Lemmy Search Scraper

Search public Lemmy content across posts, comments, communities, and users. Choose a Lemmy instance, enter a search query, select the result type, and collect structured results in JSON, CSV, or Excel.

What It Does

This actor uses the Lemmy search endpoint to retrieve matching content from a selected instance. Depending on the result type, it collects available item details such as names, ActivityPub IDs, publication dates, community names, creators, scores, and comment counts.

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

Input Example

{
  "instance": "lemmy.world",
  "q": "linux",
  "type_": "Posts",
  "maxItems": 50,
  "requestDelayMs": 1000
}

Input Parameters

Field	Type	Default	Description
instance	string	lemmy.world	Lemmy instance hostname without a URL scheme.
q	string	linux	Search query text.
type_	string	Posts	Result type: Posts, Comments, Communities, or Users.
maxItems	integer	100	Maximum successful output 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

{
  "itemId": 53017588,
  "name": "Of course",
  "ap_id": "https://sh.itjust.works/post/68171620",
  "published": "2026-10-12T03:27:56.534130Z",
  "community": "programmer_humor",
  "creator": "GolfFoxtrotLima",
  "score": 105,
  "comments": 9,
  "resultKind": "Posts",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-10-12T05:30:00+00:00"
}

Output Fields

Field	Description
itemId	Identifier of the returned entity. The original Lemmy id field is stored as itemId to maintain dataset schema compatibility.
name	Name or title of the returned item.
ap_id	ActivityPub identifier or URL associated with the item.
published	Publication timestamp, when available.
community	Associated community name, when available.
creator	Creator's username, when available.
score	Item score, when available.
comments	Number of comments, when available.
resultKind	Type of search result, such as Posts.
scrapedAt	Timestamp when the record was collected.

The available fields may vary depending on the selected result type.

Use Cases

• Topic monitoring: Find public Lemmy content matching keywords such as linux.
• Research and analysis: Collect a limited sample of search results for further analysis.
• Content discovery: Build datasets of matching post links and metadata.
• Community discovery: Search for communities or users related to a particular topic.

Limits and Fair Use

Lemmy instances may rate-limit frequent requests. Increase requestDelayMs if you encounter HTTP 429 responses.

Search results may contain user-generated content and personal information. Respect instance policies, applicable privacy laws, and copyright requirements when collecting or reusing results.

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of Lemmy content can I search?

You can search posts, comments, communities, and users by selecting the appropriate type_ value.

Can I search different Lemmy instances?

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

Does the actor support keyword searches?

Yes. Enter your search phrase in the q parameter. The selected Lemmy instance determines which matching results are returned.

How many results can one run collect?

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

Does the actor support pagination?

Yes. It uses the limit and page parameters to retrieve successive result pages and deduplicates records by entity ID.

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 search results?

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

Can I schedule recurring searches?

Yes. Configure an Apify schedule to run the actor at your preferred interval and refresh your search dataset.

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 search results from publicly accessible Lemmy instances. Users are responsible for complying with applicable laws, instance policies, and data usage requirements when collecting or reusing results.

Is Web Scraping Legal?

This actor collects publicly accessible search 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: Search results may include usernames, public profile identifiers, and user-generated content. Handle potentially personal information responsibly and follow applicable privacy laws, including GDPR or CCPA where relevant.
• Copyright and Licensing: Post titles, comments, and other user-generated content may be protected by copyright. Check applicable licences and avoid unauthorized reproduction or redistribution.
• 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?.