Tutorial · curl
How to scrape Hacker News stories with curl (2026)
A curl walkthrough for GET /v1/hackernews/stories/{id}. Copy the snippet, run it, then read the JSON.
GET /v1/hackernews/stories/{id} · 1 credit per successful request.
In this tutorial
You'll pull a public Hacker News story and see the fields you get back.
Example job: hydrate a Hacker News story by id for digests or alerts.
Step 1
Get ready
Get a Social Fetch API key and a curl environment ready. New accounts include 100 free credits.
API key. Create a Social Fetch account and copy an API key. New accounts include 100 free credits.
curl setup. Any shell with curl. Export SOCIALFETCH_API_KEY before you run the sample.
When you're done, SOCIALFETCH_API_KEY is set in your shell.
Step 2
Make the request
Copy the curl snippet, set SOCIALFETCH_API_KEY, and call GET /v1/hackernews/stories/{id} with the x-api-key header. Example: /v1/hackernews/stories/8863.
You should see a JSON body on stdout. Use curl -sS so HTTP errors still print on stderr.
Step 3
Read the response
JSON with data (the stories) and meta (creditsCharged, requestId). Sample below is illustrative — field docs live on the endpoint page. Credits charge on completed lookups, not transport failures.
Check data.lookupStatus when present. Keep meta.requestId if a row looks wrong.
Watch out
not_story means the id isn't a story (comment or job). Use GET /v1/hackernews/items/{id} for polymorphic items. Comment trees are a separate paginated operation.
Step 4
You finished
Same path and credits in playground, docs, and production. Pick a next step below.
FAQ
Common questions
Do I need an official Hacker News developer account?
No. Social Fetch authenticates with your Social Fetch API key. You call GET /v1/hackernews/stories/{id} and we handle upstream access. You still need to follow each platform's terms for how you use public data.
What does the hacker news stories endpoint return?
A JSON envelope with data (the stories) and meta (creditsCharged, requestId). Shape details and field docs live on the endpoint page and in the OpenAPI docs.
Story get vs item get on Hacker News?
GET /v1/hackernews/stories/{id} expects a story and returns typed not_story when the id is another type. GET /v1/hackernews/items/{id} returns the polymorphic item for any HN id.
Does story get include the full comment tree?
No. Use GET /v1/hackernews/stories/{id}/comments for cursor-paginated comments. This route stops at the story card.
How much does a successful request cost?
1 credit per successful request.
Is this okay for production?
Yes — same production API as everywhere else: typed errors, requestId on every response, credits charged only on completed lookups. New accounts get 100 free credits.
Any curl-specific tips for this request?
Yes. Pass the key with -H "x-api-key: $SOCIALFETCH_API_KEY", and wrap the full URL in double quotes so the shell does not split on & in query strings. Prefer curl -sS so HTTP errors still surface on stderr.
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