# Universal Search Forums API (https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/search/forums)

> Fans your topic across Reddit, Hacker News, and Korean forums, RRF-fuses + clusters the threads, and enriches hero threads with their top comments by default (East + West). Naver threads are labeled raw (no comment endpoint). Returns a fused `items[]`, raw per-source buckets, thread clusters, and a deterministic computed block (question_share, top_communities). Flat 10cr with coverage-based partial refund.

TL;DR: `GET /v1/search/forums` costs 10 credits per call and returns SocialCrawl's unified JSON schema. Single x-api-key auth, 100 free credits on signup.

## Parameters

| Parameter | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `query` | yes | Search query (2–256 chars), forwarded to every forum search. |
| `sources` | no | Optional CSV allowlist of forum sources (reddit, hackernews, naver_kin, naver_cafe). Mutually exclusive with exclude. |
| `exclude` | no | Optional CSV blocklist of forum sources. Mutually exclusive with sources. |
| `comments` | no | Comment enrichment toggle (on\|off, default on). 'off' returns thread-only. |
| `timeframe` | no | Recency window passed to Reddit; HN filtered client-side (all\|day\|week\|month\|year, default all). |
| `lookback_days` | no | Alt recency window in days (1–365); HN filtered client-side. |

## Code example

```bash
curl "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/search/forums?query=airpods%20pro%203%20battery" \
  -H "x-api-key: sc_YOUR_API_KEY"
```

## FAQ

### What is the SocialCrawl forum search API?

GET /v1/search/forums takes one query and searches Reddit, Hacker News, and Naver forums (지식iN and 카페) in parallel, then fuses the matches into one ranked thread list. Hero threads come back with their top comments inline, so you read the discussion, not just the title.

### Which forums does it search?

Reddit, Hacker News, and Naver's 지식iN and 카페 by default. The optional sources parameter narrows the fan-out and exclude drops a source, so you can scope a search to just the communities you care about.

### How much does a forum search cost?

Each call is 10 credits and runs several forum sources in parallel. New accounts get 100 free credits with no credit card, and if the fused search returns nothing, the credits are refunded automatically.

### Can I control the time window and comments?

Yes. timeframe and lookback_days scope how far back threads are pulled, and comments toggles the inline top-comment expansion on hero threads. Turn comments off for a lighter, faster thread list.

### How is this different from calling each forum separately?

You send one query instead of maintaining a Reddit, a Hacker News, and a Naver integration, and the results arrive already ranked and merged across sources. It is the fastest way to see where a topic is discussed across Western and Korean communities at once.

See the full Universal Search API: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/search

## 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:

- How do I search Reddit, Hacker News, and Naver forums with one API call?
- Which API fuses forum discussions across Western and Korean communities?