# HackerPods data

Edition: data as of 2026-11-02. Source site: https://hnpods.com/

HackerPods ranks the podcasts Hacker News commenters keep recommending. This archive holds the ranked shows and episodes and every labeled mention behind them.

## Files

### `shows.json`

One object per listed show, in rank order.

- `id`: URL slug; the show page is /shows/<id>
- `name`: Show name as matched in the Apple Podcasts directory
- `aliases`: Other spellings commenters used
- `topics`: Up to two topics
- `itunes`: collection_id, feed_url, artwork_url, genre from the Apple directory
- `links`: apple, overcast, spotify, rss URLs (null when unknown)
- `score`: months with a rec + 0.5 × months with a strong_rec
- `recommender_count`: distinct people who recommended it
- `recommended_month_count`: distinct calendar months with a recommendation
- `rec_month_count / strong_rec_month_count`: months with each stance
- `first_recommended_month / last_recommended_month`: YYYY-MM
- `reference_count, joke_count, critical_count, self_promo_count`: mentions that do not score

### `episodes.json`

Single episodes that cleared the same bar.

- `id`: <show id>:<episode slug>
- `show_id`: the show's id
- `title`: episode title as commenters gave it
- `score, recommender_count, recommended_month_count, …`: as for shows

### `mentions.jsonl`

One labeled mention per line (a comment can name several shows).

- `comment_id, comment_url`: the Hacker News comment
- `author`: HN username
- `month`: YYYY-MM the comment was written
- `story_id, story_title, parent_id`: thread context
- `show_name`: resolved show name
- `level`: show or episode
- `episode_hint`: episode title or description, when level is episode
- `stance`: strong_rec, rec, reference, joke, or critical
- `self_promo`: true when the commenter promotes their own show (never scores)
- `evidence_quote`: verbatim excerpt from the comment
- `confidence, model, prompt_version`: labeler provenance

### `topics.json`

Topic ids and names.

### `stats.json`

Counts for this edition.

## Rules

A mention counts toward rank only when `self_promo` is false and `stance` is `rec` or `strong_rec`. A show or episode is listed when at least 3 distinct people recommend it in at least 3 distinct months. `score` = months with a rec + 0.5 × months with a strong_rec.

## License and attribution

The derived data is released under the Open Data Commons Attribution License (ODC-By) 1.0: https://opendatacommons.org/licenses/by/1-0/

Attribute as: "HackerPods (https://hnpods.com), data as of 2026-11-02". Excerpts in `evidence_quote` are the commenters' own words; link back to `comment_url` when you quote them. HN data via ClickHouse SQL Playground (a mirror of the official HN Firebase API). Show names, links, and artwork URLs come from the Apple Podcasts directory and belong to their owners.