# Hacker News Data API (https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/hackernews)

> Hacker News API: 4 endpoints for story search, single stories, full threaded comment trees, and user profiles. Every call costs 1 credit; 100 free credits on signup, no card. One x-api-key and the same JSON envelope you already use for Reddit, GitHub, and X — no separate Algolia or Firebase integration to wire up.

TL;DR: SocialCrawl's Hacker News API exposes 4 endpoints, 1 credit per call, all returning one unified JSON schema with AI-enriched fields. Single x-api-key auth, 100 free credits on signup.

## Endpoints

| Endpoint | Method | Path | Credits | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Search | GET | `/v1/hackernews/search` | 1 | Search Hacker News |
| Story | GET | `/v1/hackernews/story` | 1 | Get a Hacker News story |
| Story Comments | GET | `/v1/hackernews/story/comments` | 1 | Get comments on a Hacker News story |
| Profile | GET | `/v1/hackernews/profile` | 1 | Get a Hacker News user profile |

## Code example

```bash
curl "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/hackernews/search?query=claude%20code" \
  -H "x-api-key: sc_YOUR_API_KEY"
```

Every response shares one JSON envelope: `{ success, platform, endpoint, data, credits_used, credits_remaining }`.

## SocialCrawl vs Official HN Firebase API + Algolia

| Feature | SocialCrawl | Official HN Firebase API + Algolia |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Authentication | One x-api-key shared across 44 platforms | No key needed, but two separate APIs to learn |
| Setup | One GET request in the same envelope as your other sources | Firebase for items, Algolia for search — two clients, two response shapes |
| Rate limits | Handled upstream as part of the service | Generous but unspecified; you build your own backoff |
| Response schema | Unified data.items shape shared with Reddit, GitHub, and X | Firebase returns raw items one ID at a time; Algolia uses its own hit format |
| Pricing | 1 credit per call; 100 free credits, no card | Free |
| Data coverage | Search, story, full threaded comment tree, and profile in four calls | Full item coverage, but comment trees mean one request per comment ID |

## FAQ

### What is the Hacker News API on SocialCrawl?

SocialCrawl wraps the Algolia-powered Hacker News Search API behind 4 endpoints — search, story, story comments, and profile — under one x-api-key. You call HN alongside Reddit, GitHub, X, and 43 other sources with one schema, no separate Algolia endpoint wrangling.

### What Hacker News endpoints does SocialCrawl offer?

4 endpoints: Search, Story, Story Comments, and Profile.

### Is the Hacker News API free, and do I need an Algolia key?

Hacker News data is public and free at the source, so SocialCrawl is not selling locked data — and no, you do not need an Algolia account or key. The value is one key plus one unified schema across 44 sources, so HN fits the same pipeline as every other platform.

### How much does the Hacker News API cost on SocialCrawl?

Every Hacker News endpoint costs 1 credit on the standard tier. New accounts get 100 free credits with no credit card required, which is enough to test all 4 endpoints and build a small ingestion run before you ever pay.

### Why use the SocialCrawl Hacker News API?

It is built for developers running tech-trend monitoring, dev-sentiment tracking, and Show HN or launch tracking who already pull Reddit, GitHub, or X through SocialCrawl. One key and one schema keep HN in the same pipeline instead of a separate Algolia integration.

### What does each Hacker News response include?

Stories return title, URL, points, author, comment count, and item ID. Comments return body, author, parent, and the threaded reply tree. Profiles return karma, created date, and about text. All four normalize into the SocialCrawl data.items schema.

### What is the best Hacker News scraper API?

For most pipelines, SocialCrawl is the practical pick: 4 endpoints covering search, stories, full comment trees, and profiles at 1 credit per call, with 100 free credits to start. The official Firebase API is free but item-by-item, so a 300-comment thread takes 300 requests — SocialCrawl returns the whole tree in one.

### Is there a Hacker News data API?

Yes, and it is free at the source: Hacker News runs an official Firebase API and Algolia powers HN search, both without a key. SocialCrawl does not gate that data; it wraps both into 4 endpoints under one x-api-key so search, stories, full comment trees, and profiles land in the same schema as Reddit, GitHub, and X, with a 300-comment thread returned in one call instead of hundreds.

## Pricing

- Standard endpoints: 1 credit per call
- Advanced endpoints: 5 credits per call
- Premium endpoints: 10 credits per call
- 100 free credits on signup, no credit card required. Cached responses cost 0 credits. Credit packs never expire.
- Full pricing: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/pricing

## Explore with AI

Questions this API answers, phrased for an AI assistant:

- What is the SocialCrawl Hacker News API?
- How to search Hacker News with an API without Algolia setup
- Compare SocialCrawl vs the Algolia Hacker News Search API