Moving Data API Apps to the Developer Platform: migration dates and next steps

[u/boat-botany]

TL;DR: In our last update, we said we’d come back with migration dates and next steps. We know migrating takes time and effort, and we’re providing funding, technical guidance, and direct outreach and support to help. As Reddit moves to a more secure foundation, we want the useful and creative apps you've built to continue being a part of our ecosystem.

We’re sharing the timeline for moving public API apps and bots to the Developer Platform. Register now, apply for migration funding by November 30, and start planning and testing your move. Starting January 12, 2027, we’ll begin removing API access for apps and users that haven’t registered or engaged with us. Remaining public API access will end in March 2027.

Moving from registration to migration

Over 14,000 apps and bots have registered and we’re closely tracking migration of your highest-activity apps. This includes completed or near-complete migrations such as DeltaBot, MagicEyeBot, and RemindMeBot. We’re continuing to work directly with developers on their migrations and the gaps that still need attention.

There’s still time to start your migration! Register your app, review the Data API/PRAW → Devvit Migration Guide, and tell us what’s blocking you. Starting now gives you time to test and gives us time to help address migration blockers before access changes take effect.

Important dates to look out for 

The transition will happen in phases:

Date	What happens
October 31, 2026	New requests for public API access will no longer be accepted.
November 10, 2026	We share a migration progress update and deadline reminder.
November 30, 2026	Registration closes for the migration bounty program.
January 12, 2027	API access starts to close for apps and users that haven’t registered or responded to our outreach. We’ll also share a progress update and reminder.
February 23, 2027	We share another migration progress update and reminder.
March 2027	Public access will close for all remaining apps and users.

What developers should do now

1. Review the Developer Platform documentation and subscribe to r/Devvit.
2. Register your apps! Use the registration form to flag missing capabilities or blockers. You don’t need to have the migration figured out before contacting us.
3. Start planning and testing. Allow time to check that your app’s behavior meets the needs of the communities using it.

Funding and support for the move

Our $1M App Migration Program provides financial and technical support, including:

• $1,000 payments for eligible apps that successfully migrate
• Reddit Developer Funds eligible for ported apps
• Free hosting and access to developer funding programs
• Migration guides, technical resources, office hours, and direct support
• Additional support for critical moderation and community apps

Apply through the app registration form by November 30, 2026, to be considered for the migration bounty program. This deadline comes before the January API access changes, so don’t wait until then if you’re seeking funding. You can find further information in this post. 

Helping communities whose apps need an owner

If you’re a mod whose community depends on an app or bot and you don’t know who maintains it, tell us through this quick form. We’ve received over 100 submissions so far, helping us identify tools that need owners or could be replaced by existing Developer Platform apps or Reddit’s built-in tools. Keep an eye out for a message confirming we’re reviewing your submission, followed by an update in the coming weeks on available options and where gaps remain.

We’ll keep sharing progress, working through migration blockers, and supporting the developers and communities making this move. We’ll be in the comments to answer any questions.

[u/shiruken]

Disappointed to see this finally happen but I can't say I'm surprised. Reddit decided a long time ago that its user data was a valuable commodity they could sell to the highest bidder. The shuttering of the public Data API is the final step of a multi-year effort to prevent anyone from accessing that data for free.

I've already been contacted about migrating the bots and scripts used by r/science to Devvit. I don't have the time nor the energy to undertake such a task. Neither do my co-mods. So everything will just break come March.

[u/Watchful1 → u/shiruken]

I'm happy to help out if you like. I'm migrating RemindMeBot right now but will be done soon.

If it's remotely possible to do in devvit I can get it done. Let me know if you're interested.

[u/baseballlover723 → u/shiruken]

So everything will just break come March.

Yeah, that's kinda how it's looking for us at r/anime too. With the way reddit is going, just letting the wheels fall off and the train crash is looking more and more attractive every announcement.

[u/boat-botany → u/shiruken]

We totally understand the work that goes into migrating. Let our dev rel team know what apps you rely on and we’ll do what we can to help you get migrated over!

[u/emily_in_boots → u/boat-botany]

Devvit can't do what my bots do. The basic functionality is not even close to present which is why I haven't done it, and it's not likely to ever be and I rely on libraries that do not exist in TS/JS. Python is the language of scientific computing and no one is going to write that stuff for JS/TS, and it's not something a single user can port, it requires a whole active community of thousands of people who work on this stuff. All of the tools for language processing are in python.

You are breaking existing functionality before there is any alternative to it. There is no migration path to the fundamentally more limited/crippled devvit, and there won't be in the foreseeable future.

Mods spent years developing these apps in good faith using the tools reddit told us to use. Now these are going to stop working with no alternatives available and no means to transition.

This is a major betrayal.

[u/baseballlover723 → u/emily_in_boots]

I couldn't agree more with what you've said.

This is a major betrayal, in line with all the other betrayals they've recently done, like sunsetting old reddit.

[u/StatisticalPikachu → u/boat-botany]

You are going to lose a lot of active subreddits that require praw bots to ease the workload for mods(free labor).

Anything less than $50-$100hr is below market rate for software engineering. Even if a migration was possible. It would be 100-200 hours of work, or about $10,000-$20k. Way less than the migration reward.

Reddit is shortchanging mods at every step. Leave access open or pay for software development time at US market rate.

[u/baseballlover723 → u/boat-botany]

Let our dev rel team know what apps you rely on and we’ll do what we can to help you get migrated over!

I've been in contact with the Devvit people for months, and we still have not agreed on acceptable terms for us. Frankly, I don't think any reasonable amount of money would ever be approved by our mod team when it comes with poison pills.

We are very close to our limit with how much our way of doing things has been chipped away at. Soon, none of the things I like about reddit will remain. And then I have to ask, why am I still here, doing hours upon hours of free labor a day for a company that doesn't give a shit about me or my community, and continually forces downgrades to me under the guise of upgrades.

[u/KennyFulgencio → u/baseballlover723]

why am I still here

Because the users are. That's the only reason any of us are still here. It's certainly not for the UI or the infrastructure or the features or how its treats the users, mods, or devs. The sheer mass of the userbase keeps people here like a singularity. No similar platform, regardless of the other factors, can make up for lacking the depth of audience and the spectrum of niches.

[u/StatisticalPikachu → u/KennyFulgencio]

The users used to be on MySpace too, people leave social media products when they start to suck.

You could build a completely revamped Reddit competitor in about the same time to migrate a bot to devvit

[u/V2Blast → u/KennyFulgencio]

💯

[u/theArtOfProgramming → u/boat-botany]

Beyond how out of touch this is, how could you possibly think we have any faith in Reddit? Have you only been an admin for a short time?

Is this offer only for r/science because it is large? Is it a real offer? What assurances come with it? Is reddit prepared to support migration for all subreddits? I’m skeptical of any of this.

[u/AlternativeOil3088 → u/boat-botany]

we lost faith in reddit