Using R

How to Scrape Reddit Post Comments with R

Get comments from a Reddit post using R. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the entire process, from setup to implementation.

Overview

What You'll Learn

Setting up your R environment
Installing the required HTTP client
Authenticating with SociaVault API
Making requests to Reddit
Handling responses and errors

What You'll Get

Access to post comments data
JSON formatted responses
Real-time data access
Scalable solution
Error handling patterns

Prerequisites

1. API Key

First, you'll need a SociaVault API key to authenticate your requests.

Get your free API key

2. Development Environment

Make sure you have the following installed:

R installed
A code editor (VS Code, Sublime, etc.)
Command line interface access

Implementation

Step 1: Install HTTP Client

We'll use httr to make HTTP requests.

bash

install.packages('httr')

Step 2: API Implementation

Now let's make a request to the Reddit API using R. Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual API key.

library(httr)

url <- "https://api.sociavault.com/reddit/post/comments?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2FAskReddit%2Fcomments%2F..."
response <- GET(url, add_headers("x-api-key" = "YOUR_API_KEY", "Content-Type" = "application/json"))

content(response, "text")

Testing Your Code

API Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
url	string	Yes	Example: `https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/...`

Expected Response

You should receive a structured JSON response containing the post comments data.

json

{
  "comments": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/ablzuq/people_who_havent_pooped_in_2019_yet_why_are_you/ed1czme/",
      "created_utc": 1546378524,
      "created_at_iso": "2019-01-01T21:35:24.000Z",
      "subreddit_id": "t5_2qh1i",
      "author_is_blocked": false,
      "author_flair_type": "text",
      "total_awards_received": 0,
      "subreddit": "AskReddit",
      "replies": {
        "items": [
          {
            "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/ablzuq/people_who_havent_pooped_in_2019_yet_why_are_you/ed1su6t/",
            "created_utc": 1546391589,
            "created_at_iso": "2019-01-02T01:13:09.000Z",
            "subreddit_id": "t5_2qh1i",
            "author_is_blocked": false,
            "author_flair_type": "text",
            "total_awards_received": 0,
            "subreddit": "AskReddit",
            "replies": {
              "items": [
                {
                  "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/ablzuq/people_who_havent_pooped_in_2019_yet_why_are_you/ed1ye8p/",
                  "created_utc": 1546396468,
                  "created_at_iso": "2019-01-02T02:34:28.000Z",
                  "total_awards_received": 0,
                  "author_is_blocked": false,
                  "ups": 780,
                  "link_id": "t3_ablzuq",
                  "replies": {
                    "items": [
                      {
                        "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/ablzuq/people_who_havent_pooped_in_2019_yet_why_are_you/ed2xsuk/",
                        "created_utc": 1546442379,
                        "created_at_iso": "2019-01-02T15:19:39.000Z",
                        "subreddit_id": "t5_2qh1i",
                        "author_is_blocked": false,
                        "author_flair_type": "text",
                        "total_awards_received": 0,
                        "subreddit": "AskReddit",
                        "replies": {
                          "more": {
                            "has_more": false
                          }
                        },
                        "saved": false,
                        "id": "ed2xsuk",
                        "gilded": 0,
                        "archived": true,
                        "no_follow": false,
                        "author": "minjabinja",
                        "can_mod_post": false,
                        "send_replies": true,
                        "parent_id": "t1_ed1ye8p",
                        "score": 332,
                        "author_fullname": "t2_nqzim",
                        "collapsed": false,
                        "body": "goals",
                        "edited": false,
                        "name": "t1_ed2xsuk",
                        "is_submitter": false,
                        "downs": 0,
                        "author_patreon_flair": false,
                        "body_html": "&lt;div class=\"md\"&gt;&lt;p&gt;goals&lt;/p&gt;\n&lt;/div&gt;",
                        "stickied": false,
                        "author_premium": false,
                        "can_gild": false,
                        "link_id": "t3_ablzuq",
                        "score_hidden": false,
                        "permalink": "/r/AskReddit/comments/ablzuq/people_who_havent_pooped_in_2019_yet_why_are_you/ed2xsuk/",
                        "subreddit_type": "public",
                        "locked": false,
                        "created": 1546442379,
                        "subreddit_name_prefixed": "r/AskReddit",
                        "controversiality": 0,
                        "depth": 3,
                        "ups": 332
                      }
                    ],
                    "more": {
                      "has_more": true,
                      "cursor": "eduy6f3,ejxami8,eegd7xa,ef29a32,ehq4puw,eqb5cnr,edhhwh5,ei3p2wr,ej851tk,el4yhl2,epc5qyk"
                    }
                  },
                  "saved": false,
                  "id": "ed1ye8p",
                  "gilded": 0,
                  "archived": true,
                  "no_follow": false,
                  "author": "[deleted]",
                  "can_mod_post": false,
                  "send_replies": true,
                  "parent_id": "t1_ed1su6t",
                  "score": 780,
                  "subreddit_id": "t5_2qh1i",
                  "body": "I made my biggest poop of last year right in between Christmas and New year's- first time I could say that I filled the bowl to the waterline",
                  "edited": false,
                  "downs": 0,
                  "is_submitter": false,
                  "body_html": "&lt;div class=\"md\"&gt;&lt;p&gt;I made my biggest poop of last year right in between Christmas and New year&amp;#39;s- first time I could say that I filled the bowl to the waterline&lt;/p&gt;\n&lt;/div&gt;",
                  "stickied": false,
                  "subreddit_type": "public",
                  "can_gild": false,
                  "author_flair_text_color": "dark",
                  "score_hidden": false,
                  "permalink": "/r/AskReddit/comments/ablzuq/people_who_havent_pooped_in_2019_yet_why_are_you/ed1ye8p/",
                  "locked": false,
                  "name": "t1_ed1ye8p",
                  "created": 1546396468,
                  "subreddit": "AskReddit",
                  "collapsed": false,
                  "subreddit_name_prefixed": "r/AskReddit",
                  "controversiality": 0,
                  "depth": 2,
                  "author_flair_background_color": ""
                }
              ],
              "more": {
                "has_more": true,
                "cursor": "egos1bd,ef1lv5d,el1tr5b"
              }
            },
            "saved": false,
            "id": "ed1su6t",
            "gilded": 0,
            "archived": true,
            "no_follow": false,
            "author": "jofwu",
            "can_mod_post": false,
            "send_replies": true,
            "parent_id": "t1_ed1czme",
            "score": 2415,
            "author_fullname": "t2_6ckuh",
            "body": "Somewhere out there, somebody has made the biggest poop of the year. And they don't even know it. ",
            "edited": false,
            "name": "t1_ed1su6t",
            "is_submitter": false,
            "downs": 0,
            "author_patreon_flair": false,
            "body_html": "&lt;div class=\"md\"&gt;&lt;p&gt;Somewhere out there, somebody has made the biggest poop of the year. And they don&amp;#39;t even know it. &lt;/p&gt;\n&lt;/div&gt;",
            "stickied": false,
            "author_premium": false,
            "can_gild": false,
            "link_id": "t3_ablzuq",
            "score_hidden": false,
            "permalink": "/r/AskReddit/comments/ablzuq/people_who_havent_pooped_in_2019_yet_why_are_you/ed1su6t/",
            "subreddit_type": "public",
            "locked": false,
            "created": 1546391589,
            "collapsed": false,
            "subreddit_name_prefixed": "r/AskReddit",
            "controversiality": 0,
            "depth": 1,
            "ups": 2415
          }
        ],
        "more": {
          "has_more": true,
          "cursor": "ed1lvsa,ed3fnpq,ed25l2w,ed2bzid,ed2do8g,eda7sqp,es4scjk,edjv4rx,efp5ww0,eh8q0ke,em7lhme,epkr3k2,epu6jcz,er6c3si,errghbq,ef687ye"
        }
      },
      "saved": false,
      "id": "ed1czme",
      "gilded": 2,
      "archived": true,
      "no_follow": false,
      "author": "sweatybeard",
      "can_mod_post": false,
      "send_replies": true,
      "parent_id": "t3_ablzuq",
      "score": 12211,
      "author_fullname": "t2_cep2k",
      "collapsed": false,
      "body": "But when I finally do, it'll be the years biggest shit ^^^^^so ^^^^^far",
      "edited": false,
      "name": "t1_ed1czme",
      "is_submitter": false,
      "downs": 0,
      "author_patreon_flair": false,
      "body_html": "&lt;div class=\"md\"&gt;&lt;p&gt;But when I finally do, it&amp;#39;ll be the years biggest shit &lt;sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;so&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/sup&gt; &lt;sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;&lt;sup&gt;far&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/p&gt;\n&lt;/div&gt;",
      "stickied": false,
      "author_premium": false,
      "can_gild": false,
      "score_hidden": false,
      "permalink": "/r/AskReddit/comments/ablzuq/people_who_havent_pooped_in_2019_yet_why_are_you/ed1czme/",
      "subreddit_type": "public",
      "locked": false,
      "created": 1546378524,
      "link_id": "t3_ablzuq",
      "subreddit_name_prefixed": "r/AskReddit",
      "controversiality": 0,
      "depth": 0,
      "ups": 12211
    }
  ],
  "post": {
    "subreddit": "AskReddit",
    "selftext": "",
    "saved": false,
    "gilded": 13,
    "clicked": false,
    "title": "People who haven't pooped in 2019 yet, why are you still holding on to last years shit?",
    "subreddit_name_prefixed": "r/AskReddit",
    "hidden": false,
    "pwls": 6,
    "downs": 0,
    "hide_score": false,
    "name": "t3_ablzuq",
    "quarantine": false,
    "link_flair_text_color": "dark",
    "upvote_ratio": 0.91,
    "subreddit_type": "public",
    "ups": 221995,
    "total_awards_received": 0,
    "is_original_content": false,
    "author_fullname": "t2_2uhed5z4",
    "is_reddit_media_domain": false,
    "is_meta": false,
    "can_mod_post": false,
    "score": 221995,
    "is_created_from_ads_ui": false,
    "author_premium": false,
    "thumbnail": "",
    "edited": 1546379983,
    "is_self": true,
    "created": 1546376787,
    "link_flair_type": "text",
    "wls": 6,
    "author_flair_type": "text",
    "domain": "self.AskReddit",
    "allow_live_comments": true,
    "archived": true,
    "no_follow": false,
    "is_crosspostable": false,
    "pinned": false,
    "over_18": false,
    "media_only": false,
    "can_gild": false,
    "spoiler": false,
    "locked": false,
    "visited": false,
    "subreddit_id": "t5_2qh1i",
    "author_is_blocked": false,
    "link_flair_background_color": "",
    "id": "ablzuq",
    "is_robot_indexable": true,
    "num_duplicates": 33,
    "author": "ShoddySubstance",
    "num_comments": 7925,
    "send_replies": true,
    "contest_mode": false,
    "author_patreon_flair": false,
    "permalink": "/r/AskReddit/comments/ablzuq/people_who_havent_pooped_in_2019_yet_why_are_you/",
    "stickied": false,
    "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/ablzuq/people_who_havent_pooped_in_2019_yet_why_are_you/",
    "subreddit_subscribers": 54408093,
    "created_utc": 1546376787,
    "num_crossposts": 73,
    "is_video": false
  },
  "more": {
    "has_more": true,
    "cursor": "ed1jhoi,ed1f3kw,ed1qgjh,ed1e4vd,ed1benx"
  }
}

Best Practices

Error Handling

Implement comprehensive error handling and retry logic for failed requests. Log errors properly for debugging.

Caching

Cache responses when possible to reduce API calls and improve performance. Consider data freshness requirements.

Security

Never expose your API key in client-side code. Use environment variables and secure key management practices.

Troubleshooting

401

Unauthorized

Check your API key is correct and properly formatted in the x-api-key header.

402

Payment Required

You ran out of credits and need to buy more.

404

Not Found

The resource (user, video, etc.) might not exist or be private.

429

Too Many Requests

You have exceeded your rate limit. Slow down your requests.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to scrape Reddit?

SociaVault offers 50 free API calls to get started. After that, pricing starts at $10 for 5k requests with volume discounts available.

Is it legal to scrape Reddit data?

Scraping publicly available data is generally considered legal. We only collect public data that is accessible without logging in.

How fast can I scrape Reddit?

Our API handles the rate limiting for you. You can make requests as fast as your plan allows.

What data format does the API return?

All API responses are returned in JSON format, making it easy to integrate with any programming language or application.

Start Scraping Free View Documentation