Validate Subreddit

Check if a subreddit exists and is accessible

POST /api/validate-subreddit

Validate Subreddit

cURL

curl --request POST \
  --url https://api.example.com/api/validate-subreddit \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data '
{
  "subreddit": "<string>"
}
'

200

{
  "valid": true,
  "message": "<string>",
  "subreddit": "<string>"
}

Overview

This endpoint validates whether a subreddit name is valid and accessible via the Reddit API. It’s useful for validating user input before creating sessions or fetching content.

Request Body

subreddit · string · required

Subreddit name to validate. Can include r/ prefix or not.

Examples:

• "pics"
• "r/aww"
• "cats"

Response

valid · boolean

Whether the subreddit is valid and accessible

message · string

Error message if validation failed

subreddit · string

The normalized subreddit name (returned when valid)

Examples

Validate a Subreddit

curl -X POST "https://app.joip.io/api/validate-subreddit" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "subreddit": "pics"
  }'

Validate with r/ Prefix

curl -X POST "https://app.joip.io/api/validate-subreddit" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "subreddit": "r/aww"
  }'

Response Examples

Valid Subreddit

{
  "valid": true,
  "subreddit": "pics"
}

Invalid Subreddit

{
  "valid": false,
  "message": "Subreddit not found or inaccessible"
}

Empty Subreddit Name

{
  "valid": false,
  "message": "Invalid subreddit name"
}

Error Responses

Missing Subreddit Parameter

Status: 400 Bad Request

{
  "valid": false,
  "message": "Validation error: Required at subreddit"
}

Reddit Service Not Configured

Status: 500 Internal Server Error

{
  "valid": false,
  "message": "Content service is not configured"
}

Validation Error

Status: 500 Internal Server Error

{
  "valid": false,
  "message": "Failed to validate subreddit"
}

Validation Logic

1. Name Cleaning: Removes r/ prefix and trims whitespace
2. Empty Check: Rejects empty strings after cleaning
3. Reddit API Check: Uses centralized Reddit service to verify subreddit exists and is accessible
4. Normalization: Returns the cleaned, normalized subreddit name on success

Use Cases

• Form Validation: Validate subreddit input in real-time as users type
• Bulk Validation: Validate multiple subreddits before session creation
• Autocomplete: Confirm a subreddit exists before adding it to a list
• Error Prevention: Prevent invalid subreddits from being saved to sessions

Notes

• Subreddit names are case-insensitive
• The r/ prefix is optional and automatically stripped
• Validation checks both existence and accessibility (some subreddits may be private or quarantined)
• The endpoint uses the centralized Reddit service, which handles API credentials and caching
• This endpoint does not require authentication