# Hacker News Search Scraper (Free) (`fit_melon/hacker-news-search-scraper`) Actor Search Hacker News stories, comments, Ask HN & Show HN by keyword. Filter by points, sort by date or relevance, full HN archive. Clean JSON output via the official Algolia HN API. 100% free — no API key needed. - **URL**: https://apify.com/fit\_melon/hacker-news-search-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [D N](https://apify.com/fit_melon) (community) - **Categories:** News, Developer tools - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing Pay per usage This Actor is paid per platform usage. The Actor is free to use, and you only pay for the Apify platform usage, which gets cheaper the higher subscription plan you have. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-usage ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. 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. Actors are written with capital "A". ## 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. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Hacker News Search Scraper (Free) Search **Hacker News** stories, comments, **Ask HN** and **Show HN** posts by keyword and get clean, structured JSON — titles, URLs, authors, points, comment counts and timestamps. Built on the official [Algolia HN Search API](https://hn.algolia.com/api), so it is fast, stable and does not require any API key. This actor is **100% free**: you only pay your own Apify platform usage (typically fractions of a cent per run). Recherche Hacker News, scraper HN gratuit. ### Input | Field | Type | Description | |---|---|---| | `queries` | array | Keywords to search. One search per entry. | | `searchType` | string | `story`, `comment`, `ask_hn`, `show_hn`, `front_page` or `all`. Default `story`. | | `sortBy` | string | `relevance` or `date` (newest first). Default `relevance`. | | `minPoints` | integer | Only items with at least this many points. Default `0`. | | `maxResults` | integer | Max results per query. Default `50`. | ### Output One dataset item per result: ```json { "status": "found", "query": "web scraping", "type": "story", "id": "31261533", "title": "Web scraping is legal (US precedent)", "url": "https://example.com/article", "hnUrl": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31261533", "author": "ehurynovich", "points": 1207, "numComments": 359, "createdAt": "2022-04-18T15:04:02Z", "text": null, "tags": ["story"] } ```` Items with `status: "not_found"` (no results) or `status: "error"` (with an `error` message) are pushed instead of crashing the run. ### Use cases - Monitor mentions of your product, brand or competitors on Hacker News. - Track developer sentiment about technologies and frameworks. - Collect trending stories for newsletters, digests or AI agents. - Research historical discussions on any topic (search supports the full HN archive). ### Limitations & fair use - Uses the public Algolia HN Search API; a polite delay is applied between requests. - Max 1,000 results per query (API pagination limit). - Data is public content from news.ycombinator.com. *** **This actor is free** — you only pay standard Apify platform usage. More actors by this developer: [fit\_melon on Apify Store](https://apify.com/fit_melon). # Actor input Schema ## `queries` (type: `array`): Keywords to search on Hacker News. One search per entry. ## `searchType` (type: `string`): Type of content to search: stories, comments, Ask HN, Show HN, front page stories, or everything. ## `sortBy` (type: `string`): Relevance (best match) or date (newest first). ## `minPoints` (type: `integer`): Only return items with at least this many points (0 = no filter). ## `maxResults` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of results per search query. ## Actor input object example ```json { "queries": [ "web scraping" ], "searchType": "story", "sortBy": "relevance", "minPoints": 0, "maxResults": 50 } ``` # 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 '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "queries": [ "web scraping" ] }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("fit_melon/hacker-news-search-scraper").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 '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "queries": ["web scraping"] } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("fit_melon/hacker-news-search-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "queries": [ "web scraping" ] }' | apify call fit_melon/hacker-news-search-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fit_melon/hacker-news-search-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Hacker News Search Scraper (Free)", "description": "Search Hacker News stories, comments, Ask HN & Show HN by keyword. Filter by points, sort by date or relevance, full HN archive. Clean JSON output via the official Algolia HN API. 100% free — no API key needed.", "version": "0.0", "x-build-id": "MzscsbzDzYi0vPCnI" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/fit_melon~hacker-news-search-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-fit_melon-hacker-news-search-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/fit_melon~hacker-news-search-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-fit_melon-hacker-news-search-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/fit_melon~hacker-news-search-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-fit_melon-hacker-news-search-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "required": [ "queries" ], "properties": { "queries": { "title": "Search queries", "type": "array", "description": "Keywords to search on Hacker News. One search per entry.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "searchType": { "title": "Content type", "enum": [ "story", "comment", "ask_hn", "show_hn", "front_page", "all" ], "type": "string", "description": "Type of content to search: stories, comments, Ask HN, Show HN, front page stories, or everything.", "default": "story" }, "sortBy": { "title": "Sort by", "enum": [ "relevance", "date" ], "type": "string", "description": "Relevance (best match) or date (newest first).", "default": "relevance" }, "minPoints": { "title": "Minimum points", "minimum": 0, "type": "integer", "description": "Only return items with at least this many points (0 = no filter).", "default": 0 }, "maxResults": { "title": "Max results per query", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 1000, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of results per search query.", "default": 50 } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```