API guide

The Reddit API in 2026.Approval first. Public access ends in 2027.

Reddit's Data API runs on OAuth only, at 100 requests a minute per app, and its Responsible Builder Policy requires Reddit's approval before an app touches any data. Commercial use, subscription products included, needs a contract. And Reddit says it starts removing access for unregistered apps on January 12, 2027, with remaining public API access ending in March 2027.

Checked October 6, 2026. Breakreach is our product.

# 1. The subreddit's post flairs (scope: flair)curl https://oauth.reddit.com/r/roasting/api/link_flair_v2 \  -H "Authorization: bearer $TOKEN" \  -A "web:com.northbeam.poster:v1.0 (by /u/northbeam_coffee)" # 2. The text post, with the flair's id (scope: submit)curl -X POST https://oauth.reddit.com/api/submit \  -H "Authorization: bearer $TOKEN" \  -A "web:com.northbeam.poster:v1.0 (by /u/northbeam_coffee)" \  -d api_type=json -d kind=self -d sr=roasting \  -d "title=Inside our roastery: 11 minutes from green bean to Morning Light" \  -d "text=We roast twice a week, in small batches. Ask us anything." \  -d flair_id=$FLAIR_ID

1/2 GET /r/roasting/api/link_flair_v2Sending

Published · now

r/roasting · now

u/northbeam_coffee

Inside our roastery: 11 minutes from green bean to Morning Light

Discussion

We roast twice a week, in small batches. Ask us anything.

10Share

The Reddit API at a glanceWhat it takes before the first post.

Access: Reddit's approval first, under its Responsible Builder Policy, through a request form
Price: Free under the rate limit for approved, non-commercial use. Commercial use, subscription products included, needs a contract
Rate limit: 100 requests a minute per OAuth client id, averaged over 10 minutes
Authentication: OAuth only. Traffic without it, or with a generic User-Agent, is blocked or drastically limited
Access tokens: 1 hour. duration=permanent returns a refresh token
2027: Removals of unregistered apps start January 12, 2027; remaining public API access ends in March 2027
Posts: Titles up to 300 characters. Flair by id (36 characters) or text (64)
Scheduling: None: /api/submit posts at once

Checked on October 6, 2026, from Reddit's developer documentation and terms.

Our recommendation

To post to Reddit from your product, use Breakreach's API.We built it, so here's the case.

See the request

No Reddit app to request or get approved on your side: users authorize their account through Breakreach's app
Flair by name: if it doesn't match, the error lists the flairs the subreddit offers, so your code can fix the post
Scheduling Reddit's API doesn't have, markdown fixed up so lists and tables render, and the same request posts to 11 other networks

When to use Reddit's API directly. Breakreach posts text and link posts, with an image going out as a link, and doesn't read or answer comments. Reddit's 2027 changes apply to every app, Breakreach's included; for anything beyond posting, request access through Reddit's form or its Developer Platform.

How to get access to the Reddit APIFrom a developer account to your first real post.

1Check the Developer Platform firstReddit points developers to Devvit, its platform for apps that run on Reddit, and keeps the Data API request for what Devvit can't do.
2Request accessThrough Reddit's support form: what the app does, its benefit to Redditors, the subreddits, the account it runs as, and the data you need. Commercial developers pick the enterprise option.
3Register the OAuth appA web app (with a secret), an installed app or a script, under your Reddit account.
4Send users through OAuthreddit.com/api/v1/authorize with duration=permanent and the scopes, such as identity, submit and flair. Exchange the code at /api/v1/access_token with HTTP Basic auth.
5Register for 2027Reddit asks apps to register at developers.reddit.com/app-registration: the ones that haven't start losing access on January 12, 2027.

Reddit publishes no review time. Its Developer Terms let it require an app review at any time, including with automated review and third-party LLMs.

How to post with the Reddit APIThe requests in the demo above, one by one.

1Read the flairsGET /r/{subreddit}/api/link_flair_v2 (scope flair) lists the post flairs; /api/v1/{subreddit}/post_requirements says whether one is required.
2SubmitPOST /api/submit on oauth.reddit.com with api_type=json, kind (self or link), sr, title, text or url, and flair_id. Errors come back in json.errors, with HTTP 200.

Every request needs a descriptive User-Agent, platform:app id:version (by /u/username); generic ones are drastically limited. Images and video have no documented upload endpoint, so an image goes out as a link post. Markdown needs a blank line before a list or a table.

Common Reddit API errorsWhat they mean and how to fix them.

Error	What it means	Fix
`SUBMIT_VALIDATION_FLAIR_REQUIRED`	The subreddit requires a flair.	Read link_flair_v2 and send a flair_id.
`RATELIMIT`	"you are doing that too much": the account's own posting throttle.	Wait the time in the message.
`SUBREDDIT_NOTALLOWED`	The subreddit only takes approved users.	Post from an approved account, or elsewhere.
`NO_SELFS / NO_LINKS`	The subreddit takes only link posts, or only text posts.	Switch the kind.
`403 Forbidden`	No OAuth, a generic User-Agent, or an app Reddit hasn't approved.	Use OAuth and a descriptive User-Agent, and request access.
`401 Unauthorized`	The 1-hour token expired.	Refresh it with the permanent refresh token.

Reddit API limitsRate limits, text and media.

Requests100 a minute per OAuth client id, averaged over 10 minutes. X-Ratelimit-Used, -Remaining and -Reset say where you are.
PostingAccounts have their own throttle, the RATELIMIT error, often on new or low-karma accounts. The thresholds aren't published.
TextTitles up to 300 characters, and subreddits can set their own. A flair id is up to 36 characters, a flair text up to 64.
Content rulesNo automated posting of identical or substantially similar content across subreddits, and content deleted on Reddit must be deleted on your side too.

Is the Reddit API free?

For approved, non-commercial use under the rate limit, it's free. Reddit's Data API terms reserve the right to charge, and its help center says commercial use needs its permission and a contract, naming subscription services and free features sold as upsells. There's no public price list.

From 2027, Reddit says it will remove access for apps that haven't registered or engaged with its Developer Platform team, starting January 12, and end the remaining public API access in March 2027.

Through Breakreach, a Reddit account counts like any other connected account: the first 2 are free, then $5 a month each up to 20.

Ways to post to Reddit from code

	What you set up	Price	Posts to Reddit
Breakreach	An API key. Accounts connect through Breakreach's reviewed apps, or your users connect theirs on a hosted page	First 2 accounts free, then $5 a month per account (less from 21)	Yes, Text and links
Reddit's own API	A Reddit app, Reddit's approval, and a contract for commercial use	Free under 100 requests a minute; commercial by contract	Yes
Upload-Post	An API key	Free for 2 profiles and 10 uploads a month; Basic $24 a month for 5 profiles	Yes
Zernio	An API key	First 2 accounts free, then $6 per account up to 10, $3 up to 100, $1 after	Yes
Ayrshare	An API key	From $149 a month for 1 profile, no free plan	Yes
Outstand	An API key, plus your own Reddit developer app	$19 a month for 3,000 posts, then per post	Yes, With your own app

Checked on October 6, 2026, from Reddit's developer documentation and each company's pricing page. Breakreach is our product.

What the Reddit API can't do

Run without Reddit's approval
Post the same or near-identical content across subreddits automatically
Upload native images or videos through a documented endpoint
Edit a post's title: /api/editusertext only changes the body
Commercial use or AI training without Reddit's written approval

Post to Reddit with Breakreach's APIOne request, scheduled, with retries.

POST /v1/posts

curl https://api.breakreach.com/v1/posts \  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BREAKREACH_API_KEY" \  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \  -d '{    "content": "Inside our roastery: 11 minutes from green bean to Morning Light\nWe roast twice a week, in small batches. Ask us anything.",    "accountIds": ["6701a2f4c9e84b0012a3b4cd"],    "redditSubreddit": "roasting",    "redditFlairText": "Discussion",    "scheduledAt": "2026-10-07T09:00:00"  }'

What it posts on Reddit

Text postsThe first line is the title, up to 300 characters, the rest the body, in markdown. To a subreddit, or to your profile.
ImagesOne image, posted as a link to it.
FlairredditFlairText, by name. If it doesn't match, the error lists the subreddit's flairs.
StatsScore, comments and crossposts per post, and karma.

Not yet

Video and native image posts
Reading and answering comments

The full reference, webhooks and the price per connected account are on the developers page, and the OpenAPI spec is at api.breakreach.com/v1/openapi.json.

FAQ

Questions, answered.

Short answers about the Reddit API.

For approved, non-commercial use under 100 requests a minute, yes. Commercial use, which Reddit says includes subscription services, needs its permission and a contract, and there's no public price list.

Request access first, under Reddit's Responsible Builder Policy, through its support form; Reddit points developers to its Developer Platform before the Data API. Approved apps register an OAuth client id and secret.

Its public access, yes: Reddit says it starts removing access for apps that haven't registered on January 12, 2027, and that the remaining public API access ends in March 2027. Apps register at developers.reddit.com/app-registration.

100 queries a minute per OAuth client id, averaged over 10 minutes. Accounts also have their own posting throttle, which returns RATELIMIT.

Yes: /api/submit takes a flair_id, up to 36 characters, or a flair_text, up to 64. GET /r/{subreddit}/api/link_flair_v2 lists them.

Not through a documented endpoint: /api/submit lists image and video kinds, but Reddit documents no upload. Posting the image as a link works.

The first 2 connected accounts are free; from the third it's $5 a month per account up to 20, $3 up to 100, then $2. You pay per connected account, never per post or per request.