An #API is a communication bridge that lets different software systems interact, share information, and work together. The early days was the #beauty of #Reddit 😉

🚨 How #APIs Broke #Reddit (and Why #Nostr Matters)

Reddit used to thrive because its API was open. Cause #opensource is best.

#Developers built the best mobile apps, #mods built tools, #bots kept communities alive, and accessibility flourished.

Then came the pivot:

1️⃣ Free + open API → explosive community innovation

2️⃣ Restricted API → shift toward ads, tracking & metrics

3️⃣ Paid API → corporate lock-in

4️⃣ Third-party apps destroyed overnight

5️⃣ Moderators revolted but Reddit wanted one thing: control.

APIs didn’t “break.”

Reddit closed them to protect:

• Ad revenue

• Data for AI training

• IPO valuation

• Centralized power

What died?

• Accessibility

• Community tools

• Innovation

• Choice

• Freedom

What survived?

• A walled garden with a feed tuned for shareholders, not humans.

This is why decentralized protocols matter.

This is why Nostr exists.

No gatekeepers.

No paywalls.

No API betrayal.

Just keys, relays, freedom, and people.

Centralized platforms monetize your speech.

Protocols free it.

#Nostr #APIs #Reddit #DecentralizeEverything #FreeTheInternet #Fedi #SovereignTech #BitcoinCulture #ProtocolNotPlatform 🌈

Longer explanation 🔻🔻🔻

#APIs changed Reddit in three major waves, and each one reshaped how the site works, who uses it, and how much power #Reddit itself holds.

⸻

🚀 1. The Early Era (2006–2015): APIs Supercharged Reddit’s Growth

In the beginning, Reddit had a free, open API.

This created a massive ecosystem of:

✔ Third-party Reddit apps

• Apollo

• Reddit is Fun

• BaconReader

• Boost for Reddit

• Relay

• Narwhal

These apps handled 90%+ of mobile browsing because Reddit’s own app was slow or nonexistent.

✔ Bots, tools, and moderation helpers

Moderators built custom bots using the API:

• AutoModerator

• Flair bots

• Spam filters

• Voting bots

• Custom comment organization tools

Result:

🟢 Reddit grew explosively because developers added features Reddit didn’t have.

⸻

🔧 2. The Algorithm & Corporate Era (2016–2022): APIs Became Strategic

As Reddit prepared for monetization and an IPO, the API became less about openness and more about control.

What changed?

• Reddit prioritized official mobile app usage

• Certain API endpoints were restricted or rate-limited

• More features moved behind proprietary code

• Data access became more curated

Why?

Because controlling the app means controlling:

• Ads

• User behavior tracking

• Engagement metrics

• Data collection

• Revenue

Result:

🟠 Third-party tools continued, but Reddit began hinting they wanted more control of the ecosystem.

⸻

🔥 3. The 2023–2024 API Crisis: Reddit Starts Charging for API Access

This is the moment everything changed. And it was #BRUTAL for many long-term users and mods

Reddit announced:

• API access would cost millions of dollars per year

• Even small tools and accessibility apps had to pay

• NSFW content was banned from the API entirely

Impact:

❌ Third-party apps died instantly

Apollo, RIF, BaconReader, Sync, Boost, Relay all shut down almost overnight.

❌ Accessibility tools broke

Blind users and others who relied on screen-reader–friendly apps were left stranded.

❌ Moderators revolted

Millions of users and mods participated in:

• The largest #blackout in #Reddit history

• 8,000+ subreddits going private

• Mods threatening to quit

❌ Data becomes a product

Reddit positioned itself as a data broker for:

• AI companies (training data)

• Advertisers

• Government–research partnerships

Result:

🔴 Reddit went from an open community-driven platform → to a closed, monetized data company preparing for IPO.

⸻

🧬 How APIs Transformed Reddit Long-Term

1. From community ecosystem → to corporate app monopoly

No more third-party apps = everyone must use Reddit’s app.

2. From volunteer moderation → to algorithmic control

Mods now rely more on Reddit-built tools, giving Reddit more control over content.

3. From open data → to paywalled AI training data

Reddit is now positioning itself as a source of “high-quality human conversation” to sell to:

• Google

• OpenAI

• Academia

• AI companies

4. From user-first → to shareholder-first

The API decision was not about “cost”—it was about:

• IPO valuation

• Ad revenue

• Data ownership

• Competing against other social platforms

5. Centralization

The open-internet philosophy that built Reddit reversed:

• Less open-source

• Less federation

• Less user freedom

• Less transparency

_____

As always, I admit Ima not from a #technology background so #asknostr PLEASE let me know if any of this is wrong.