Lemmy Search API

POST

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Search Lemmy posts on one instance by keyword, with community, author, score, upvotes and downvotes, comment count, external link and NSFW, locked and featured flags. The search runs on the chosen instance, lemmy.world by default, and does not cover the whole fediverse.

Price $1.39 per 1,000 requests ($0.001389 per call). Failed calls and empty results are not charged. Synchronous. For slow jobs add "mode": "async" to the body, take the job_id and poll.

AI prompt

Paste this into your AI assistant. It already holds this endpoint's parameters, response fields and an example request, so the assistant can ask what you need and then write the scraper.

Please help me write a data collection script with the EveryInfra Lemmy Search endpoint (lemmy/search).

Endpoint contract:
- Request: POST https://api.everyinfra.com/api/v1/social with the header Authorization: Bearer <API key>. Read the key from the EVERYINFRA_API_KEY environment variable and never hard-code it.
- In the request body, set platform to lemmy and action to search, and put the parameters inside params.
- Required parameters:
  - keyword: Specifies the search term for the Lemmy search action, which executes on the designated instance rather than guaranteeing a complete search across all federated instances.
- Optional parameters:
  - instance: Selects the Lemmy instance domain, such as lemmy.world, which is also the default. A full instance URL is accepted but reduced to its hostname. This chooses the query entry point, not a community name.
  - sort: Sorts posts as hot, active, new, top, most_comments, or new_comments. Search and community default to hot, feed defaults to active, and comments defaults to most_comments. (allowed: active / hot / most_comments / new / new_comments / top)
  - top_range: Sets the score window only when sort is top: hour, sixhour, twelvehour, day, week (default), month, threemonths, sixmonths, ninemonths, year, or all. It is not a comment publication-date filter. (allowed: all / day / hour / month / ninemonths / sixhour / sixmonths / threemonths)
  - limit: The most rows to return in this call, an integer from 1 to 200. The default applies when you leave it out, and a call can return fewer rows. Larger values return 422 before any charge. (default: 20)
- Returns a list of records. Main fields of each record: id, title, body, url, external_url, community, community_url, instance, author_username, author_url, score, upvote_count; 21 fields in total, full list at https://api.everyinfra.com/api/v1/social/catalog?platform=lemmy.
- Example request body:
{
  "platform": "lemmy",
  "action": "search",
  "params": {
    "keyword": "self hosting"
  }
}
- Price: $1.39 per 1,000 requests; failed and empty results are not charged.
- For dozens or hundreds of targets, add "mode": "async" to the body: you get a job_id at once and poll GET https://api.everyinfra.com/api/v1/jobs/{job_id} for the result.
- On 422, fix the request using the suggested parameter names and allowed values in the error; on 429 or 503, wait for Retry-After and try again.

Before writing code, ask me which targets I need, how many, which fields, and what output format I want; then confirm the plan and the rough cost with me.

Request parameters

Name	In	Type	Required	Default	Description
`Authorization`	header	`string`	Yes	-	Bearer followed by your API key. Create it in the console; never put it in a URL or a code repository.
`platform`	body	`string`	Yes	`lemmy`	Platform identifier, fixed value.
`action`	body	`string`	Yes	`search`	Capability identifier, fixed value.
`keyword`	body.params	Not declared	Yes	-	Specifies the search term for the Lemmy search action, which executes on the designated instance rather than guaranteeing a complete search across all federated instances.
`instance`	body.params	Not declared	No	-	Selects the Lemmy instance domain, such as lemmy.world, which is also the default. A full instance URL is accepted but reduced to its hostname. This chooses the query entry point, not a community name.
`sort`	body.params	`enum`	No	-	Sorts posts as hot, active, new, top, most_comments, or new_comments. Search and community default to hot, feed defaults to active, and comments defaults to most_comments.Allowed values`activehotmost_commentsnewnew_commentstop`
`top_range`	body.params	`enum`	No	-	Sets the score window only when sort is top: hour, sixhour, twelvehour, day, week (default), month, threemonths, sixmonths, ninemonths, year, or all. It is not a comment publication-date filter.Allowed values`alldayhourmonthninemonthssixhoursixmonthsthreemonthstwelvehourweekyear`
`limit`	body.params	`integer (1–200)`	No	`20`	The most rows to return in this call, an integer from 1 to 200. The default applies when you leave it out, and a call can return fewer rows. Larger values return 422 before any charge.

Code samples

bash

curl -X POST 'https://api.everyinfra.com/api/v1/social' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $EVERYINFRA_API_KEY" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data-raw '{
  "platform": "lemmy",
  "action": "search",
  "params": {
    "keyword": "self hosting"
  }
}'

[OpenAPI definition (JSON)]Samples read the key from the EVERYINFRA_API_KEY environment variable; copied code never contains your key.

Response example

Real response

Captured September 26, 2026 at 08:56 (UTC) by calling this API with the parameters in the code sample above. results and count are that call's real response with personal information (names, handles, avatars, profile links, contact details) removed; the list keeps the first 2. id, billing and quota differ on every call, so only their shape is shown.

json

{
  "id": "req_…",
  "platform": "lemmy",
  "action": "search",
  "results": [
    {
      "id": "81293",
      "title": "'Every Taxpayer... Should Be Outraged': Anger Spreads Over 'Illegal' US-Funded Pro-Trump Ad",
      "body": "![](https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/a-screenshot-of-trump-s-love-me-ad-shows-him-standing-before-hundreds-of-troops-in-a-red-maga-hat.png?id=67857926&width=1200&height=400&coordinates=0%2C148%2C0%2C235)  \n  \n\nOutrage mounted Friday over a taxpayer-funded television adv…",
      "url": "https://news.abolish.capital/post/81293",
      "external_url": "https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-taxpayer-funded-propaganda",
      "community": "pravda_news",
      "community_url": "https://news.abolish.capital/c/pravda_news",
      "instance": "lemmy.world",
      "author_username": "（已隐去）",
      "author_url": "https://news.abolish.capital/（已隐去）",
      "score": 23,
      "upvote_count": 23,
      "downvote_count": 0,
      "comment_count": 0,
      "thumbnail_url": "https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/5f73fc38-2c80-456a-984b-ea8f0f1c03a5.png",
      "embed_title": "'Every Taxpayer... Should Be Outraged': Anger Spreads Over 'Illegal' US-Funded Pro-Trump Ad | Common Dreams",
      "is_nsfw": false,
      "is_locked": false,
      "is_featured": false,
      "posted_at": "2026-09-25T19:21:32.337190+00:00",
      "platform": "lemmy"
    },
    {
      "id": "45972083",
      "title": "Thoughts on Vikunja and the tension between self-hosting, ownership, and corporate branding",
      "body": "cross-posted from:  https://discuss.online/post/45939555\n\n> See [my post on their forum](https://community.vikunja.io/t/the-tension-between-self-hosting-ownership-and-corporate-branding/5110/1), which I hope is well received.",
      "url": "https://discuss.online/post/45972083",
      "external_url": "https://community.vikunja.io/t/the-tension-between-self-hosting-ownership-and-corporate-branding/5110/1",
      "community": "selfhosted",
      "community_url": "https://lemmy.world/c/selfhosted",
      "instance": "lemmy.world",
      "author_username": "（已隐去）",
      "author_url": "https://discuss.online/（已隐去）",
      "score": 9,
      "upvote_count": 12,
      "downvote_count": 3,
      "comment_count": 3,
      "thumbnail_url": "https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/3c6d53ab-8c3b-4818-8d02-4f7b70943fed.png",
      "embed_title": "The Tension Between Self-Hosting, Ownership, and Corporate Branding",
      "is_nsfw": false,
      "is_locked": false,
      "is_featured": false,
      "posted_at": "2026-09-25T17:05:38.204140+00:00",
      "platform": "lemmy"
    }
  ],
  "count": 20,
  "billing": {
    "charged": …,
    "charged_usd": …,
    "balance_after_usd": …,
    …
  },
  "quota": { … }
}

Response fields

Business data is in results. The table lists the fields a record can contain; values the platform does not show are never made up.

Field	Meaning
`id`	The record's unique ID on the platform. Unique only within one platform; IDs can repeat across platforms.
`title`	Title. null when the platform has no titles (for example text-only posts).
`body`	Keeps the platform's own meaning
`url`	Link to the record on the platform.
`external_url`	Keeps the platform's own meaning
`community`	Keeps the platform's own meaning
`community_url`	Keeps the platform's own meaning
`instance`	Keeps the platform's own meaning
`author_username`	Author's username (@handle), usually usable in URLs.
`author_url`	Link to the author's profile on the platform.
`score`	Keeps the platform's own meaning
`upvote_count`	Keeps the platform's own meaning
`downvote_count`	Keeps the platform's own meaning
`comment_count`	Comments. null means not disclosed, not 0.
`thumbnail_url`	Thumbnail link, lower resolution than image_url.
`embed_title`	Keeps the platform's own meaning
`is_nsfw`	Keeps the platform's own meaning
`is_locked`	Keeps the platform's own meaning
`is_featured`	Keeps the platform's own meaning
`posted_at`	Publish time in ISO 8601, UTC (for example 2026-08-07T12:34:56+00:00). Non-standard strings from the platform are passed through as is, so parse defensively. null means the platform does not disclose it.
`updated_at`	Keeps the platform's own meaning
`platform`	Source platform identifier, the same as platform in the request (for example xiaohongshu, tiktok).

Errors and billing

401: Missing or invalid key. Authentication runs before parameter checks, so unauthenticated requests never see the parameter schema.
422: Wrong parameter name or value. The error lists the parameters and allowed values this capability accepts and the closest match; it happens before any charge.
402: Insufficient balance. Top up first.
429: The account's per-minute request limit was reached (all of its API keys count together; a key's own lower limit applies first). Wait for Retry-After and try again; a rate package in the console raises the limit.
503: Could not complete right now. Any charge for the call goes back to your balance automatically, and the billing receipt in the response states the actual outcome, including when it is not yet known. Do not resend blindly.
200 empty: The request completed without data and is not charged (billing.reason = empty_result_refunded).

Official references

Used only to check objects and terms. They do not imply authorization or endorsement of EveryInfra by the platform.

Lemmy: Instance Visibility Does Not Equal the Entire Fediverse ↗
Official onboarding guides explain that instances are managed by distinct operators; standard browsing displays only communities known to the local instance, while cross-instance objects must be resolved separately. This context explains instance perspectives and post objects, without mirroring full web search functionality into gateway parameters.
Checked 2026-09-04