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submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by overdevs@lemmy.world to c/reddit@lemmy.world

Apparently Reddit has a bot problem, not the bots posting and replying but the ones scraping so Reddit is a little bit usable. When Reddit blocked API access 3 years ago I built and launched https://rdx.overdevs.com/ a read-only, open source Reddit website and app.

I have been bombarded with comments and mails asking why it is not working now, and the reason is this. Reddit has blocked JSON endpoint to access whatever limited data it allowed to acceess and is thinking of blocking RSS feeds.

Reddit announcement - https://www.reddit.com/r/modnews/comments/1tq9vxo/protecting_communities_from_scrapers_and_platform/

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[-] scytale@piefed.zip 5 points 11 hours ago

Just wanted to say thanks for all your work on rdx. I’ve been using if since you first posted about it on lemmy. I hope you are able to figure out a solution. But if not, thanks again for all you’ve done with rdx. It’s an awesome app.

[-] lechekaflan@lemmy.world 8 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago)

In his desire for control and potential for profit, Spez slowly trying to prevent any third party from accessing his site.

[-] wason@lemmy.zip 20 points 21 hours ago

I just want to mention that Aaron Swartz co-founded Reddit and was also part of the group that created RSS.

Reddit now blocking RSS, ironic.

[-] qevlarr@lemmy.world 7 points 16 hours ago
[-] Dultas@lemmy.world 15 points 21 hours ago

Feels like old.reddit.com probably doesn't have much time left.

[-] Auster@thebrainbin.org 6 points 18 hours ago

If they block RSS too, then there's nothing holding me to the site anymore.

[-] ieGod@lemmy.zip 11 points 1 day ago

RDX was my go-to for mobile reddit browsing for a while. Sad to see the news. Stealth is another similar app that allows web scraping but despite its nice UI isn't as useful as RDX. And even web scraping is still giving issues. Womp womp. I guess I'll be seeing reddit content even less now.

[-] overdevs@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago

Thanks for using rdx mate. I am trying to find a way around this.

[-] Justifier@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

I swapped to red reader if I have to go there for a project search

UI is shit, and I use it way less than I used to because of that so win-win

[-] Krusty@quokk.au 6 points 1 day ago

RedReader still works (Android only. It's on F-droid and other stores.)

[-] OhNoMoreLemmy@lemmy.ml 59 points 1 day ago

I've been using rdx since the end of support for 3rd party clients to occasionally lurk.

I appreciate the work you've done. Thank you for all your effort.

[-] interrobang 7 points 1 day ago

Seconded, thank you for your work.

[-] perviouslyiner@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

+1 nice work

[-] p0q@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 day ago

Yeah the Stealth app stopped working too. Guess this explains it. Fuck reddit, but it still has some really good communities that I like to lurk. Gardening, knots, etc.

[-] Newuser@lemmy.world 2 points 9 hours ago

I would love to completely shift to lemmy since I got permanent banned , but there are few niche subs that are just not present here and I don't think most users of those subs will move here

[-] Babalugats@feddit.uk 27 points 1 day ago

I was using infinity to browse every now and then. Infinity stopped working last night too. I thought it was my VPN, as sometimes that was the case. Ah well, looks like I'm only using Lemmy and Piefed from here on in. With a few dedicated other forums. Thankfully the Lemmy community has already grown a lot.

[-] thedoctor692@lemmy.world 15 points 1 day ago

I've used rdx a ton to lurk on some dedicated communities since the great api purge. Thank you, I hope a solution is found.

[-] overdevs@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Thanks mate

[-] BeMoreCareful@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago

It's become such a misogynistic shit hole.

A couple of the subs I was in are still active.

Any geographic related subreddits are so ideological that you can't really post and there's not much worth reading.

I'll still doomscroll, but the coments make me want to go live in the woods.

[-] aramis87@fedia.io 13 points 1 day ago

I saw a data thing a couple days ago, where the leading source of LLM is reddit - something like 40% of all models heavily rely on it; the "next most used source" was only like 25%.

[-] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 5 points 21 hours ago

Explains the accuracy of LLM responses...

[-] lechekaflan@lemmy.world 2 points 16 hours ago

And maybe why spez is actively insisting all users must "curate" aka hide their profiles and posting history.

[-] anticurrent@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 day ago

Oh, this explains why infinity stopped working yesterday. I kept tinkering with my phone settings to no avail. I looked the project's github issues and saw no open issue so I thought it is on my end.

Are they struggling to roll-in new users for them to go after scraps ??

[-] 9point6@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

If they block RSS feeds, it's entirely dead to me at that point

The only interaction I have with Reddit these days is via a feed reader for literally one subreddit as a freebie/deal checker for audio software (AudioProductionDeals, I wish batwaffel would crosspost to the fediverse)

[-] deleted@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago

Me too.

I wish niche communities are more active here in lemmy.

[-] fizzle@quokk.au 6 points 1 day ago

Redlib is still working. Does that scrape the HTML?

[-] Xanvial@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

Really appreciate your work for this app, hope you can find solution for this changes

[-] overdevs@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago
this post was submitted on 29 May 2026
254 points (100.0% liked)

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