reddit-python-api

Reddit Python API

A simple unofficial read-only Reddit Python API allowing access to both subreddit and user articles, build with httpx.

Table of contents

• Introduction and requirements
• Installation
• Reddit app & configuration
• Usage
  • Create the API
  • Get a list of articles in a subreddit
  • Get a list of user articles
  • Returned articles type
• Disclaimer

Introduction and requirements

This Python API was built using httpx and Python 3.10. Python version at least 3.10 is required.

Full list of Python requirements is in requirements.txt file.

No additional API wrapper was used (like PRAW), Reddit API is accessed directly. It should be much faster when accessing a list of articles.

No data is stored. Reddit is accessed in read-only mode.

Currently, this API allows access to articles in either subreddits or from users. It doesn't access comments.

Installation

Project is available in PyPi:

pip install reddit-python-api

Reddit app & configuration

In order to use this API you need to create a Reddit app at https://old.reddit.com/prefs/apps/. Two parameters are required client id and secret from your app. Those values will be used to acquire OAuth 2.0 token from Reddit API itself.

No other data is necessary, since the API works in read-only mode.

When creating the API you can also specify user agent used for communication with Reddit API. By default Reddit Python API (by Electronic-Mango on GitHub) is used. Reddit required a meaningful user agent to be provided by apps.

Usage

Create the API

Two parameters are required - app id and secret:

from redditpythonapi import Reddit

reddit = Reddit("your client ID", "your app secret") 

You can also specify user-agent:

from redditpythonapi import Reddit

reddit = Reddit("your client ID", "your app secret", "custom user agent") 

Get a list of articles in a subreddit

reddit = Reddit("your client ID", "your app secret")
# reddit.subreddit_articles("subreddit name", load_count, sort_type)
articles = reddit.subreddit_articles("Python", ArticlesSortType.HOT, ArticlesSortTime.WEEK, 10)

First argument is a name of a subreddit. This is the only required argument.

Second argument specifies sort type. Following sort types are supported:

ArticlesSortType.HOT
ArticlesSortType.NEW
ArticlesSortType.RISING
ArticlesSortType.TOP
ArticlesSortType.CONTROVERSIAL

Third argument specifies sort time. Following values are supported:

ArticlesSortType.HOUR
ArticlesSortType.DAY
ArticlesSortType.WEEK
ArticlesSortType.MONTH
ArticlesSortType.YEAR
ArticlesSortType.ALL

Fourth argument specifies how many articles should be loaded. API can return lower number if there are fewer articles in a given subreddit than provided.

Load count, sort type and sort time are optional. Default sort type for subreddits is hot. For other values if they are not specified, then they are not passed onto Reddit API at all.

Get a list of user articles

reddit = Reddit("your client ID", "your app secret")
# reddit.user_articles("username", load_count, sort_type)
articles = reddit.user_articles("spez", ArticlesSortType.CONTROVERSIAL, ArticlesSortTime.ALL, 20)

First argument is a username. This is the only required argument.

General usage is the same as for subreddits.

Returned articles type

Returned type is a list of articles, where each article is a Article. Article is just an alias to dict[str, Any]. Returned data is directly representing JSON returned by official Reddit API, there are no modification to responses.

You can check official Reddit API documentation for:

• users - https://www.reddit.com/dev/api/#GET_user_{username}_submitted
• subreddits - https://www.reddit.com/dev/api/#GET_hot (and other endpoints for different sort types)

Returned dicts are listings directly from official Reddit API. Article contents are quite long, but I've left their additional parsing the user. Here is an example of one article dict:

{
    'approved_at_utc': None,
    'subreddit': 'wow',
    'selftext': 'https://youtu.be/IHZru-6M8BY\n\nJason Hall, currently an indie developer and former Blizzard employee said in one of his videos\n\n>A $15 microtransaction horse made more money than StarCraft 2\n\nHe worked two years of overtime on StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty. And the entire game ended up making less money for Blizzard than a single mount in World of Warcraft.',
    'author_fullname': 't2_gnuby',
    'saved': False,
    'mod_reason_title': None,
    'gilded': 0,
    'clicked': False,
    'title': '$15 horse for WoW made more money than StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty',
    'link_flair_richtext': [
        {
            'e': 'text',
            't': 'Discussion'
        }
    ],
    'subreddit_name_prefixed': 'r/wow',
    'hidden': False,
    'pwls': 6,
    'link_flair_css_class': 'discussion',
    'downs': 0,
    'thumbnail_height': None,
    'top_awarded_type': None,
    'hide_score': False,
    'name': 't3_17tpwfa',
    'quarantine': False,
    'link_flair_text_color': 'dark',
    'upvote_ratio': 0.94,
    'author_flair_background_color': None,
    'subreddit_type': 'public',
    'ups': 2303,
    'total_awards_received': 0,
    'media_embed': {
        
    },
    'thumbnail_width': None,
    'author_flair_template_id': None,
    'is_original_content': False,
    'user_reports': [
        
    ],
    'secure_media': None,
    'is_reddit_media_domain': False,
    'is_meta': False,
    'category': None,
    'secure_media_embed': {
        
    },
    'link_flair_text': 'Discussion',
    'can_mod_post': False,
    'score': 2303,
    'approved_by': None,
    'is_created_from_ads_ui': False,
    'author_premium': False,
    'thumbnail': 'self',
    'edited': False,
    'author_flair_css_class': None,
    'author_flair_richtext': [
        
    ],
    'gildings': {
        
    },
    'post_hint': 'self',
    'content_categories': None,
    'is_self': True,
    'mod_note': None,
    'created': 1699812579.0,
    'link_flair_type': 'richtext',
    'wls': 6,
    'removed_by_category': None,
    'banned_by': None,
    'author_flair_type': 'text',
    'domain': 'self.wow',
    'allow_live_comments': True,
    'selftext_html': '<!-- SC_OFF --><div class="md"><p><a href="https://youtu.be/IHZru-6M8BY">https://youtu.be/IHZru-6M8BY</a></p>\n\n<p>Jason Hall, currently an indie developer and former Blizzard employee said in one of his videos</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n<p>A $15 microtransaction horse made more money than StarCraft 2</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>He worked two years of overtime on StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty. And the entire game ended up making less money for Blizzard than a single mount in World of Warcraft.</p>\n</div><!-- SC_ON -->',
    'likes': None,
    'suggested_sort': None,
    'banned_at_utc': None,
    'view_count': None,
    'archived': False,
    'no_follow': False,
    'is_crosspostable': False,
    'pinned': False,
    'over_18': False,
    'preview': {
        'images': [
            {
                'source': {
                    'url': 'https://external-preview.redd.it/aTydt70E_WWF4CDra361TKJGXyuZfwQ_WUkymcp6gW8.jpg?auto=webp&s=22796fd51cff670774bfdc6c30fcc5681afaaab6',
                    'width': 480,
                    'height': 360
                },
                'resolutions': [
                    {
                        'url': 'https://external-preview.redd.it/aTydt70E_WWF4CDra361TKJGXyuZfwQ_WUkymcp6gW8.jpg?width=108&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=6038c06ccc24cd82791506a765b92a96c4481a7d',
                        'width': 108,
                        'height': 81
                    },
                    {
                        'url': 'https://external-preview.redd.it/aTydt70E_WWF4CDra361TKJGXyuZfwQ_WUkymcp6gW8.jpg?width=216&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=1b6308d7254313e680e6f8a995fe2ebe11c667a7',
                        'width': 216,
                        'height': 162
                    },
                    {
                        'url': 'https://external-preview.redd.it/aTydt70E_WWF4CDra361TKJGXyuZfwQ_WUkymcp6gW8.jpg?width=320&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=afb31085dde1286d636a2bdff992cdfccf744653',
                        'width': 320,
                        'height': 240
                    }
                ],
                'variants': {
                    
                },
                'id': 'aqHslU2jfEu8nGDHD1GfMh4aADRzrHE6jlApmtUPZYU'
            }
        ],
        'enabled': False
    },
    'all_awardings': [
        
    ],
    'awarders': [
        
    ],
    'media_only': False,
    'link_flair_template_id': 'ad4fefe2-494b-11ea-9fda-0ecf49ab1e6d',
    'can_gild': False,
    'spoiler': False,
    'locked': False,
    'author_flair_text': None,
    'treatment_tags': [
        
    ],
    'visited': False,
    'removed_by': None,
    'num_reports': None,
    'distinguished': None,
    'subreddit_id': 't5_2qio8',
    'author_is_blocked': False,
    'mod_reason_by': None,
    'removal_reason': None,
    'link_flair_background_color': '',
    'id': '17tpwfa',
    'is_robot_indexable': True,
    'report_reasons': None,
    'author': 'ErgoNonSim',
    'discussion_type': None,
    'num_comments': 563,
    'send_replies': False,
    'whitelist_status': 'all_ads',
    'contest_mode': False,
    'mod_reports': [
        
    ],
    'author_patreon_flair': False,
    'author_flair_text_color': None,
    'permalink': '/r/wow/comments/17tpwfa/15_horse_for_wow_made_more_money_than_starcraft_2/',
    'parent_whitelist_status': 'all_ads',
    'stickied': False,
    'url': 'https://www.reddit.com/r/wow/comments/17tpwfa/15_horse_for_wow_made_more_money_than_starcraft_2/',
    'subreddit_subscribers': 2427761,
    'created_utc': 1699812579.0,
    'num_crossposts': 2,
    'media': None,
    'is_video': False
}

Disclaimer

This API is in no way affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with Reddit. This is an independent and unofficial project. Use at your own risk.