# Hacker News Scraper (`rupom888/hackernews-scraper`) Actor Scrape stories, jobs, comments, and polls from Hacker News using the official HN Firebase API. Get top/new/best/ask/show stories with comments, search by keyword via Algolia HN Search API. Reliable and no rate limiting. - **URL**: https://apify.com/rupom888/hackernews-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Syed Rupom](https://apify.com/rupom888) (community) - **Categories:** News, SEO tools - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $2.00 / 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.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 Scraper Extract stories, comments, and job postings from Hacker News. Scrape the front page, new stories, Ask HN, Show HN, or search by keyword. Priced at **$0.50 per 1,000 results**. ### What it scrapes - Story title, URL, score (points), author, and post date - Comment count and direct HN link - Top-level comments per story (optional) - Job postings from the HN jobs section - Ask HN and Show HN posts ### Sample output ```json { "story_id": 40987654, "title": "Show HN: I built a scraper that actually works", "url": "https://example.com/my-project", "hn_url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40987654", "score": 342, "author": "pg", "author_url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=pg", "comment_count": 128, "posted_at": "2024-01-15T14:32:00Z", "type": "show", "comments": [ { "comment_id": 40987700, "author": "tptacek", "text": "This is impressive work...", "posted_at": "2024-01-15T14:45:00Z" } ] } ```` ### Input ```json { "scrapeType": "top", "resultsWanted": 30, "includeComments": true, "maxCommentsPerStory": 10, "minScore": 100 } ``` #### Keyword search ```json { "scrapeType": "search", "searchQuery": "machine learning startup", "resultsWanted": 50 } ``` ### Input fields | Field | Type | Default | Description | |-------|------|---------|-------------| | `scrapeType` | string | `top` | `top`, `new`, `best`, `ask`, `show`, `jobs`, `search` | | `searchQuery` | string | — | Keyword to search (search mode only) | | `resultsWanted` | integer | 30 | Number of stories to return (up to 500) | | `includeComments` | boolean | false | Fetch top-level comments for each story | | `maxCommentsPerStory` | integer | 10 | Max comments per story (up to 50) | | `minScore` | integer | 0 | Minimum story score filter | ### Scrape types | `scrapeType` | What it returns | |---|---| | `top` | Current front page stories | | `new` | Newest submissions | | `best` | All-time highest scored | | `ask` | Ask HN posts | | `show` | Show HN posts | | `jobs` | HN job postings | | `search` | Stories matching a keyword | ### Use cases - Tech trend monitoring: track emerging topics on HN - Startup research: find Show HN launches in a category - Job hunting: monitor HN monthly "Who is hiring?" threads - AI/LLM training data: collect high-quality discussions with scores as quality signal ### Pricing **$0.50 per 1,000 results** — HN is public, no API key needed. # Actor input Schema ## `scrapeType` (type: `string`): What to scrape from Hacker News. ## `searchQuery` (type: `string`): Keyword to search for. Only used in search mode. ## `resultsWanted` (type: `integer`): Number of stories to return. ## `includeComments` (type: `boolean`): Fetch top-level comments for each story (slower). ## `maxCommentsPerStory` (type: `integer`): Maximum top-level comments to include per story. ## `minScore` (type: `integer`): Only return stories with at least this many points. Set 0 for no filter. ## Actor input object example ```json { "scrapeType": "top", "searchQuery": "machine learning startup", "resultsWanted": 30, "includeComments": false, "maxCommentsPerStory": 10, "minScore": 0 } ``` # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = {}; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("rupom888/hackernews-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${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 = {} # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("rupom888/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 '{}' | apify call rupom888/hackernews-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=rupom888/hackernews-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Hacker News Scraper", "description": "Scrape stories, jobs, comments, and polls from Hacker News using the official HN Firebase API. Get top/new/best/ask/show stories with comments, search by keyword via Algolia HN Search API. Reliable and no rate limiting.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "00HlQxuoez8ccsBlf" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/rupom888~hackernews-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-rupom888-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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/rupom888~hackernews-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-rupom888-hackernews-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/rupom888~hackernews-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-rupom888-hackernews-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": { "scrapeType": { "title": "Scrape Type", "enum": [ "top", "new", "best", "ask", "show", "jobs", "search" ], "type": "string", "description": "What to scrape from Hacker News.", "default": "top" }, "searchQuery": { "title": "Search Query", "type": "string", "description": "Keyword to search for. Only used in search mode." }, "resultsWanted": { "title": "Results Wanted", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 500, "type": "integer", "description": "Number of stories to return.", "default": 30 }, "includeComments": { "title": "Include Comments", "type": "boolean", "description": "Fetch top-level comments for each story (slower).", "default": false }, "maxCommentsPerStory": { "title": "Max Comments Per Story", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 50, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum top-level comments to include per story.", "default": 10 }, "minScore": { "title": "Minimum Score", "minimum": 0, "type": "integer", "description": "Only return stories with at least this many points. Set 0 for no filter.", "default": 0 } } }, "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 } } } } } } } } } } ```