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I have come up with a plan that might get a Reddit competitor up and running. I have also started to implement it. Step 1. Create an alternative API for Reddit
by dom96 3y ago
I have come up with a plan that might get a Reddit competitor up and running. I have also started to implement it.
Step 1. Create an alternative API for Reddit (I've created an MVP for this here: https://api.reddiw.com https://api.reddiw.com)
Step 2. Set up an alternative front-end for Reddit built on top of the alternative API (my plan is to host it at reddiw.com)
Step 3. Start implementing a custom back-end, with submissions showing up interspersed with existing Reddit content, perhaps on the very same alternative front-end to drive adoption or one on a separate URL.
How will I deal with costs/moderation? Same way as Reddit did at the beginning: text only. With images/videos hosted by imgur etc. and each thread linking directly to a separate host for images/videos.
While I do have step 1 complete and it has got some traction on Reddit I don't think any third-party app has adopted it yet. It would be nice to get that to show the demand is there. Otherwise I might not pursue the next steps.
- Capricorn2481 3y ago> Step 1. Create an alternative API for Reddit (I've created an MVP for this here: https://api.reddiw.com https://api.reddiw.com) How is this working, exactly? Are you just caching API responses from the official one?
- dom96 3y agoNo, I'm not using the official API at all. I'm scraping + caching.
- kiwidrew 3y agoWhat are your thoughts on handling the authenticated portions of the API? For example, retrieving the list of subreddits a user is currently subscribed to? Or posting a comment / checking the user's inbox?
- dom96 3y agoMy thoughts are: the read-only unathenticated API should cover 80% of the API usage for apps. If there is adoption I will think about the authenticated portions.
- max_hammer 3y agoThis is awesome. How will copyright laws work if you clone UI