--- title: "How to Get a Reddit API Key in 2026 (and When You Need None)" description: "Step by step: create a Reddit app, get the client ID and secret, set a user agent and stay within 100 queries a minute. Or export comments without a key." canonical: https://www.redditcommentscraper.com/article-reddit-api-key.html --- # How to Get a Reddit API Key in 2026, and When You Do Not Need One Last Updated: September 2026 A **Reddit API key** is the common name for the OAuth credentials Reddit issues when you register an app. You need those credentials when code makes authorized requests to Reddit's Data API. You do not need them when a supported browser tool reads a thread that is already open on the page. The setup is short, but the details matter. You must choose the right app type, keep a secret only where it can stay private, identify the client with a descriptive user agent and stay within the current request allowance. Commercial work also needs a separate approval process. This guide explains how to get Reddit API access, what changed in 2025 and 2026, and when a no-key browser export is the simpler route. ## What a Reddit API key is There is no single credential literally labeled “Reddit API key.” A registered app has a client ID. A script or web app also has a client secret. Together with an OAuth flow, those values identify the application and let it request access tokens. The client ID appears under the app name on Reddit's apps preferences page. The client secret appears next to the word “secret.” Do not publish the secret, commit it to a repository or place it in browser code. An installed app receives a client ID but no secret because software distributed to devices cannot keep one private. OAuth scopes determine what an access token can do. Reddit exposes scopes for reading, identity, history, voting, submitting, moderation and other actions. Ask only for the scopes your application needs. A read-only data collector does not need permissions to submit or vote. ## Step by step: create the app 1. **Log in to Reddit.** Use the Reddit account that will own the application. A script app acts only as that account. 2. **Open the apps preferences page.** Go to [reddit.com/prefs/apps](https://www.reddit.com/prefs/apps). Find “are you a developer? create an app...” or “create another app.” 3. **Create the app.** Enter a name that lets you recognize the client later. 4. **Pick the app type.** Choose script, web app or installed app based on where the code runs and whether it can keep a secret. 5. **Fill in the redirect URI.** A web app needs the exact callback used by its OAuth flow. For a script app, a placeholder such as `http://localhost:8080` is accepted. 6. **Copy the client ID and secret.** The client ID is shown under the app name. Script and web apps show a value labeled “secret.” An installed app has no secret. Store the values outside your source code. Environment variables or a local credentials file excluded from version control are common choices. The redirect URI used by your program must match the registered value where the OAuth flow requires one. Creating the record gives you credentials. It does not cancel the access rules. New requests can still require Responsible Builder Policy approval, and commercial use requires registration and written approval. ## The three app types ### Script A script runs on hardware you control. It keeps a client secret and acts only as your own Reddit account. This is the usual type for a personal Python job, a server task owned by one account or a private data workflow. PRAW users often start here. Do not use a script app when many unrelated users must sign in with their own accounts. Its account model is intentionally narrow. ### Web app A web app runs on a server and keeps its client secret there. It sends users through OAuth and receives the result at a registered redirect URI. Use this type for a server-side product that lets multiple Reddit users authorize access. The secret must stay on the server. Do not place it in JavaScript delivered to the browser. The callback URL in the OAuth request must match the app configuration. ### Installed app An installed app runs on devices you do not control, such as a user's computer or phone. Reddit does not issue it a client secret because any secret embedded in distributed software could be extracted. Choose this type when the application itself is distributed. Design the OAuth flow on the assumption that the client ID is public and no client secret exists. ## Rules that get keys revoked Credentials are not a way around Reddit's access policy. A client that hides its identity, exceeds the allowance or uses data outside its approved purpose can lose access. Build the policy requirements into the client before you run a large collection job. ### Send a unique user agent Reddit expects a descriptive user agent in this format: `:: (by /u/)`. One example is `android:com.example.myredditapp:v1.2.3 (by /u/kemitche)`. Replace every part with your real platform, app identifier, version and account. Do not use a generic library default. Generic user agents can be rate limited or blocked. The version string also gives you a practical way to identify traffic after a release. ### Stay within the request allowance The current free allowance is 100 queries per minute per OAuth client ID, averaged over a 10 minute window. Unauthenticated requests are blocked. The averaging window does not turn the rule into a burst target. Read the response headers, pace requests and back off when the remaining allowance is low. PRAW handles parts of the request workflow, but it does not provide credentials or a separate allowance. Version 8.0.3 requires Python 3.10 or later and still operates inside the rules attached to your OAuth client. ### Register commercial use Commercial use needs registration, explicit written approval and a data agreement. The cited commercial rate is about $0.24 per 1,000 calls. Reddit does not publish a self-serve commercial price list, so a contract can matter more than a calculator. Commercial approval is handled manually and is reported to take 2 to 4 weeks. Plan for that review before launch. Reddit data cannot be used for AI or machine learning training without a separate licence, and removed content is subject to a 48-hour deletion rule. ## What changed in 2025 and 2026 Since late 2025, new OAuth token requests have gone through manual Responsible Builder Policy approval. Developers report waits lasting weeks. Existing approved credentials continue to work at about 100 queries per minute, subject to their terms. Reddit's August 5, 2026 announcement said third-party apps would move gradually toward the Developer Platform, also called Devvit. Devvit Web supports React and Node. Reddit set September 30, 2026 as the registration deadline for existing apps. The December 31, 2026 migration deadline applies to apps in the Migration Program. Reddit has not published a hard cutoff date for ordinary Data API access. Python is not on the Devvit roadmap Reddit has published, so Python projects should not treat the Devvit schedule as a drop-in PRAW migration. Those dates affect planning, not just authentication. If you are starting a long-lived application, confirm which program it belongs to before treating a newly created OAuth client as the complete deployment plan. The [Reddit Data API guide](https://www.redditcommentscraper.com/article-reddit-data-api.html) explains the access layers in more detail. ## When you do not need an API key You do not need a Reddit API key when the goal is to export a thread you can already view in the browser. [Reddit Comment Scraper reads the page in your browser](https://www.redditcommentscraper.com/article-scrape-reddit-without-api.html). It exports the post and up to 1,000 comments per scrape, including nested replies, to CSV or JSON. The free plan needs no account and no card. The extension has 16,000+ users, a 4.6 rating and 40 ratings on the Chrome Web Store. It does not create scheduled subreddit crawls or replace the API for an application. It is for a person who needs a thread export without building OAuth code. Use the API when software must query Reddit repeatedly, act for users, monitor feeds or integrate results into a service. Use a browser export when the source is a specific visible thread and a manual CSV or JSON file is enough. The [Reddit scraper versus PRAW comparison](https://www.redditcommentscraper.com/article-reddit-scraper-vs-praw.html) covers that decision in more detail. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Is the Reddit API free? Eligible API use has a free allowance of 100 queries per minute per OAuth client ID, averaged over a 10 minute window. Commercial use needs registration and written approval. The cited commercial rate is about $0.24 per 1,000 calls, but Reddit does not publish a self-serve commercial price list. ### How long does Reddit API approval take? Commercial approval is handled manually and is reported to take 2 to 4 weeks. New OAuth token requests have also gone through manual Responsible Builder Policy approval since late 2025, with reports of waiting for weeks. ### Can I use PRAW without a Reddit API key? No. PRAW is a Python wrapper for Reddit's API. It still needs credentials from a registered Reddit OAuth app. PRAW 8.0.3 requires Python 3.10 or later. A browser extension is the no-key option when the goal is to export a thread you can view. ### What is the Reddit API rate limit? The current free allowance is 100 queries per minute per OAuth client ID, averaged over a 10 minute window. Unauthenticated traffic is blocked. Read the response rate-limit headers and design your client to pause before it exceeds the allowance. ## Related Articles - [Reddit API Pricing in 2026](https://www.redditcommentscraper.com/article-reddit-api-pricing-alternative.html) - [Reddit Data API Access Guide](https://www.redditcommentscraper.com/article-reddit-data-api.html) - [How to Scrape Reddit Without the API](https://www.redditcommentscraper.com/article-scrape-reddit-without-api.html) - [How to Export Reddit Comments](https://www.redditcommentscraper.com/article-how-to-export-reddit-comments.html) - [Reddit Comment Scraper vs PRAW](https://www.redditcommentscraper.com/article-reddit-scraper-vs-praw.html)