Lurker

Lurker is a lightweight, self-hosted web front-end for browsing Reddit in a read-only fashion. It focuses on a mobile-optimized, low-JavaScript experience and provides basic account and invite management for controlled access.

Key Features

• Read-only Reddit client with mobile-first rendering and responsive layouts
• Minimal client-side JavaScript and server-rendered Pug templates for fast page loads
• Account-based subscription management with invite-only user administration
• Pagination, comment collapsing, jump-to-next/previous comment navigation
• Search-on-undelete helper for deleted comments and hidden spoiler/NSFW content hidden by default
• Stores instance data in a local SQLite database for simple setup and backup
• Provides a small admin dashboard for invites and basic user management

Use Cases

• Host a private, invite-only Reddit browsing instance for friends or a small community
• Provide a lightweight, mobile-friendly Reddit front-end for low-resource devices or networks
• Browse and review deleted or archived comments with search and collapse tools

Limitations and Considerations

• Read-only: no posting, voting, or account syncing with official Reddit accounts
• Uses a local SQLite file with no built-in option to change the storage backend or database path
• Minimal feature expansion expected; intentionally avoids heavy JavaScript and large feature additions

Lurker is designed for simple, private Reddit browsing with low operational overhead. It is suitable where a lightweight, privacy-conscious, read-only front-end is preferred over a full-featured Reddit client.