# Hacker News Scraper — Stories & Comments (`ponderable_hydrometer/hackernews-scraper`) Actor Search Hacker News stories & comments by keyword, author, points or date. Monitor keywords, domains & users. Free Algolia HN API, no key. For research, PR & alerts. - **URL**: https://apify.com/ponderable\_hydrometer/hackernews-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Ponderable Hydrometer](https://apify.com/ponderable_hydrometer) (community) - **Categories:** Developer tools, Automation, SEO tools - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $1.50 / 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/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## 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/docs.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.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/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 Scraper — Stories & Comments **Turn Hacker News search into a schedulable feed — monitor a brand, keyword, domain or user across stories and comments, with the full Algolia filter surface.** Keyless, sortable by relevance or recency, with points/comment thresholds and tag filters. Perfect for brand and keyword monitoring, PR alerts, market research, and dev-community analysis. ### What you get Per item (story or comment): - **Core** — `id`, `type` (`story` / `comment` / `poll` / `job`), `title`, `url`, `author`, `points`, `numComments` - **Text** — `storyText` (self/Ask HN posts), `commentText` (for comments) - **Threading** — `parentId`, `storyId`, `tags` (`_tags` from Algolia) - **Timing** — `createdAt` (ISO), `createdAtTimestamp` (Unix seconds) - **Direct link** — `hnUrl` to the item on news.ycombinator.com ### Filters & modes - **Keyword search** — `query` across titles, URLs and text. - **By author** — pull a user's full history with `author`. - **By type** — `tags` filter: `story`, `comment`, `poll`, `show_hn`, `ask_hn`, `front_page` (combinable). - **Thresholds** — `minPoints`, `minComments`, `createdAfter` (Unix timestamp), plus raw `numericFilters` clauses. - **Sort** — `relevance` (best match) or `date` (newest first). ### Input | Field | Type | Default | Description | |-------|------|---------|-------------| | `query` | string | — | Keywords in titles, URLs and text | | `tags` | array | — | `story`, `comment`, `poll`, `show_hn`, `ask_hn`, `front_page` | | `author` | string | — | Only items by this HN username | | `sortBy` | string | `relevance` | `relevance` or `date` | | `minPoints` | integer | — | Minimum points | | `minComments` | integer | — | Minimum comments | | `createdAfter` | integer | — | Only items at/after this Unix timestamp | | `numericFilters` | array | — | Raw Algolia numeric clauses, e.g. `["points<500"]` | | `maxResults` | integer | `100` | Cap on items returned | Provide at least one of `query`, `author`, `tags`, `minPoints` or `minComments`. ### Example input ```json { "query": "your brand", "tags": ["story", "comment"], "sortBy": "date", "maxResults": 100 } ```` High-signal stories: ```json { "query": "AI agents", "tags": ["story"], "minPoints": 100, "maxResults": 50 } ``` ### Example output (one story) ```json { "id": "40001234", "type": "story", "title": "Show HN: I built an open-source alternative to X", "url": "https://example.com/project", "author": "pg", "points": 342, "numComments": 118, "storyText": null, "commentText": null, "parentId": null, "storyId": null, "tags": ["story", "show_hn", "author_pg", "story_40001234"], "createdAt": "2026-07-11T14:22:31.000Z", "createdAtTimestamp": 1783736551, "hnUrl": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40001234" } ``` ### Why this actor - **Full filter surface** — tags + author + point/comment thresholds + raw numeric filters + relevance/date sort, not a thin one-off. - **Both stories and comments** — track a conversation, not just headlines. - **Schedulable feed** — run it hourly to watch a brand, keyword, domain, or a specific user. - **Keyless & reliable** — public Algolia HN API with retry/backoff. ### Notes - Data is the public Algolia Hacker News Search API — no key, no anti-bot. - Not affiliated with or endorsed by Y Combinator or Hacker News. ### Pricing Pay per result — **$1.50 per 1,000 results**. No subscription or platform fees; you only pay for the results you get. ### Related actors - **GitHub Search Scraper** — repos, users and issues for dev research. - **Stack Exchange Scraper** — Q\&A across Stack Overflow and sibling sites. - **Reddit / social monitoring actors** — pair for broader brand tracking. # Actor input Schema ## `query` (type: `string`): Keywords to search in titles, URLs and text, e.g. "rust web framework", "openai". ## `tags` (type: `array`): Restrict item types: story, comment, poll, show\_hn, ask\_hn, front\_page. Combine e.g. \["story","show\_hn"]. ## `author` (type: `string`): Only items by this HN username, e.g. "pg". ## `sortBy` (type: `string`): "relevance" (best match) or "date" (newest first). ## `minPoints` (type: `integer`): Only items with at least this many points. ## `minComments` (type: `integer`): Only items with at least this many comments. ## `createdAfter` (type: `integer`): Only items created at/after this Unix timestamp (seconds). ## `numericFilters` (type: `array`): Raw Algolia numeric filter clauses, e.g. \["points<500"]. Combined with the fields above. ## `maxResults` (type: `integer`): Cap on number of items returned. ## Actor input object example ```json { "query": "show hn", "sortBy": "relevance", "maxResults": 100 } ``` # 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 = { "query": "show hn" }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("ponderable_hydrometer/hackernews-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 = { "query": "show hn" } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("ponderable_hydrometer/hackernews-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 '{ "query": "show hn" }' | apify call ponderable_hydrometer/hackernews-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=ponderable_hydrometer/hackernews-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Hacker News Scraper — Stories & Comments", "description": "Search Hacker News stories & comments by keyword, author, points or date. Monitor keywords, domains & users. Free Algolia HN API, no key. For research, PR & alerts.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "yibBLIkl6yUylEgCD" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/ponderable_hydrometer~hackernews-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-ponderable_hydrometer-hackernews-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/ponderable_hydrometer~hackernews-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-ponderable_hydrometer-hackernews-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/ponderable_hydrometer~hackernews-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-ponderable_hydrometer-hackernews-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", "properties": { "query": { "title": "Search query", "type": "string", "description": "Keywords to search in titles, URLs and text, e.g. \"rust web framework\", \"openai\"." }, "tags": { "title": "Tags filter", "type": "array", "description": "Restrict item types: story, comment, poll, show_hn, ask_hn, front_page. Combine e.g. [\"story\",\"show_hn\"].", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "author": { "title": "Author", "type": "string", "description": "Only items by this HN username, e.g. \"pg\"." }, "sortBy": { "title": "Sort by", "enum": [ "relevance", "date" ], "type": "string", "description": "\"relevance\" (best match) or \"date\" (newest first).", "default": "relevance" }, "minPoints": { "title": "Min points", "type": "integer", "description": "Only items with at least this many points." }, "minComments": { "title": "Min comments", "type": "integer", "description": "Only items with at least this many comments." }, "createdAfter": { "title": "Created after (Unix timestamp)", "type": "integer", "description": "Only items created at/after this Unix timestamp (seconds)." }, "numericFilters": { "title": "Extra numeric filters (advanced)", "type": "array", "description": "Raw Algolia numeric filter clauses, e.g. [\"points<500\"]. Combined with the fields above.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "maxResults": { "title": "Max results", "minimum": 1, "type": "integer", "description": "Cap on number of items returned.", "default": 100 } } }, "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 } } } } } } } } } } ```