly and follow applicable privacy laws, including GDPR or CCPA where relevant.
• Copyright and Licensing: Community names and other descriptive content may be protected by copyright or subject to licensing terms. Check the applicable licence before reproducing or redistributing content.
• Platform Terms and Rate Limits: Respect each Lemmy instance's policies and rate limits. Use reasonable request delays.
• Disclaimer: This information is general guidance, not legal advice. Consult a qualified legal professional if you have questions about your intended use.

For more information, read Is web scraping legal?.