Sign up for a key, then send a GET request to api.redditapis.com with an Authorization header set to Bearer YOUR_API_KEY. A listing read such as /api/reddit/posts with a subreddit and a limit returns JSON immediately. There is no OAuth handshake to complete first, so the first request you write is a working request.
Reddit API quickstart
Key in hand, header set, real Reddit JSON on screen. Four steps, no OAuth handshake, and nothing to wait for in between.
How do I make my first Reddit API call?
Sign up for a Redditapis key, then send a GET request to api.redditapis.com with an Authorization header set to Bearer YOUR_API_KEY. A listing read such as /api/reddit/posts with a subreddit and a limit returns JSON on the first try, because there is no OAuth handshake and no developer-app review to clear first. Reads cost $0.002 per call and every new account starts with $0.50 in free credits, so the first 250 calls are free.
Four steps
Nothing here is gated on approval, so the slowest part is deciding which subreddit to point at first.
1. Get a key
Sign up and the key is issued immediately. There is no developer-app form, no use-case review, and no waiting list. New accounts start with $0.50 in free credits and no card on file.
Create an account2. Send the header
Put the key in an Authorization header as a bearer token. That is the whole auth story. No client id and secret pair, no token exchange, no refresh rotation.
About API keys3. Call an endpoint
Start with a listing read. It costs $0.002 and returns up to 100 posts in one call, so you can see real data before you decide what to build.
See all endpoints4. Watch the balance
The account endpoint reports remaining credits and is free to call. Poll it in staging so a job never dies on an empty balance in production.
See the rate cardThe same call in three languages
Top five posts from r/webdev. Swap the subreddit, keep everything else. Each of these is one $0.002 read.
curl
curl "https://api.redditapis.com/api/reddit/posts?subreddit=webdev&sort=top&limit=5" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"Python
import requests
res = requests.get(
"https://api.redditapis.com/api/reddit/posts",
params={"subreddit": "webdev", "sort": "top", "limit": 5},
headers={"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"},
timeout=30,
)
res.raise_for_status()
for post in res.json()["posts"]:
print(post["upvotes"], post["title"])Node.js
const url = new URL("https://api.redditapis.com/api/reddit/posts");
url.searchParams.set("subreddit", "webdev");
url.searchParams.set("sort", "top");
url.searchParams.set("limit", "5");
const res = await fetch(url, {
headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.REDDITAPIS_KEY}` },
});
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`${res.status} ${await res.text()}`);
const { posts } = await res.json();
for (const p of posts) console.log(p.upvotes, p.title);Check your balance
# Check your remaining balance. This endpoint is free.
curl "https://api.redditapis.com/account/me" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"Longer walkthroughs live in the Python tutorial and the Node.js tutorial.
After the first call
Three things worth knowing before you put this in a job that runs unattended.
Rate limits are ours, not yours
Proxy rotation, retries, and backoff run on our side. You handle ordinary HTTP errors, not a shared quota budget.
Page with the cursor we return
Listings come back with an after value. Pass it straight back for the next page, and stop when it is null.
The same key drives MCP
The published redditapis-mcp server takes the same token, so an agent can use the read endpoints as tools with no extra setup.
The full reference for all 28 endpoints is on the documentation page, and if something behaves unexpectedly the community page lists where to ask.
Frequently asked questions
No. Redditapis handles the connection to Reddit on its side, so you never register a developer app, never request scopes, and never manage a refresh token. You hold one bearer token and send it on every call. That is the main practical difference from going through the official Data API.
A read is $0.002, and every new account starts with $0.50 in free credits, so roughly 250 reads happen before you spend anything. The unit is the call rather than the row, so a request that returns 100 posts costs the same $0.002 as one that returns three.
Start with a listing read on a subreddit you know, because you can eyeball whether the data is right. From there, search is the usual second stop for monitoring work, and the comment-tree endpoints are the usual second stop for analysis work.
Call GET /account/me with the same bearer token. It returns your account details and remaining balance, and it is one of two endpoints that never costs a credit. Polling it from a scheduled job is the simplest way to avoid a surprise stop.
Yes. The same key works through the published redditapis-mcp server, which exposes the read endpoints as Model Context Protocol tools for Claude, Cursor, and any other MCP client. You can also call the REST endpoints directly as function-calling tools.
Keep reading.
Continue exploring related pages.
Reddit API documentation
The complete 2026 reference: auth, all 28 endpoints, and code.
Get a Reddit API key
Instant bearer token, no waitlist and no enterprise contract.
Reddit Responsible Builder Policy
Why Reddit denies API applications, and the managed REST bypass.
Reddit API use cases
14 use cases from AI training to brand monitoring and DMs.
Reddit Search API
Search posts, comments, users, and communities over one REST endpoint.
Reddit MCP server
Wrap the REST API as MCP tools for Claude, Cursor, and any MCP client.
Reddit API for AI agents
Live Reddit context for tool calls, MCP servers, and RAG pipelines.
Redditapis pricing
Endpoint-level costs and quick monthly totals - reads from $0.002 / call.
Reddit API cost calculator
Estimate monthly spend using your request volume.
Reddit API guides and tutorials
Tutorials, walkthroughs, and API deep-dives for developers.
Reddit API alternatives
Evaluate alternatives by cost model, limits, and integration fit.
Official Reddit API vs Redditapis
Access, setup, rate limits, and pricing, side by side.
Affiliate program
Earn 20% lifetime commissions - capped at $5,000/yr.
Reddit Vote API tutorial
Upvote and downvote a post programmatically via the REST API.
Reddit Data API: REST, no PRAW
REST endpoints for Reddit data with no PRAW and no OAuth dance.
Reddit scraping benchmarks
Real throughput, error rates, and cost benchmarks for Reddit scraping.
Reddit API answers
Direct answers on cost, access, rate limits, endpoints, and auth.
How much the Reddit API costs
Per-call pricing from $0.002 a read, with $0.50 in free credits.
Reddit API in Python
One requests call with a bearer token, no PRAW and no OAuth flow.
Reddit shadowban checker
Check if a Reddit account is shadowbanned in seconds, free and no login.
Your key is one form away.
$0.50 in free credits, no card required. Sign up, copy the token, and paste one of the snippets above.