Bluesky is built on the AT Protocol — a fully open, decentralized protocol where all public data is accessible via REST API. No API key. No rate limit anxiety. No $42,000/year enterprise tier.
Compare this to Twitter/X:
| Feature | Twitter/X API | Bluesky AT Protocol |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $100/mo Basic, $42K/yr Enterprise | Free |
| Authentication | OAuth 2.0 required | None for public data |
| Rate limits | 1,500 tweets/read per 15 min | Generous, no strict limits |
| Scope | Restricted after 2023 changes | Full access to all public data |
| Data format | JSON | JSON |
| User base | ~500M | ~41M (growing 300%/yr) |
What You Can Access on Bluesky for Free
GET https://public.api.bsky.app/xrpc/app.bsky.actor.getProfile?actor=handle.bsky.social
GET https://public.api.bsky.app/xrpc/app.bsky.feed.getAuthorFeed?actor=did:plc:...
GET https://public.api.bsky.app/xrpc/app.bsky.graph.getFollowers?actor=handle.bsky.social
Profiles, posts, followers, following, likes, reposts — all structured JSON.
Why This Matters for Research
The tech-savvy early adopters migrated from Twitter to Bluesky. If you're monitoring developer conversations, startup launches, or tech industry sentiment — Bluesky is where the signal is.
Tools
- Bluesky Scraper — profiles + posts
- Bluesky Feed Monitor — engagement trends
- Bluesky Hashtag Tracker — trending topics
- Bluesky Profile Batch — bulk lookup
All free: Apify Store
Custom social data — $20: Order via Payoneer
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