# Reddit Search Media API (https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/reddit/search-media)

> Searches Reddit's media-scoped index: the posts a keyword search would return, filtered to those that actually carry an image, a video or a gallery. Use it when you want visual content for a topic and do not want to filter a mixed page yourself. Up to 25 posts per page, each with the title, the score, the comment count, the subreddit, the upvote ratio, the flair, the author avatar, the thumbnail and the media at `content.media_urls` — an array on a gallery post and a single-element array otherwise. Reddit's operators work in `query` here too, so `subreddit:name terms` scopes the sweep to one community. `timeframe` applies on `sort=relevance`, `sort=top` and `sort=comment_count`; it has no effect on `sort=new`, which is already newest-first. Paginate with `cursor`. When the main source is down, a backup serves the first page and offers a `cursor` on `sort=top` only, for one more page of 25; on other sorts that page carries no `cursor`. A query that matches nothing still returns loosely-related media posts rather than an empty list, which is Reddit's own search behaviour.

TL;DR: `GET /v1/reddit/search/media` costs 1 credit 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 phrase. Reddit's operators work here: `subreddit:name terms` scopes the sweep to one community, and quotes force an exact phrase. |
| `sort` | no | Sort by (relevance \| new \| top \| comment_count) |
| `timeframe` | no | Only return posts from this window. Applied on sort=relevance, sort=top and sort=comment_count. It has no effect with sort=new, which is already ordered newest-first. (all \| day \| week \| month \| year) |
| `cursor` | no | Cursor to get more results. Get 'cursor' from the previous response. |
| `since` | no | Only rows published on or after this date: YYYY-MM-DD (midnight UTC) or an ISO 8601 timestamp. Rows older than it are left off each page. This list is not in date order, so the walk does not stop at the date: keep following `next_cursor`, and each page costs what a page costs even when every row on it is filtered out. A row with no date is kept. `published_after`, `start_date`, `from_date`, `publish_time` (`yesterday`, `this-week`, `this-month`, `last-3-months`, `last-6-months`) and `max_age_days` are accepted and applied as `since`. |
| `until` | no | Only rows published on or before this date: YYYY-MM-DD (that whole UTC day is included) or an ISO 8601 timestamp. Newer rows are left off each page and the walk does not stop, so older pages follow. A row with no date is kept. `published_before`, `end_date` and `to_date` are accepted and applied as `until`. |
| `max_pages` | no | 1 to 50 (default 1, or 50 when `max_items` or `max_credits` is sent). Walk up to this many pages in one call and return the rows from all of them. Each page walked is billed exactly as one call to this endpoint (a cached page is free) and counts against your rate limit; its charge and any refund are recorded under the page's own request id, listed in `data.walk.request_ids`. The walk stops early at the last page, or when the request's time budget runs low; `data.walk.stopped` says why (`end`, `max_pages`, `max_items`, `max_credits`, `time_budget`, `page_error`) and `pagination.next_cursor` continues from where it stopped. |
| `max_items` | no | 1 to 5000. Get more in one call: keep walking pages until the response holds at least this many rows, then stop with `data.walk.stopped: "max_items"`. The last page is returned whole (it was billed), so `data.items` can hold up to one page more than this, and `pagination.next_cursor` resumes right after it without skipping a row. Walks up to 50 pages unless `max_pages` says fewer; each page is billed as one call (a cached page is free). Add `max_credits` to cap the spend. A long walk can stop on the time budget first (`"time_budget"`): send the returned cursor with the same params to continue. |
| `max_credits` | no | 1 to 100000. The most this call may spend, across every page it walks. A page starts only while the credits already spent plus that page's price (or, when higher, the most any page of this walk has cost) still fit, so the call never goes past it; the walk then stops with `data.walk.stopped: "max_credits"` and the cursor to resume. Sent alone, it walks as far as the budget goes (up to 50 pages). A value below the price of one page is a free 400 whose `error.details.page_credits` names that price. Credits a row join (`include=`) adds are known only once a page has run, so page 1 is checked against its own price. |

## Code example

```bash
curl -G "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/reddit/search/media" \
  --data-urlencode "query=mechanical keyboard build" \
  -H "x-api-key: sc_YOUR_API_KEY"
```

## FAQ

### How do I search Reddit for posts with images or video?

Send a GET request to /v1/reddit/search/media with your query. It searches Reddit's media-scoped index, so every row already carries an image, a video or a gallery and you do not filter a mixed page yourself.

### How do I get the direct media URL?

Each row carries content.media_urls, an array of direct URLs. A gallery post fills it with every image; a single image or video post returns a one-element array, so the same parsing works for both.

### Can I scope the search to one community?

Yes. Reddit's operators work in the query here too, so subreddit:name plus your terms keeps the sweep inside one community, and quoted phrases force an exact match.

### Does the timeframe filter always apply?

It applies on sort=relevance, sort=top and sort=comment_count. It has no effect with sort=new, which is already ordered newest-first and returns recent posts regardless of the window you pass.

### How much does the Reddit Image Search API cost?

Each page of up to 25 media posts costs 1 credit on the standard tier. New accounts get 100 free credits with no credit card required, which is 100 media searches.

See the full Reddit API: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/reddit

## 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 for posts that contain an image or video?
- How do I get the direct media URL out of a Reddit post?
- What does the SocialCrawl Reddit Image Search API return?