Quora

Source Vitals

Source Attributes	Description

Source Attributes	Description
Data Collection Method	real-time firehose
Geographic Coverage	English-language only, primarily US
Key Use Cases	insights from expert communities; product and market research; influencer identification
Delivery Methods	full stream; search API

Data Dictionary

New Content Stream

New questions

Field	Description

Field	Description
question_id	Alphanumeric unique identifier for the question
creation_time	Timestamp when the question was added, epoch time
title	Text of the question
url	URL of the question page
topic_ids	A list of alphanumeric unique identifiers for topics applied to the question
socialgist_metadata": {"urls":	A list of URLs found in the text of a question

Example

{
 "url":"https://www.quora.com/Is-cheerleading-a-sport",
 "question_id":"4869194f045db48d4679ce6348e36d5c",
 "title":"Is cheerleading a sport?",
 "creation_time":1286102165,
 "topic_ids":["e90278554ee3b1b8cbf5be3f25e30cd5", "ce1619fd7c524399745b6ef0aacfd0ca"]
}

New answers

Field	Description
answer_id	Alphanumeric unique identifier for the answer
creation_time	Timestamp when the answer was added, epoch time
url	URL of the answer page
question_id	Alphanumeric unique identifier for the question
content	Textual content of the answer
author_id	Unique identifier for the user
"socialgist_metadata": {"urls":	A list of URLs found in the text of an answer

Example

{
  "answer_id": "172121f6f552b7dd0e750b9913f4e681",
  "question_id": "33b862e7d7343f2c9ef44415795f22b6",
  "content": "There are some places in the world where sun rarely rises and this is due to the geographical location of that places. you can check out some places in the below video where sun rises only for a few hours. These are some of the coldest places in the world.\n\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozS8SNOlCJQ\n",
  "url": "https://www.quora.com/Is-there-any-place-where-the-sun-rises-once-in-a-year/answer/Sonia-813",
  "creation_time": 1593017367,
  "type": "answer",
  "language": "english",
  "language_code": "en",
  "author": {
    "user_id": 1015270665,
    "user_profile_url": "",
    "profile_img_url": "",
    "user_name": "",
    "all_work_credentials": [],
    "all_school_credentials": [],
    "language_credentials": [],
    "topic_credentials": [],
    "location": "",
    "knows_about": [],
    "short_bio": "",
    "long_bio": ""
  },
  "socialgist_metadata": {
    "urls": [
      {
        "source_url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozS8SNOlCJQ",
        "unwound_url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozS8SNOlCJQ",
        "unwound_status": 429
      }
    ]
  }
}

New comments

Field	Description
comment_id	Alphanumeric unique identifier for the comment
creation_time	Timestamp when the comment was added, epoch time
url	URL of the comment page
parent_id	Alphanumeric unique identifier for the answer the comment is on
parent_url	URL of the answer the comment is on
content	Textual content of the comment
author_id	Unique identifier for the user
"socialgist_metadata": {"urls":	A list of URLs found in the text of a comment

Example

{
  "comment_id": "4eaeec0af4c6affa7e5aa171c080d566",
  "parent_id": "665312552f21a00d43a691655534aab3",
  "parent_url": "https://www.quora.com/How-will-the-Apple-transition-to-their-own-CPUs-affect-compatibility-with-PC-applications/answer/Chuck-Rogers-1",
  "content": "You can see Parallels official comment here Apple’s WWDC Features Parallels Desktop for Mac Running on Mac with Apple Silicon [ https://www.parallels.com/blogs/apple-silicon-wwdc/ ] However they specifically avoided answering the multiple (and basically only) question posed in the comments about running Windows VMs. Considering the question was first brought up a year ago, this is not a good sign. VMWare is also mum about this, giving only a vague post on Twitter not mentioning Intel VMs on ARM. Not a peep at all I could find about VirtualBox.",
  "url": "https://www.quora.com/How-will-the-Apple-transition-to-their-own-CPUs-affect-compatibility-with-PC-applications/answer/Chuck-Rogers-1/comment/146599973",
  "creation_time": 1593017435,
  "type": "comment",
  "language": "english",
  "language_code": "en",
  "author": {
    "user_id": 3658254,
    "user_profile_url": "",
    "profile_img_url": "",
    "user_name": "",
    "all_work_credentials": [
      "former Instructor (retired) at Oregon Institute of Technology (1990-2015)",
      "former Electrical Engineer at Credence Systems (1998-2006)",
      "former Electrical Engineer at Tektronix (1973-1998)"
    ],
    "all_school_credentials": [
      "Master's Electrical Engineering, Stanford University (1973)",
      "B.S. Electrical Engineering, Cornell University (1971)"
    ],
    "language_credentials": [],
    "topic_credentials": [
      {
        "topic_id": "78efc5a6cd57f49f2265de4161098b2e",
        "credential": "Author of \"Far Inside The Arduino\", 45 years experience"
      },
      {
        "topic_id": "0430d835923d8826202c6b0b81c89bf4",
        "credential": "Mac user since 2004"
      },
      {
        "topic_id": "cbc313383db96082d9971915d6393efa",
        "credential": "Photography hobbyist since I was a child in the '50s"
      },      
      {
        "topic_id": "90c0b3bdd9c6d8a2eec9fc23d4ec6edd",
        "credential": "Taught digital courses and programming at Portland campus, 1990-2015. (retired)"
      }
    ],
    "location": "lives in Oregon (1973-present)",
    "knows_about": [
      {
        "topic_id": "78efc5a6cd57f49f2265de4161098b2e",
        "answer_count": 332
      },
      {
        "topic_id": "be85cd2cfd4dfde772e97bfacbcd7540",
        "answer_count": 68
      },
      {
        "topic_id": "93b4fa5f25c6a1df827f056035422c43",
        "answer_count": 12
      },
      {
        "topic_id": "1e62c1933a69c8be6c8068cbef39d491",
        "answer_count": 1
      },
      {
        "topic_id": "35cc52df27727e75574e865c354f8a2b",
        "answer_count": 82
      }
    ],
    "short_bio": "Retired Electrical Engineer (after 43 years)",
    "long_bio": "Now retired with 0ver 42 years electrical engineering experience and 11 patents granted. 25 years part time teaching digital electronics and programming. Apple Mac user since 2004.\n\nI’ve written three books available on Amazon about 68HCS12 microcontrollers, Arduino (AVR) microcontrollers, and implementing a PDP-8 computer in an FPGA."
  },
  "socialgist_metadata": {
    "urls": [
      {
        "source_url": "https://www.parallels.com/blogs/apple-silicon-wwdc/",
        "unwound_url": "https://www.parallels.com/blogs/apple-silicon-wwdc/",
        "unwound_status": 200
      }
    ]
  }
}

Engagement & Viewership Metadata Stream

Question metadata changes

Field	Description

Field	Description
question_id	Alphanumeric unique identifier for the question
edit_time	Timestamp when the updated metadata statistics were pulled, epoch time
view_count	Integer, number of views on the question
answer_count	Integer, number of non-deleted answers on the question
follow_count	Integer, number of followers on the question

Example

{
"question_id":"4869194f045db48d4679ce6348e36d5c",
"edit_time": 1286966165,
"view_count":2748,
"follow_count":8,
"answer_count":26
}

Answer metadata changes

Field	Description

Field	Description
answer_id	Alphanumeric unique identifier for the answer
edit_time	Timestamp when the updated metadata statistics were pulled, epoch time
view_count	Total views on the answer
share_count	Total shares of the answer
comment_count	Total comments on the answer
upvote_count	Total upvotes on the answer

Example

{
"answer_id":"b7433a23b83d50b989f0b12dceee6a5f",
"edit_time": 1577321304,
"view_count":21831,
"share_count":19,
"comment_count":4,
"upvote_count":341
}

Comment metadata changes

Field	Description

Field	Description
comment_id	Alphanumeric unique identifier for the comment
edit_time	Timestamp when the updated metadata statistics were pulled, epoch time
upvote_count	Number of upvotes on the comment

Example

{
"comment_id":"ee3d7b525667e195c1104d0746071b16",
"edit_time": 1580950639,
"upvote_count":6
}

Compliance Events (Edits & Deletes) Stream

Deleted questions

Field	Description

Field	Description
deleted_question_id	Alphanumeric unique identifier for the question

Example

{
"deleted_question_id":"305ee15e9383e121df96e022909a4a0c"
}

Edited questions

Field	Description

Field	Description
question_id	Alphanumeric unique identifier for the question
edit_time	Timestamp when the edit occurred, epoch time
title	String, text of the question
url	URL of the question page
topic_ids	A list of alphanumeric unique identifiers for topics applied to the question

Example

{
"url":"https://www.quora.com/Will-the-Latin-language-ever-come-back-Why-or-why not",
"question_id":"305ee15e9383e121df96e022909a4a0c",
"title":"Will the Latin language ever come back? Why or why not?",
"edit_time":1278211178,
"topic_ids":["6cc4a9e84c0ad722ac2e7c20d7433190", "c11c95746fdb80010322ebf46c68855b", "aa77c62214179e62d5d5d00008e21b3d", "af496de2462a421fb4b6ed1c604e4c48", "203685942b698733899c509b3bc59377", "e0a36dc5f62a4cf2637031316d02f647", "49cb365d12a24990310f65d335916a72", "dc943f8c72ac294d7b20ea32e6b47d64"]
}

Deleted answers

Field	Description

Field	Description
deleted_answer_id	Alphanumeric unique identifier for the deleted answer

"deleted_answer_id" : alphanumeric unique identifier for the answer

Example

{
"deleted_answer_id": "ce65416cd99d7723b309bed1dc0971a4"
}

Edited answers

Field	Description

Field	Description
answer_id	Alphanumeric unique identifier for the answer
edit_time	Timestamp when the answer was edited, epoch time
url	URL of the answer page
question_id	Alphanumeric unique identifier for the question
content	Textual content of the answer
author_id	Unique identifier for the user

Example

{
"url":"https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-of-the-best-business-books/answer/Ryan-Holiday",
"answer_id":"b7433a23b83d50b989f0b12dceee6a5f",
"question_id":"ce0c9d427c7f06cbdc1bbd5831ff4757",
"content":"There are a lot of terrible business books out there. In fact, most business books aren’t even books—they are business cards for the writers or ego trips for CEOs. But the great business books? They are worth their weight in gold. They can change your life, they can pay for themselves a thousand times over. Consider that Warren Buffett believes the greatest investment he ever made to be The Intelligent Investor, written by his mentor Benjamin Graham. As Buffett put it, “of all the investments I ever made…[it] was the best.”\n\nCertainly some of the books below were (albeit slightly less profitable) some of the best investments I’ve ever made in my life with time or money. I don’t think business books are all a person should read. Many of the most helpful books I’ve read in my career were works of fiction or were ancient classics. But this is a genre that has value—no matter how much literary snobs may look down on it—and below are my favorites (in no particular order). If you’re looking for a business education, they are a lot cheaper than an MBA.\n\nEnjoy!\n\nLetters from a Self-Made Merchant to His Son by George Horace Lorimer — This book of letters is great—I wish my father had written me stuff this good. It is the fictional correspondence between Old Gorgon Graham, a self-made millionaire in Chicago, and his son who is coming of age and entering the family business.",
"edit_time":1576025304,
"author_id": 25565912
}

Deleted comments

Field	Description

Field	Description
deleted_comment_id	Alphanumeric unique identifier for the comment

Example

{
"deleted_comment_id": "67e735166aa5fded8d11d09d0fdc2187"
}

Edited comments

Field	Description

Field	Description
comment_id	Alphanumeric unique identifier for the comment
edit_time	Timestamp when the comment was edited, epoch time
url	URL of the comment page
parent_id	Alphanumeric unique identifier for the answer the comment is on
parent_url	URL of the answer the comment is on
content	Textual content of the comment
author_id	Unique identifier for the user

Example

{
"comment_id": "e8f6754c6b6d0e48edd885fc2905a917",
"url": "https://www.quora.com/Is-winning-a-car-a-total-pain-in-the-butt/answer/Phillip-Remaker/comment/125184406",
"parent_id": "2eecbff1c65bc7ed64152c4616339b35",
"parent_url": "https://www.quora.com/Is-winning-a-car-a-total-pain-in-the-butt/answer/Phillip-Remaker",
"content": "Winning a car in the US is a pain in the butt, for both the winner and the contest runner.\n\nIn 2004, Oprah Winfrey gave everyone in her audience a new car, 276 of them, Oprah gives away nearly 300 new cars. Alas, scandal wasn’t far behind. For one thing, the gift wasn’t really from Oprah at all. Pontiac had donated the cars, paying the hefty price tag out of its advertising budget, because the company hoped that that the giveaway would drum up some enthusiasm for its new G-6 line.",
"edit_time": 1579632767,
"author_id": 2424683
}

Topics Stream

New topics

Field	Description

Field	Description
topic_id	Alphanumeric unique identifier for the topic
topic_name	String, text of the name of the topic
topic_url	URL of the associated topic page

Example

{
"topic_id":"aa77c62214179e62d5d5d00008e21b3d",
"topic_url":"https://www.quora.com/topic/Cinema-of-Europe",
"topic_name":"Cinema of Europe"
}

Edited topics

Field	Description

Field	Description
topic_id	Alphanumeric unique identifier for the topic
topic_name	String, text of the name of the topic
topic_url	URL of the associated topic page

Example

{
"topic_id":"7e3e426daf0d34c4945f26f79fb50246",
"topic_url":"https://www.quora.com/topic/Dermatology",
"topic_name":"Dermatology"
}

Deleted topics

Includes existing topics that have been edited on Quora’s platform.

Field	Description

Field	Description
deleted_topic_id	Alphanumeric unique identifier for the topic

Example

{
"deleted_topic_id": "4869194f045db48d4679ce6348e36d5c"
}

Authors Stream

New authors

Field	Description

Field	Description
user_id	Unique identifier for the user
user_name	Starting May 6, 2022, this field is no longer populated
user_profile_url	Starting May 6, 2022, this field is no longer populated
profile_img_url	Starting May 6, 2022, this field is no longer populated
short_bio	A brief description of the user, visible on the profile URL
long_bio	A longer description about the user, visible on the profile URL
location	The author’s indication of where she or he lives, visible on the profile URL
all_work_credentials	List of the author’s indication of what she or he works at and what she or he worked at, visible on the profile url
all_school_credentials	List of the author’s indication of where she or he went to school, visible on the profile url
language_credentials	List of the author’s indication of what language she or he speaks
topic_credentials	List of author’s credentials associated with hashed topic id
knows_about	List of topics that the user reports knowing about "topic_id" : alphanumeric unique identifier for the object "answer_count" : the number of answers written by the author in the topic

Example

{
"user_id": 25565912, 
"user_profile_url":"",
"user_name":"",
"all_work_credentials": ["worked at Facebook", "worked at Apple"],
"All_school_credentials": ["studied at University of California, Riverside", "studied at Riverside Poly High School”],
"language_credentials" :["knows English"],
"topic_credentials": [{"topic_id":"f48fcb9759d1da31163a70bf8b06e3e6", "credential":"Thrift evolved out of an RPC system I made."}, {"topic_id": "a52923b9495c272ed199a9fe2be8db4e", "credential":"wrote a lot of Android apps"}],
"location":"lived in New Orleans",
"knows_about":[{"topic_id":"441282299eebf39eacfabd1276a88185", "answer_count":2},{"topic_id":"a52923b9495c272ed199a9fe2be8db4e", "answer_count":9},{"topic_id":"fc41ff332341c74a5763b00d6549b5b8", "answer_count":16},{"topic_id":"f953fbf58ead0f13aa80d8dcef6e2972", "answer_count":5},{"topic_id":"e312a617fcb922a3020a883cddd38ad5", "answer_count":15},{"topic_id":"8184b832d62908dfc0fd2bec3d7173c6", "answer_count":1},{"topic_id":"b89bb1017bd0b92b8d6ec0933817b0f8", "answer_count":16},{"topic_id":"c1086e3a3c157e3e9f13d3b8fd760fff", "answer_count":8},{"topic_id":"f48fcb9759d1da31163a70bf8b06e3e6", "answer_count":21},{"topic_id":"928e98a6a28aeeedfe5450b78fa0e229","answer_count":41}],
"short_bio":"Bestselling author of Stillness is the Key and Daily Stoic",
"long_bio":"Ryan Holiday is the bestselling author of The Obstacle Is The Way [ http://theobstacleistheway.com/ ], Ego Is The Enemy [ https://www.amazon.com/Ego-Enemy-Ryan-Holiday/dp/1591847818 ], The Daily Stoic [ https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Stoic-Meditations-Wisdom-Perseverance/dp/0735211736 ], Perennial Seller [ https://www.amazon.com/Perennial-Seller-Making-Marketing-Lasts/dp/0143109014 ], and now Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue [ https://www.amazon.com/Conspiracy-Peter-Gawker-Anatomy-Intrigue/dp/0735217645 ]. His books have become popular with NFL teams like the Seattle Seahawks, the Texas Rangers, and the Alabama Crimson Tide. For an introduction to stoic philosophy, you can go to the Daily Stoic [ http://DailyStoic.com ] (we also have a popular daily email [ http://dailystoic.com/new-start-here/ ]). In his spare time, he is an editor-at-large for the New York Observer, and partner at Brass Check.",   "profile_img_url":"http://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-thumb-25565912-100-lcvfxteezxmayyqdvxppvtgelkyvquii.jpeg"
}

Edited authors

Field	Description

Field	Description
user_id	Unique identifier for the user
user_name	Starting May 6, 2022, this field is no longer populated
user_profile_url	Starting May 6, 2022, this field is no longer populated
profile_img_url	Starting May 6, 2022, this field is no longer populated
short_bio	A brief description of the user, visible on the profile URL
long_bio	A longer description about the user, visible on the profile URL
location	The author’s indication of where she or he lives, visible on the profile URL
all_work_credentials	List of the author’s indication of what she or he works at and what she or he worked at, visible on the profile url
all_school_credentials	List of the author’s indication of where she or he went to school, visible on the profile url
language_credentials	List of the author’s indication of what language she or he speaks
topic_credentials	List of author’s credentials associated with hashed topic id
knows_about	List of topics that the user reports knowing about "topic_id" : alphanumeric unique identifier for the object "answer_count" : the number of answers written by the author in the topic

Example

{
"user_id":53157304,
"user_name":"",
"user_profile_url":"",  "profile_image_url":"",
"short_bio":"Have been working in startups since 2008",
"long_bio":"Spent majority of working life in restaurants. Started at age 13, chopping vegetables and washing dishes. Owned two, managed a dozen others. From diners to tablecloth operations. Have also worked in startups and the field of inventions. Owned a small marketing research company in the 80’s. Have participated in incubator/accelerator programs. Am currently a principal in a QSR concept development firm with a focus on supermarket located units.\n\nHobbies include screenwriting, world history, computer history, business history, economics, markets, marketing, automobiles, design, physics, propaganda and biography.",
"knows_about":[
{"topic_id":"fe0719a2baa1bf5862e00723363f1335","answer_count":853637},{"topic_id":"09f5507dc5ba8121508a092c10272e56","answer_count":1248},{"topic_id":"96469c2cee9fab97dc38298ba7cd843f","answer_count":2062799}
],
"all_work_credentials": ["worked at Facebook", "worked at Apple.”],
"All_school_credentials": ["studied at University of California, Riverside", "studied at Riverside Poly High School"],
“language_credentials” :[“knows English”],
"topic_credentials": [{"topic_id":"f48fcb9759d1da31163a70bf8b06e3e6", "credential":"Thrift evolved out of an RPC system I made."}, {"topic_id": "a52923b9495c272ed199a9fe2be8db4e", "credential":"wrote a lot of Android apps"}],
}

Author metadata changes

Field	Description

Field	Description
user_id	Unique identifier for the user
edit_time	Timestamp when the updated metadata statistics were pulled, epoch time
follow_count	The number of followers the author has
lifetime_answer_views	The total lifetime views on all the author’s content
content_views_this_month	The total views on the author’s content in the prior 30 days

Example

{
"user_id":53157304,
"edit_time": 1579547893,
"follow_count":492,
"lifetime_answer_views":1136338,
"content_views_this_month":69012
}

Deleted authors

Includes authors whose accounts were deleted on Quora’s platform.

Field	Description

Field	Description
deleted_user_id	Unique identifier for the user

Example

{
"deleted_user_id": 1874201
}

Quora

Source Vitals

Data Dictionary

New Content Stream

Engagement & Viewership Metadata Stream

Compliance Events (Edits & Deletes) Stream

Topics Stream

Authors Stream

Related content