This is a submission for the Bright Data Web Scraping Challenge: Most Creative Use of Web Data for AI Models
What I Built
Reddit Recap is an application that scrapes subreddits using BrightData and generates concise summaries every two hours. These summaries are then converted into audio briefings, all accessible through a beautiful web app, allowing users to effortlessly stay informed about their favorite communities.
Why I Built It
I wanted to tackle a personal problem I've faced: staying up-to-date with the latest discussions and news in the communities I care about. While Reddit offers an incredible wealth of discussions, the sheer volume of content became overwhelming. That's why I created Reddit Recap—a tool that distills the platform's endless stream of information into digestible, curated updates, helping me stay connected to the conversations that matter most to me.
Demo
Check out Reddit Recap here. While I've customized the current deployment to track subreddits that match my interests (r/singularity, r/LocalLLaMA, and r/homeautomation), you can easily create your own version by using the source code to monitor the communities you care about.
How I Used Bright Data
Bright Data was absolutely essential for building Reddit Recap. Scraping Reddit is incredibly challenging due to its sophisticated anti-scraping mechanisms. I leveraged BrightData's Web Scraper API for:
Reliable Data Extraction: Reddit Dataset (gd_lvz8ah06191smkebj4) provided structured and dependable access to Reddit posts, eliminating the need to build and maintain my own complex scraping infrastructure.
Bypassing Anti-Scraping Measures: Bright Data's infrastructure seamlessly handles IP blocking, CAPTCHAs, and other anti-scraping techniques that would cripple traditional scrapers. This allowed me to focus on the application's core logic.
Efficient Data Retrieval: The Bright Data API made it easy to target specific subreddits and retrieve the latest top posts in a structured format, saving significant development time.
Here is a high level architectural overview of the app
The web app can also qualify under: Prompt 1: Scrape Data from Complex, Interactive Websites
The Benefits of Reddit Recap
Reddit Recap offers several key advantages for busy individuals:
- Stay Informed Effortlessly: No more endless scrolling! Get the gist of what's happening in your favorite subreddits in minutes.
- Audio Summaries on the Go: Listen to your Reddit news during your commute, workout, or while doing chores.
- Time Savings: Reclaim valuable time by quickly catching up on relevant discussions.
- Clean and Organized Presentation: The web app provides a clear and easy-to-navigate interface for accessing the summaries.
This submission was made by Dhanush Reddy
Code
You can find complete code here, feel free to fork it and customise as per your subreddit interests
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