Lemmy Search API searches a Lemmy instance as JSON and returns a single envelope with posts, communities, users and comments arrays. Filter by type_ to narrow the result. A valid empty result (no matches) is a successful response.
Run this endpoint
Endpoint
Parameters
Start with the required fields, then add optional filters only when your use case needs them.
Runnable path
1 required parameter needed before sending a request.
5 optional filters available.
string
Required
Search query. Example: technology.
coffee shops
string
Optional
Result type filter. One of: All, Posts, Communities, Users, Comments. Defaults to All.
example
string
Optional
Sort order. One of: Active, Hot, New, Old, TopDay, TopWeek, TopMonth, TopYear, TopAll, MostComments, NewComments, TopHour, TopSixHour, TopTwelveHour, TopThreeMonths, TopSixMonths, TopNineMonths, Controversial, Scaled. Defaults to TopMonth.
relevance
integer
Optional
Results per page. Server caps at 50. Defaults to 20.
10
integer
Optional
1-based page number. Defaults to 1.
1
string
Optional
Lemmy instance hostname. Defaults to lemmy.world. The hostname must resolve to a public address; private, loopback and unresolvable hosts are rejected without charge.
example
Response Schema
Example response fields are illustrative; inspect the JSON before integrating.
Example response fields
Scan these fields before integrating.
data
meta
success
{
"data": {
"type": "Posts",
"posts": [
{
"id": 53070436,
"score": 42,
"title": "A technology post title",
"creator": {
"id": 3100864,
"name": "EatingPies"
},
"community": {
"id": 2478,
"name": "technology",
"title": "Technology"
},
"published": "2026-10-10T14:30:00.000000Z",
"comments_count": 167
}
],
"users": [],
"comments": [],
"has_more": true,
"communities": []
},
"meta": {
"billable": true,
"endpoint_family": "search"
},
"success": true
}Errors
Handle these documented responses before retrying or showing customer-facing failures.
Validation Error
The q parameter is missing or a parameter value is invalid. This response is not billable.
{
"errors": {
"q": [
"The q field is required."
]
},
"message": "The request validation failed"
}Invalid Parameter
Lemmy rejected one or more parameter values (for example an unknown sort). This response is not billable.
{
"error": {
"code": "INVALID_PARAMETER",
"message": "The Lemmy API is temporarily unavailable. Please retry."
},
"success": false
}Upstream Unavailable
The Lemmy API is temporarily unavailable. This response is not billable.
{
"error": {
"code": "UPSTREAM_UNAVAILABLE",
"message": "The Lemmy API is temporarily unavailable. Please retry."
},
"success": false
}Generate Code with AI
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