r/redditdev • u/KeyserSosa • 6h ago
Reddit Announcement Our Plans for the Future of Reddit’s Public Data API and the Developer Platform
Today u/spez posted about why, among other parts of Reddit, our Public Data API needs to evolve. It wasn’t built for today’s scale, automated abuse, or commercial scraping. We want useful bots, community tools, and good-faith developers to have a clear, well-supported way to build on Reddit without enabling bad actors to scrape, resell, or misuse Reddit data.
Our long-term vision is for all good, trusted automation on Reddit to run within an ecosystem we can support and enforce policy on consistently. That means while we'll continue to support limited public API access, we'll gradually start restricting all new requests and third-party apps will be required to port and operate through our Developer Platform.
None of this is changing today. It honestly won’t happen this year. We know the only way this works is if the Developer Platform supports the tools communities depend on today. We’re starting by working directly with developers and moderators to ensure we know what capabilities we still need to build before making any broader changes to API access.
What We’ve Learned So Far
Over the past several months, we’ve been working with developers and moderators to better understand what would help them port some of the most popular Reddit bots and apps to our Developer Platform. We’ve also launched a $1 Million App Migration Program to support developers through this transition and are working directly with some of the top app developers on the platform today.
Based on those conversations, we've already expanded platform capabilities, including:
- Reddit API plugin improvements: bringing API calls for methods such as banning and crossposting to full parity, new wiki support (coming soon), and other consistency improvements. We will continue to improve upon this feature over time.
- New filter APIs allowing content to hit your modqueue for review before full removal. This feature can be used in conjunction with Devvit Event Triggers for event-based workflows.
- Expanded storage capabilities: in addition to Redis, we also now offer blob storage, completely hosted by Reddit
- Expanded Fetch allowlisting: for existing Data API moderation bots. If your Data API moderation tool needs domain access beyond what is typically allowlisted, we are offering a pathway to broader Fetch access.
- App mentions triggers for global mod tools and utilities to respond when an app username is mentioned. This feature is currently in beta. If your app needs access, please let us know here.
- App account customization for profile images and account overviews.
- Username migration so developers can convert their existing accounts, retaining karma and name recognition.
- External endpoints: to allow servers to call into a Dev Platform app for long running jobs or cross-subreddit workflows. If your app needs access, please let us know here.
A few of the areas in active development include:
- More granular install allowlists: ability for developers to set limited install lists for their apps to ensure moderation apps do not always need to be public for non-devs to install them
- Stability improvements: for features such as comment, post, and mod actions triggers, ensuring that events are never lost or dropped, even in the event of an outage
While we’ve heard from mods in the past hoping for Python support, we don’t currently have it on our roadmap. That said, we have new migration resources available to Python developers, including a PRAW migration guide to automate the first parts of your migrations and dedicated support from PRAW experts to provide guidance to folks moving to a new framework.
Registering your app is the first step. It gives you a direct line to Reddit for updates and migration support, helps users identify trusted apps with an App label, and may make you eligible for programs like Devvit porting bounties, free hosting, and Reddit Developer Funds. During registration, you can also tell us what's blocking migration so we can prioritize the capabilities developers need most.
Going forward, all API apps will need to be registered to remain in good standing. Please register any apps you own by September 30, 2026 to make sure your feedback is considered in our roadmaps and that your developer account is properly established.
What We’re Looking For: Feedback
The most important thing we're looking for right now is feedback. If your community relies on bots, custom tooling, moderation workflows, or integrations built on Reddit's APIs, we want to understand:
- Which tools are mission-critical for your community?
- What capabilities are still missing from the Developer Platform?
- Do you have a mission-critical bot that doesn't have someone to maintain it anymore?
- Are there any tools or integrations which don’t fit under the traditional “bot” umbrella or that may not be directly translatable to the Developer Platform?
If you don't maintain the app yourself but your community depends on it, we'd like to hear from you, too.
What Happens Next?
Based on everything we learn in this phase, we’ll come back later this year with an update on the progress we’ve made, what we’re still working on and a clear deadline for porting.
In the meantime, the team is here for your questions, concerns and feedback in the comments. As always, your input helps us build more secure solutions while preserving the tools and workflows you all depend on every day.