Libreddit's Public Instances are Shutting Down

[spikecodes]

⚠️ PUBLIC INSTANCE SHUT DOWN ⚠️

As of July 12th, 2023, Libreddit is currently not operational as Reddit's API changes, that were designed to kill third-party apps and content scrapers who don't pay large fees, went into effect.

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➡️ Project is continued as Redlib, go check it out!

From one of Libreddit's maintainers, @sigaloid.

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What happened?

Their new limits mean the project would only work for small instances and who authenticate using OAuth, effectively voiding any privacy benefits of using Libreddit. @sigaloid is working on an implementation of this that would keep the project working for these smaller instances, potentially by auto-generating API keys or allowing users to bring their own.

Libreddit is just one of many third-party clients, including Teddit and many mobile clients, killed by these changes. Reddit's official app and website were notoriously un-user-friendly which is why so many turned to tools like Libreddit to scroll through their favorite subreddits. As Teddit's creator wrote so well in their shutdown announcement:

Reddit has proved once again that all it cares about is its profits and its upcoming IPO, and that it could not care less about its users, moderators, and content creators. To protect its corporate needs, Reddit ignores community protests, harms accessibility for disabled users, and threatens the volunteers who moderate the site.

What Libreddit meant to me

It brings me sadness to announce this as I, like the project's many users, used Libreddit every day as an alternative to Reddit. Libreddit gave a space to access your favorite content without ads, without trackers, without malicious cookies, and without bloated JavaScript. You could customize your experience, filter out content you didn't like, and subscribe to your favorite feeds, all without creating an account.

The project received more love than anything I've built before and it's been amazing to see the community formed around it. I remember discussing this idea with @curlpipe a few years ago and he really inspired (and brainstormed) much of the project's initial design.

It was my first time working with Rust 🦀 and it's been so cool to see so many developers become exposed to this awesome 8-year-old programming language through contributing to Libreddit's codebase.

THANK YOU

I want to say a big THANK YOU to all of the users, the generous donors, the individuals who emailed my work address to express their gratitude, and the awesome 86 contributors who volunteered hours of their time to keep this project alive. ♥

I'd also like to give a special shout out to @Daniel-Valentine and @sigaloid. Both of these great developers helped sustain Libreddit during my absence and implemented lots of new features to make the user experience enjoyable.

Some stats:

1. Libreddit was hosted by over 100 volunteers globally, allowing decentralized access to all.*
2. More than 4,700 people starred the project on GitHub, allowing it to repeatedly reach GitHub's Trending Rust list.
3. Nearly 1,000 commits were made to the codebase.
4. There were 86 legendary contributors who helped crowdsource the functionality of this project.

*This number includes the awesome instances that were not published for public use but still available regionally/locally.

What's next with this project?

If we cannot get the project working for small instances as discussed in @sigaloid's plan, this repository may eventually be archived.

The libredd.it domain will not be renewed and the libreddit.spike.codes instance will redirect to this shut down announcement. Matrix channels will remain open for communication/discussion.

What can I use instead of Libreddit? (assuming we can't get it working again)

For many Reddit users, the shut down of third party Reddit clients has pushed them elsewhere onto other platforms. There is no exact alternative to Libreddit but there are Reddit alternatives that have gained some traction in the wake of this news.

I'm happy to endorse a fellow Rust project, Lemmy! Lemmy is a federated, decentralized, free, and open source alternative to Reddit that has shot up in popularity since the Reddit API news. If you don't feel comfortable using Reddit anymore, I strongly recommend one - of - the many instances on this platform.

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Again, thank you for all the love! ♥

Warmly,

Spike

fuck u/spez

[Nobody-69420]

I have very little idea about programming or shits but maybe this might help u guys ?
https://github.com/kaangiray26/geddit-app

[sigaloid]

Unfortunately they use the same JSON endpoints we do, which has the same rate limiting problem. At least they do it client side, so the rate limits are per user rather than per instance, but that takes away a lot of the privacy features.

[gergo-salyi]

First of all thank you! I would like to say that localhost / personal self-hosted instances are still working 100%, so even if localhost use was not the primary goal, it offers most of libreddit's benefits (except being a proxy for IP address privacy), so please consider keeping the project open with the current unauthenticated API for localhost use case no matter Reddit's rate limiting

[Tomurisk]

That is a huge deal breaker for me personally – the design is innovative, responsive, the layout is clean. Content loads near instantly, while sound doesn't always work even after enabling the functionality, the video player actually works.

I log in to Reddit only to reply to some comments and engage in discussions. For everything else – Libreddit.

It is everything Reddit should use as a reference to provide a plausible experience to its users, and not barely working new Reddit website infused with horrendous JS code written by pubic lice that slows down entire browser. I don't want to use old Reddit in order not to break my fingers pressing all those triangle buttons that show images. Even Cuckerberg allows boomers to see their QAnon conspiracies in a relatively working website.

I definitely have made somebody's day brighter with my memes and shitposts. I have greatly contributed to the Lithuanian r/okbuddyretard community r/okdraugedebile. I can't continue and won't continue using a website that is being entirely wrapped around a tsar's finger, who doesn't generate content while the users do. If I'm not getting entertainment from the website, I might as well enjoy freedom from social media. After all, it's for the better.

The negotiation with the Reddit community was exactly zero. The hostility by spez was immense and audacious.

To creator of Libreddit:

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU

You deserve a big hug for your efforts

Slava Libredditu, spez huilo.

I'm seriously considering deleting my Reddit account now.

[bqv]

I'm seriously considering deleting my Reddit account now.

Gee, took you long enough! 😆

[honobo]

If you (i.e. someone) really have to read Reddit anyway and all you need is some ambiguous/additional privacy, then you can anonymously view Reddit.com via Tor Browser.

Reddit even provides .onion, though be careful, their onion has clearnet Google scripts. So you may want to block scripts; for that purpose, old.reddit.com might be easier to handle. (Tor Browser comes with No Script but allows scripts by default, and eats cookies. You can disable them by settings. Tor Browser on Tails comes with uBlock too.)
If privacy is important, not using Reddit at all is perhaps the best option - ToS;DR of Reddit is https://tosdr.org/en/service/194 and for example, r/PrivacyGuides had ditched Reddit already (as it should). For that matter, you may want to get rid of not-so-privacy-friendly services from your life (everyone knows the main items on the list, e.g. Twitter, Google).

[bqv]

Does the onion ratelimit?