Chocodata
public Via Universal scraper Developer

Lobsters Scraper API

Access any Lobsters page using our Lobsters Scraper API. Point one API request at a Lobsters URL and get structured JSON back while we get past CAPTCHAs, IP rate limiting, IP blocking, and headless-browser detection through residential proxies. Get back fields like story title, external URL, submitter username, tags as structured JSON.

Get your free API key Browse all scrapers

check_circle 1,000 free requests/month. No credit card. Residential proxies.

Request 
curl "https://api.chocodata.com/api/v1/universal/get?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY&url=https://www.lobsters.com/"
JSON Response
200 OK 
{
  "success": true,
  "url": "https://www.lobsters.com/",
  "status": 200,
  "content": "parsed Lobsters page content..."
  // + more fields
}
lan 235 targets
vpn_lock Residential proxy network
data_object Structured JSON
redeem 1,000 free requests/mo

Lobsters is served through the Universal Web Scraper API

You scrape Lobsters with Chocodata's Universal Web Scraper API: point it at any Lobsters URL and get the page back as structured JSON. Residential proxies, rotation, and retries are handled for you, with no Lobsters-specific setup. The same API key and credits work here as on every dedicated endpoint.

Universal scraper Start free

About Lobsters

Lobsters is a computing-focused link-aggregation community where members submit and discuss technology stories. Each front-page and tag listing exposes story titles, target URLs, submitter usernames, tags, vote scores, comment counts, and timestamps.

Scraping note: Pages are lightweight and server-rendered so a single fetch returns the full listing, and the site also offers .json variants of most pages for clean structured output.

Example Lobsters page

https://lobste.rs/t/programming

Pass a URL like this as url= to the Universal Web Scraper API and get it back as JSON.

Fields you can extract from Lobsters

check_small story title check_small external URL check_small submitter username check_small tags check_small vote score check_small comment count check_small submission timestamp

Common use: Surface trending technical articles by scraping Lobsters' tag pages for high-scoring recent submissions.

Everything you need to scrape Lobsters

You never expose your own IP, you get validated JSON instead of raw HTML, and the free tier covers lobsters scraper at 1,000 requests a month with no card required.

data_object

Clean structured JSON

The Lobsters page comes back as JSON in the parse mode you choose: auto, html, text, or json. No selectors to maintain for lobsters scraper.

gpp_good

Bypasses CAPTCHAs and anti-bot defenses

We get past CAPTCHAs, IP rate limiting, IP blocking, and headless-browser detection on Lobsters using rotating, country-matched residential proxies, so requests look like real users and your own IP stays private.

api

One API call

Scraping Lobsters is one simple API call. The same key works across our whole web scraping API: all 235 targets, any language, no SDK required.

travel_explore

Geo-targeting and JS rendering

Pass a country for proxy geo-targeting and turn on JavaScript rendering when a Lobsters page needs it. lobsters data api handles dynamic content and region-locked results.

Scrape Lobsters in one API request

Send one API request to the Universal Web Scraper API with a Lobsters URL and read the page back as JSON. Chocodata routes it through residential proxies and retries soft blocks, so lobsters api works without a Lobsters-specific integration.

  • check_circle JSON in the parse mode you choose
  • check_circle Residential-proxy infrastructure
  • check_circle Only successful 2xx responses are billed
Get your free API key

Request

curl "https://api.chocodata.com/api/v1/universal/get?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY&url=https://www.lobsters.com/"

Response

{
  "success": true,
  "url": "https://www.lobsters.com/",
  "status": 200,
  "content": "parsed Lobsters page content..."
  // + more fields
}

Parameters

Lobsters routes through the Universal Web Scraper API, so the parameters are the universal ones: the URL to fetch, an optional parse mode, and an optional country for proxy geo-targeting.

Parameter Type Required Example
url string required https://example.com
parse enum optional auto
country string optional us

Enum parameters accept a fixed set of values. For example, parse accepts auto, html, text, json.

What you can build with Lobsters data

Once the scraping API returns Lobsters search data as clean JSON, these are the patterns teams reach for most.

check_circle

Data Aggregation

Pull Lobsters search records into your own warehouse and analyze them on your terms.

check_circle

Market Intelligence

Track Lobsters search data over time to spot market shifts before competitors do.

check_circle

Competitor Monitoring

Watch rivals on Lobsters and alert your team when prices, ranks, or listings change.

check_circle

Lead Generation

Turn Lobsters search data into targeted lead lists and feed them into your CRM.

Why developers pick Chocodata for Lobsters

bolt

Fast at the tail

Median 2.6 s per request with multi-tier retry, so latency stays predictable even when Lobsters fights back.

verified_user

Parity-checked output

The Universal scraper returns the live page faithfully in your chosen parse mode.

hub

One key, 235 targets

The same scraping API key that scrapes Lobsters works across every other target, with official Node, Python, and Go SDKs.

Simple pricing that scales with you

Start free with 1,000 requests a month and 5,000 credits, no credit card. Scale on monthly plans from $19, or top up pay-as-you-go at $0.90 per 1,000 successful requests. Only successful 2xx responses are billed, and every plan covers the full scraping API: all 235 targets and every endpoint.

Free

$0

Forever free on signup

  • check_circle1,000 requests / month (5,000 credits)
  • check_circle10 concurrent requests
  • check_circleAll 237 targets
  • check_circleFull dashboard + analytics
  • check_circleTop-up at $0.90 / 1k
  • check_circleCommunity support
Start free
Most popular

Vibe

$19 / month

$0.70 / 1k effective

  • check_circle27,000 requests / month (135,000 credits)
  • check_circle30 concurrent requests
  • check_circleAll 237 targets + content-language
  • check_circleCountry-matched residential IPs
  • check_circlePer-API-key usage tracking
  • check_circleTop-up at $0.90 / 1k
  • check_circleEmail support (1 business day)
Get Vibe

Pro

$49 / month

$0.60 / 1k effective

  • check_circle82,000 requests / month (410,000 credits)
  • check_circle50 concurrent requests
  • check_circlePriority routing queue
  • check_circleCountry-matched residential IPs
  • check_circleTeam seats (up to 5)
  • check_circleTop-up at $0.90 / 1k
  • check_circleEmail + chat support
Get Pro

Custom

$100-$2k / month

Flat $0.50 / 1k effective at every level

  • check_circle200k - 4M+ requests / month
  • check_circle100-500+ concurrent requests
  • check_circlePriority queue (highest)
  • check_circlePremium proxy pool + SLA on request
  • check_circleUnlimited team seats
  • check_circleWire / invoice / annual PO
  • check_circleDedicated Slack channel
Pick Custom level

Pay-as-you-go top-up

$0.90 / 1,000 successful requests

Available on every plan including Free. Top up any time when included credits run out. Only 2xx responses charged. Balance never expires.

See full pricing and calculator →

Lobsters Scraper API FAQ

Is it legal to scrape Lobsters?

expand_more
Scraping publicly accessible Lobsters data is generally legal in the US under the Ninth Circuit's hiQ v. LinkedIn ruling, which held that scraping public web data does not violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. It does not override Lobsters's own Terms of Service, which are a contract matter, so check those for your use case and comply with data laws such as GDPR. This is general information, not legal advice.

How do I scrape Lobsters without getting blocked?

expand_more
You scrape Lobsters without getting blocked by sending the URL to the Universal Web Scraper API, which fetches it through rotating residential proxies and retries on soft blocks. Your own IP is never used, so Lobsters's anti-bot layer sees ordinary residential traffic instead of a server.

What data does the Lobsters Scraper API return?

expand_more
Through the Universal Web Scraper API you get the Lobsters page back as JSON: rendered HTML, plain text, or auto-parsed content depending on the parse mode you pass. You choose the URL, Chocodata returns the data.

How much does the Lobsters Scraper API cost?

expand_more
The Lobsters Scraper API costs nothing to start: the Free plan includes 1,000 requests per month (5,000 credits) across all 235 targets. After that, monthly plans begin at $19, or you top up pay-as-you-go at $0.90 per 1,000 successful requests. One request is 5 credits, and non-2xx responses are never charged.

Do I need a Lobsters account or login?

expand_more
No Lobsters login is needed for public pages. You point the Universal Web Scraper API at a publicly accessible Lobsters URL with your Chocodata API key; you do not hand over any Lobsters credentials. Login-gated content is not supported.

Related scraper APIs

Anaconda Package Scraper API arrow_forward Anaconda Scraper API arrow_forward Ask Ubuntu Question Scraper API arrow_forward Ask Ubuntu Scraper API arrow_forward Codeberg Package Scraper API arrow_forward Codeberg Scraper API arrow_forward

Start scraping Lobsters for free

1,000 free scraping API requests on signup across all 235 targets. No credit card required.

Get your free API key Browse all scrapers