Use Reddit Multi-Mode Scraper for Posts, Comments & Profiles with Python

Pick one of five modes to pull subreddit posts, full comment threads, user profiles, keyword search results or curated community listings from Reddit, each with deep post/comment filters. No account or API key needed.

1. Choose the data you need

Review the published README for supported collection modes, examples, and limits. The recipe below uses the current published input definition.

2. Prepare a source-based input

This JSON contains published prefills and required-field defaults. Review every value for your task before running it; it is not a promise of successful collection.

{
  "authors": [],
  "commentSort": "confidence",
  "excludeArchived": false,
  "excludeAuthors": [],
  "excludeCrossposts": false,
  "excludeDeletedAuthor": false,
  "excludeKeywords": [],
  "excludeLocked": false,
  "excludeRemoved": false,
  "excludeSpoilers": false,
  "excludeStickied": false,
  "failOnEmpty": false,
  "includeComments": false,
  "includeNSFW": false,
  "includePost": true,
  "includeProfileInfo": true,
  "includeSubredditInfo": false,
  "includeSubredditRules": false,
  "maxComments": 5,
  "maxCommunities": 0,
  "maxDepth": 6,
  "maxItems": 2,
  "maxPosts": 2,
  "maxProxyBytesMb": 50,
  "maxUsers": 0,
  "mode": "subreddit",
  "onlyNew": false,
  "onlyOriginalContent": false,
  "onlyWithFlair": false,
  "postUrls": [],
  "proxyMode": "none",
  "restrictSubreddits": [],
  "searchComments": false,
  "searchCommunities": false,
  "searchPosts": true,
  "searchQuery": "",
  "searchUsers": false,
  "sections": [
    "posts"
  ],
  "sort": "hot",
  "source": "archive",
  "stateKey": "reddit-mcp-state",
  "subreddits": [
    "programming"
  ],
  "timeFilter": "day",
  "usernames": []
}

Download input.example.json and save your reviewed copy as input.json.

Field	Type	Required	Description
`mode`	string	required	What to scrape: a subreddit listing, post URLs with comments, a user profile, or keyword search.
`source`	string	optional	auto uses live Reddit first and the Arctic Shift archive for depth/bulk or as a fallback. archive is faster and cheaper but lags live Reddit by several hours; live never uses archive data.
`subreddits`	array	optional	Subreddits to scrape (mode=subreddit). Accepts names, r/ names or URLs.
`postUrls`	array	optional	Post URLs, comment URLs, share links or bare post IDs (mode=post).
`usernames`	array	optional	Reddit usernames to scrape (mode=profile). Accepts names, u/ names or profile URLs.
`searchQuery`	string	optional	Keyword or phrase to search for (mode=search). Reddit search syntax such as "exact phrase", author:name, subreddit:name and -exclude is supported by live search.
`maxItems`	integer	optional	Hard cap on all records pushed by the run, across every target.
`maxPosts`	integer	optional	Posts per subreddit, keyword or profile section.
`maxComments`	integer	optional	Comments per post, keyword, or profile comment section. 0 disables comment records.
`maxDepth`	integer	optional	Deepest reply level to emit (0 = top-level comments only).
`includeComments`	boolean	optional	Emit comment records for each post. Disable to fetch only the parent post.
`includePost`	boolean	optional	Emit the post record before its comments.
`sort`	string	optional	Post/listing sort. Search accepts relevance, hot, top, new or comments; other modes use hot, new, top, rising, controversial or best.
`timeFilter`	string	optional	Time window for top/controversial sorts and search.
`commentSort`	string	optional	Comment ordering for mode=post.
`includeNSFW`	boolean	optional	Include over-18 posts and communities.
`includeSubredditInfo`	boolean	optional	Emit one community record per subreddit before its posts.
`includeSubredditRules`	boolean	optional	Attach posting rules to the community record. Requires includeSubredditInfo.
`includeProfileInfo`	boolean	optional	Emit a profile record with karma, counts and account metadata.
`sections`	array	optional	Which history sections to fetch (mode=profile). Allowed values: overview, posts, comments.
`searchPosts`	boolean	optional	Include post results in keyword search.
`searchComments`	boolean	optional	Include comment results in keyword search when Reddit's comment tab returns them.
`searchCommunities`	boolean	optional	Include subreddit matches in keyword search.
`searchUsers`	boolean	optional	Include matching Reddit accounts in keyword search.
`withinCommunity`	string	optional	Limit post/comment search to a single subreddit (name, r/name or URL). Required for archive keyword search.
`maxCommunities`	integer	optional	Maximum subreddit matches per search query.
`maxUsers`	integer	optional	Maximum account matches per search query.
`onlyNew`	boolean	optional	Emit only records newer than the watermark saved under stateKey by a previous run.
`stateKey`	string	optional	Key-value store key prefix used by onlyNew watermarks.
`failOnEmpty`	boolean	optional	Mark the run FAILED with a clear status message instead of finishing silently with 0 records.
`maxProxyBytesMb`	integer	optional	Safety ceiling for paid proxy traffic. The run stops when the ceiling is reached. Images, media and fonts are never downloaded.
`proxyMode`	string	optional	Direct (no proxy) is the default. Choose datacenter if Reddit blocks your runs. Residential is an explicit last resort and is capped by maxProxyBytesMb.
`minScore`	integer	optional	Drop posts/comments below this score.
`maxScore`	integer	optional	Drop posts/comments above this score.
`minPostComments`	integer	optional	Drop posts with fewer comments than this.
`maxPostComments`	integer	optional	Drop posts with more comments than this.
`minUpvoteRatio`	number	optional	Drop posts below this upvote ratio (0-1).
`postType`	string	optional	Keep only posts of this type.
`titleContains`	string	optional	Keep only posts whose title contains this text.
`contentContains`	string	optional	Keep only posts whose body/self-text contains this text.
`flairContains`	string	optional	Keep only posts whose link flair contains this text.
`authorFlairContains`	string	optional	Keep only posts whose author flair contains this text.
`domain`	string	optional	Keep only posts whose link domain contains this text.
`authors`	array	optional	Keep posts by these usernames.
`excludeAuthors`	array	optional	Drop posts by these usernames.
`excludeKeywords`	array	optional	Drop posts whose title, body or flair contains any of these terms.
`excludeStickied`	boolean	optional	Exclude pinned/stickied posts from results.
`excludeRemoved`	boolean	optional	Exclude posts or comments removed by moderators.
`excludeCrossposts`	boolean	optional	Exclude crossposts.
`excludeSpoilers`	boolean	optional	Exclude posts marked as spoilers.
`excludeLocked`	boolean	optional	Exclude locked posts and comments.
`excludeDeletedAuthor`	boolean	optional	Exclude records whose author account was deleted.
`excludeArchived`	boolean	optional	Exclude archived posts that no longer accept votes or comments.
`onlyWithFlair`	boolean	optional	Drop posts without a link flair.
`onlyOriginalContent`	boolean	optional	Keep only posts tagged as OC.
`minAwards`	integer	optional	Keep only posts with at least this many awards.
`minContentLength`	integer	optional	Keep only posts whose body is at least this many characters.
`maxContentLength`	integer	optional	Keep only posts whose body is at most this many characters.
`postedAfter`	string	optional	UTC date lower bound (YYYY-MM-DD).
`postedBefore`	string	optional	UTC date upper bound (YYYY-MM-DD), inclusive.
`restrictSubreddits`	array	optional	Only keep profile posts/comments made in these subreddits.
`keyword`	string	optional	Only keep profile posts/comments whose title, body or text contains this phrase.
`minCommunitySubscribers`	integer	optional	Community search only: drop smaller subreddits.
`maxCommunitySubscribers`	integer	optional	Community search only: drop larger subreddits.
`minUserKarma`	integer	optional	User search only: drop accounts with less total karma.
`maxUserKarma`	integer	optional	User search only: drop accounts with more total karma.
`distinguished`	string	optional	Keep only moderator/admin/special posts, or only regular posts.

3. Start an Actor run

Set APIFY_TOKEN in your environment. Python 3.10 or newer is sufficient; this recipe uses no third-party packages.

Execution may incur charges. Review current pricing on Apify. The request asks for a 120-second timeout and a charge limit; these settings are subject to Apify’s pricing and do not guarantee an all-inclusive spending cap.

import json
import os
import urllib.request

# Save the schema-derived example as input.json; review and edit it first.
with open("input.json", encoding="utf-8") as stream:
    actor_input = json.load(stream)

token = os.environ["APIFY_TOKEN"]
request = urllib.request.Request(
    "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/TvCs8gaYvL352HNwD/runs?timeout=120&maxTotalChargeUsd=0.50",
    data=json.dumps(actor_input).encode("utf-8"),
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer " + token, "Content-Type": "application/json"},
    method="POST",
)
# This starts a potentially billable run. Do not automatically retry this POST.
with urllib.request.urlopen(request, timeout=40) as response:
    run = json.load(response)["data"]
print("Run ID:", run["id"])
print("Status:", run["status"])
# Inspect and download results in Apify Console once the run succeeds.

4. Inspect the actual results

Open the run in Apify Console and wait for a successful completion. Use the published output schema to locate results and the dataset schema to understand declared views. Missing or optional record fields must not be treated as guaranteed values.

Reddit posts, comments, profiles and community records with engagement metrics, derived activity and per-record source provenance.

Questions before you run

Which inputs are required?

The published required fields are mode

What does this guide verify?

The fields, prefills, and schema links are rendered from the published build. This is a usage recipe, not a paid live extraction test. Source availability and collection results can vary.

What if the run request times out?

Check Apify Console before retrying. The first request may already have created a run. Do not automatically repeat a run-creation POST.

Open on Apify Full Actor reference

Generated from source build ilFk20SGtzrsuw9Db and its README and schemas. Source changes regenerate this guide; no third-party editorial claims are inferred.