# Hacker News Story Scraper (`receptional_blender/hackernews-story-scraper`) Actor Grab stories from any Hacker News feed — Top, New, Best, Ask HN, Show HN or Jobs — or a set of specific item IDs, returned as clean, flat JSON. Powered by the free official Firebase API, so no key, login or proxy is required. - **URL**: https://apify.com/receptional\_blender/hackernews-story-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Assia Fadli](https://apify.com/receptional_blender) (community) - **Categories:** News - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $0.01 / 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 web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows. 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 Story Scraper Collect stories from [Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com/) straight from its **free, official [Firebase API](https://github.com/HackerNews/API)**. There is nothing to configure — no API key, no login, and no proxy — the feed is public and rock-solid. Point it at a feed (or a handful of item IDs), pick how many stories you want, and get back one tidy JSON row per story. ### Features - Reads any standard Hacker News feed: **Top**, **New**, **Best**, **Ask HN**, **Show HN** or **Jobs**. - Optionally targets a set of **specific item IDs** instead of a feed. - Fetches item details concurrently in small batches to stay fast and polite. - Emits one flat, ready-to-use JSON record per story. - Skips gracefully over deleted or missing items — they are recorded with an `error` field so a single bad item never stops the run. ### Input | Field | Type | Default | Description | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | `list` | select | `topstories` | Which feed to scrape: `topstories`, `newstories`, `beststories`, `askstories`, `showstories`, `jobstories`. | | `maxItems` | integer | `50` | Maximum number of stories to fetch. | | `itemIds` | array | — | Optional. Fetch these specific item IDs instead of a feed. When set, `list` is ignored. | #### Example input ```json { "list": "topstories", "maxItems": 10 } ```` Or fetch specific items: ```json { "itemIds": ["8863", "121003"] } ``` ### Output Each dataset record looks like this: ```json { "id": 8863, "type": "story", "title": "My YC app: Dropbox - Throw away your USB drive", "url": "http://www.getdropbox.com/u/2/screencast.html", "hnUrl": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8863", "by": "dhouston", "score": 111, "comments": 71, "time": "2007-04-04T19:16:40.000Z", "text": null } ``` | Field | Description | | --- | --- | | `id` | Hacker News item ID. | | `type` | Item type (`story`, `job`, `poll`, etc.). | | `title` | Story title. | | `url` | The story's external URL (null for Ask HN / text posts). | | `hnUrl` | Link to the discussion on Hacker News. | | `by` | Author username. | | `score` | Points/upvotes. | | `comments` | Comment count (`descendants`). | | `time` | Submission time as an ISO 8601 timestamp. | | `text` | Body text (for Ask HN and text posts), as raw HTML. | If an item can't be fetched (e.g. it was deleted), the row is `{ "id": , "error": "" }` instead. ### Pricing This actor uses the **pay-per-event** model: you are charged once per successfully scraped story (the `story-scraped` event). Deleted or unreachable items produce an error row and are never charged. ### Data source The actor talks to the official Hacker News API hosted on Firebase: - Base URL: `https://hacker-news.firebaseio.com/v0` - Lists: `/topstories.json`, `/newstories.json`, `/beststories.json`, `/askstories.json`, `/showstories.json`, `/jobstories.json` - Items: `/item/{id}.json` The API is free and requires no authentication. ### License MIT © Assia Fadli # Actor input Schema ## `list` (type: `string`): Which Hacker News list to scrape. Ignored when you provide specific Item IDs below. ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of stories to fetch from the chosen list (or from Item IDs). ## `itemIds` (type: `array`): Fetch these specific Hacker News item IDs instead of a list. When set, the 'Story list' option is ignored. ## Actor input object example ```json { "list": "topstories", "maxItems": 50, "itemIds": [ "8863", "121003" ] } ``` # 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 = { "maxItems": 50 }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("receptional_blender/hackernews-story-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 = { "maxItems": 50 } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("receptional_blender/hackernews-story-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 '{ "maxItems": 50 }' | apify call receptional_blender/hackernews-story-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=receptional_blender/hackernews-story-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Hacker News Story Scraper", "description": "Grab stories from any Hacker News feed — Top, New, Best, Ask HN, Show HN or Jobs — or a set of specific item IDs, returned as clean, flat JSON. Powered by the free official Firebase API, so no key, login or proxy is required.", "version": "1.0", "x-build-id": "suXKin4pAKkVcjcGZ" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/receptional_blender~hackernews-story-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-receptional_blender-hackernews-story-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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/receptional_blender~hackernews-story-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-receptional_blender-hackernews-story-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/receptional_blender~hackernews-story-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-receptional_blender-hackernews-story-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": { "list": { "title": "Story list", "enum": [ "topstories", "newstories", "beststories", "askstories", "showstories", "jobstories" ], "type": "string", "description": "Which Hacker News list to scrape. Ignored when you provide specific Item IDs below.", "default": "topstories" }, "maxItems": { "title": "Max items", "minimum": 1, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of stories to fetch from the chosen list (or from Item IDs).", "default": 50 }, "itemIds": { "title": "Item IDs (optional)", "type": "array", "description": "Fetch these specific Hacker News item IDs instead of a list. When set, the 'Story list' option is ignored.", "items": { "type": "string" } } } }, "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 } } } } } } } } } } ```