Stallion Reddit Scraper

Apify Store: busy_evidence/stallion-reddit-scraper

Fast, lightweight Reddit scraper for Apify. Collect posts from subreddit listings, keyword search, and individual post URLs — no Reddit login required. Uses efficient HTTP requests instead of a headless browser, so runs are typically faster and cheaper.

Disclaimer: This is an unofficial scraper and is not affiliated with Reddit Inc. Reddit may change access rules at any time. Use responsibly and respect Reddit's terms of service.

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Why use this Reddit Scraper?

	This Actor	Typical browser scrapers
Speed	Seconds per listing page	Minutes (page render + scroll)
Cost	Low memory (256–1024 MB)	High memory (browser overhead)
Proxy usage	Residential proxy for listings	Residential + browser sessions

Best for: monitoring subreddits, lead generation, sentiment pipelines, research datasets, and scheduled jobs where you need posts fast at predictable per-result pricing.

For full comment threads and vote counts on every field, set maxComments above 0 when JSON access is available, or use a browser-based scraper for maximum coverage.

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Features

• Browse subreddits — new, hot, top, rising, controversial
• Keyword search — global or scoped to one subreddit (searchCommunityName)
• Single post URLs — scrape one thread by URL
• Nested comments — when maxComments > 0 (see limitations below)
• Date filters — postDateLimit / commentDateLimit (YYYY-MM-DD)
• NSFW toggle — includeNSFW
• Pagination resume — pass ?after=t3_… in start URLs
• Search → browse fallback — empty niche search falls back to subreddit listing
• RSS fallback — when Reddit blocks JSON (common in 2026), listings use public Atom feeds automatically

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How it works

1. Phase 1 — Discovery: listing or search URLs are crawled; post stubs are collected.
2. Phase 2 — Enrichment (optional): when maxComments > 0, each post is fetched again for full body + comments.

Data sources:

Source	When used	What you get
json	Reddit JSON API responds	Full fields: scores, comment counts, comments
rss	JSON blocked (403)	Title, body snippet, author, URL, date — upVotes and numberOfComments are 0; rows include "dataSource": "rss"

For listing-only runs, set maxComments: 0 (default). This is the fastest and most reliable mode on Apify Cloud.

Proxy: enable Apify Proxy with residential IPs. Reddit blocks datacenter traffic quickly.

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How to use

1. Open this Actor on Apify Store and click Try for free (or run from your private Actor page).
2. Choose a mode:
   • Subreddit listing → add a URL like https://www.reddit.com/r/python/new/
   • Search → leave startUrls empty and fill searches
   • One post → paste a /comments/ URL
3. Set maxItems (total results cap) and maxComments (0 for posts only).
4. Enable proxy → useApifyProxy: true (residential recommended).
5. Click Start and download results as JSON, CSV, Excel, or via API.

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Input

Provide either startUrls or searches. When startUrls is set, search fields are ignored.

Input parameters

Field	Type	Default	Description
startUrls	array	—	Subreddit listings, post URLs, or paginated listing URLs
searches	array	[]	Keywords (used when startUrls is empty)
searchCommunityName	string	—	Restrict search to one subreddit (no r/ prefix)
sort	string	new	new, hot, top, relevance, comments
time	string	all	hour, day, week, month, year, all
postDateLimit	string	—	Only posts on/after YYYY-MM-DD
commentDateLimit	string	—	Only comments on/after YYYY-MM-DD
maxItems	integer	100	Hard cap on dataset rows
maxPostCount	integer	100	Max posts per listing/search page
maxComments	integer	0	Comments per post; 0 = skip comment fetch
scrollTimeout	integer	40	Seconds to keep paginating a listing
includeNSFW	boolean	false	Include adult content
searchPosts	boolean	true	Search posts when using searches
searchComments	boolean	false	Search comments
searchCommunities	boolean	false	Search communities
searchUsers	boolean	false	Search users
skipComments	boolean	false	Skip comments even if maxComments > 0
includeMediaLinks	boolean	false	Add image/video URLs (slower)
proxy	object	—	Apify proxy config; residential recommended

Example — browse a subreddit (recommended)

{
  "startUrls": [{ "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/cartalkuk/new/" }],
  "maxItems": 100,
  "maxPostCount": 100,
  "maxComments": 0,
  "scrollTimeout": 40,
  "includeNSFW": true,
  "proxy": { "useApifyProxy": true }
}

Example — search inside a subreddit

{
  "searches": ["machine learning", "data science"],
  "searchCommunityName": "python",
  "sort": "new",
  "time": "year",
  "postDateLimit": "2024-01-01",
  "maxItems": 200,
  "maxComments": 0,
  "proxy": { "useApifyProxy": true }
}

Example — one post with comments

{
  "startUrls": [{
    "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/python/comments/EXAMPLE/title_here/"
  }],
  "maxComments": 50,
  "proxy": { "useApifyProxy": true }
}

Example — resume pagination

{
  "startUrls": [{
    "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/dashcam/new/?after=t3_abc123"
  }],
  "maxItems": 100,
  "proxy": { "useApifyProxy": true }
}

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Output

Each dataset row is one post with a consistent, structured schema.

Post object

{
  "dataType": "post",
  "parsedId": "abc123",
  "id": "t3_abc123",
  "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/python/comments/abc123/title/",
  "title": "Example post title",
  "body": "Post selftext or empty for link posts",
  "parsedCommunityName": "python",
  "communityName": "r/python",
  "username": "reddit_user",
  "upVotes": 150,
  "numberOfComments": 42,
  "createdAt": "2025-08-01T12:00:00.000Z",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-07-01T12:00:00.000Z",
  "comments": [],
  "dataSource": "rss"
}

dataSource appears only when the row came from RSS fallback ("rss"). JSON-sourced rows omit this field.

Comment object (when maxComments > 0)

{
  "parsedId": "cmt1",
  "body": "Great post!",
  "username": "reader42",
  "upVotes": 3,
  "createdAt": "2025-08-01T12:05:00.000Z",
  "parentId": "t3_abc123"
}

With includeMediaLinks: true, posts may also include imageUrls, videoUrls, flair, over18, isVideo, and upVoteRatio.

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Pricing

This Actor uses Pay per event on Apify Store:

Event	Typical price
Actor start	~$0.00005 per run
Result (apify-default-dataset-item)	~$0.003 per post

Example: 100 posts ≈ $0.30 (+ small start fee). Platform/proxy usage may apply depending on your monetization settings.

Set a max cost per run in the Apify Console before large jobs.

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API usage

Replace YOUR_TOKEN with your Apify API token.

Actor ID: busy_evidence/stallion-reddit-scraper

Python

from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_TOKEN")

run = client.actor("busy_evidence/stallion-reddit-scraper").call(run_input={
    "startUrls": [{"url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/python/new/"}],
    "maxItems": 100,
    "maxComments": 0,
    "proxy": {"useApifyProxy": True},
})

items = client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).list_items().items
print(f"Scraped {len(items)} posts")

JavaScript

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: 'YOUR_TOKEN' });

const run = await client.actor('busy_evidence/stallion-reddit-scraper').call({
    startUrls: [{ url: 'https://www.reddit.com/r/python/new/' }],
    maxItems: 100,
    maxComments: 0,
    proxy: { useApifyProxy: true },
});

const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(`Scraped ${items.length} posts`);

cURL

curl -X POST \
  "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/busy_evidence~stallion-reddit-scraper/runs?token=YOUR_TOKEN&waitForFinish=300" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "startUrls": [{"url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/python/new/"}],
    "maxItems": 100,
    "maxComments": 0,
    "proxy": {"useApifyProxy": true}
  }'

Integrations

Export results to Google Sheets, Slack, Zapier, Make, or any webhook via Apify integrations on the run's Export tab.

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FAQ

Why enable residential proxy?
Reddit blocks datacenter IPs. Apify residential proxy is required for reliable runs on the platform.

Why is maxComments default 0?
Comment fetch needs the JSON API, which Reddit often blocks. Listing scans with maxComments: 0 use RSS fallback and complete in seconds.

Why are upVotes and numberOfComments zero?
When JSON is blocked, the Actor falls back to RSS feeds which do not include scores or comment counts. The row will have "dataSource": "rss".

What is scrollTimeout?
Seconds to keep paginating before stopping (default 40). Increase for large subreddits or slow proxy regions.

Why fewer results than maxItems?
Reddit caps listing depth at roughly 1,000 posts per sort. Date filters and NSFW settings also reduce counts.

Does this scrape user profiles?
Not yet. Supported start URLs are subreddit listings (/r/{sub}/{sort}) and post URLs (/r/{sub}/comments/{id}).

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Limitations

• Reddit JSON API access is restricted for unauthenticated clients (2026). Listings use RSS when needed.
• RSS rows lack vote/comment counts and cannot fetch comment threads.
• Historical listing depth is ~1,000 items per sort — use postDateLimit + scheduled runs for ongoing monitoring.
• Search and comment modes depend on JSON availability and may return fewer fields than browser-based scrapers.

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Local development

pip install -r requirements.txt
python -m pytest tests/
apify run --input='{"startUrls":[{"url":"https://www.reddit.com/r/python/new/"}],"maxItems":5,"maxComments":0}'

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Changelog

0.1.8

• RSS/Atom fallback when Reddit JSON returns 403
• dataSource: "rss" on fallback rows
• Apify Actor.log for visible platform logs

0.1.0

• Initial release: browse, search, and post scraping