lemmy.search_users

stable Advanced

Search Lemmy users.

GET /v1/lemmy/search_users

What you get#

A list of Lemmy results in Onekey's unified shape, in data (an array). An empty array is a normal, successful answer and is charged like any other; a source that reports "nothing found" as an error returns a free 404 not_found instead.

What it costs#

Advanced · 5 credits for a fresh fetch, charged only when it succeeds.
Free when served from cache (0.2 credit for a cached response over 100 KB).
Free if the request is invalid (never charged) or the source fails or reports not found (refunded).

Parameters#

Name	Type	Required	Default	What it is	Constraints
`instance`	string	no	-	Known Lemmy instance (allowlisted), default lemmy.world	max 253 chars; must match `[a-z0-9.-]{3,253}`; trimmed, lowercased
`q`	string	yes	(required)	Search query	max 200 chars; trimmed, repeated spaces collapsed

Request#

curl "https://api.onekey.dev/v1/lemmy/search_users?q=lemmy" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Try it

Add your key to run this call right here. No key? Get one free. The key stays in this tab.

Recorded response#

A real Lemmy response, recorded and returned in Onekey's shape. Fields the platform does not provide are null.

json

{
  "success": true,
  "data": [
    {
      "author": {
        "id": "1163179",
        "username": "WhatAmLemmy",
        "displayName": null,
        "url": "https://lemmy.world/u/WhatAmLemmy",
        "avatarUrl": null
      },
      "content": {
        "text": null,
        "createdAt": "2023-07-18T11:18:18Z"
      },
      "ext": {
        "posts": 22
      },
      "engagement": {
        "comments": 5297
      }
    },
    {
      "author": {
        "id": "13501340",
        "username": "Lemmyoutofhere",
        "displayName": null,
        "url": "https://lemmy.ca/u/Lemmyoutofhere",
        "avatarUrl": "https://lemmy.ca/pictrs/image/4e0f44fb-506d-4d23-8eae-be650a1277f9.jpeg"
      },
      "content": {
        "text": null,
        "createdAt": "2025-03-08T13:25:54Z"
      },
      "ext": {
        "posts": 30
      },
      "engagement": {
        "comments": 4804
      }
    }
  ],
  "metadata": {
    "platform": "lemmy",
    "endpoint": "search_users",
    "cached": false,
    "stale": false,
    "age_s": 0,
    "fetched_at": "2026-01-01T12:00:00+00:00",
    "credits_charged": 5,
    "request_id": "7f3a9c2e5b1d4c8fa2e6d0b9c4f18e37"
  },
  "error": null
}

Field mapping#

How this endpoint's source fields become Onekey's unified schema. Fields the source lacks come back as null.

Source path	Onekey field	Transform
`person.id`	`author.id`	`toString`
`person.name`	`author.username`	-
`person.display_name`	`author.displayName`	-
`person.actor_id`	`author.url`	`safeUrl`
`person.avatar`	`author.avatarUrl`	`safeUrl`
`person.bio`	`content.text`	-
`person.published`	`content.createdAt`	`toIsoDate`
`counts.post_count`	`ext.posts`	`toNumber`
`counts.comment_count`	`engagement.comments`	`toNumber`

Caching and freshness#

Fresh for about 2 minutes. Repeat calls in that window are served from cache and are free.
Between 2 minutes and 15 minutes the cached copy is still served instantly and marked stale: true while Onekey refreshes it in the background.
If the source is down when a refresh is needed, the last copy can be served for up to 1 hour more (marked stale).
A "not found" is remembered for 1 minute and is free.
The cache is shared across all customers, which is what keeps repeat calls cheap.

What can go wrong#

Status	Code	What to do
401	`unauthorized`	Check the `x-api-key` header.
402	`insufficient_credits`	Add credits; your balance must cover the price.
404	`not_found`	Unknown endpoint path.
422	`invalid_params`	Fix the parameters using the table above. Free.
429	`rate_limited`	Wait `Retry-After` seconds, then retry.
502	`upstream_error`	The source failed. Refunded; retry with backoff.

See Errors for the full list and retry guidance.

Status: stable (verified against the live source).