MangaDex Development Update - API Abuse Enforcement

[Gabriel434]

Well done, have a custom title to celebrate your achievement.

Custom titles in this economy?!
@shinya78 you got blessed by the gods

 

[Kirana865]

Does it have an impact on reading app ?

 

[ZorexLudwin]

Coming up next year:

• Users without an account can't access the chapters.
• Users with a free account can read up to 10 chapters per day.
• Paid membership users can read everything for the low price of $9,99 per month.

I'm only joking of course. Or am I?

i've seen this before....
AND I DON'T LIKE IT

 

[seekermoc]

Wasn't trying and failing to combat scrappers the main reason the original bato shut down? The problem that caused mangadex to come into existence in the first place? We've come full circle, what was old is new again.

 

[KiraEllion]

Well then this change is just a bad change. The only thing it does is limit actual user. Scrapers can get past it as easy as pie. Again I don't wanna put on a thin foiled hat but sure does make you wonder.

but they won't thats how this works.

Think of it this way. you get 50 bucks for opening a door vs you get 50 bucks for climbing mount fuji.

sure if you go after the api you get better cleaning access but most scrapers don't give a shit when they have millions of sites they can scrape it's extra effort for no gain.

Why make the perfect program once when in that time you can get fifteen times the output with 10 half assed projects.

still a terrible solution don't mistake me.

 

[seekermoc]

but they won't thats how this works.

Think of it this way. you get 50 bucks for opening a door vs you get 50 bucks for climbing mount fuji.

sure if you go after the api you get better cleaning access but most scrapers don't give a shit when they have millions of sites they can scrape it's extra effort for no gain.

Why make the perfect program once when in that time you can get fifteen times the output with 10 half assed projects.

still a terrible solution don't mistake me.

It would have made a bigger difference a year or two ago when MD was still the exclusive place where most groups published their chapters. You may be right now that so many groups left, or at least self-publish on top of using MD. Though even now MD is still too big of a target for scrapers to just ignore entirely.

Regardless, I'm curious to see how much these changes disrupt scrapers vs honest unregistered users.

 

[TrashRatMo]

Howdy! As mentioned in our March 2026 and April 2026 development updates, our enforcement of API Abuse has gone live this morning.

What Is This For?
Earlier this year we experienced massive amounts of abuse from scrapers that degraded our service and caused lengthy downtimes. This is our effort to reduce that and prevent degraded service for all users.

What Does This Do?
We have limited our advanced search and the amount of chapters guests can read to 10 chapters per day. By doing this, we are able to prevent bots, scraping, and as a result, ensure a smoother reading experience for users with an account.

What Do I Need To Do?

• If you already have an account, login and continue to use the site as normal, you already have access to the best reading experience currently available. We are working tirelessly to make improvements and make MangaDex even better.
• If you don't have an account, make one! All that's required is a username, password, and an email. This will give you full access to our features such as the updates tab, your library, MDLists, advanced search, and completely removes the 10 chapters per day restriction.

Thank you for reading on MangaDex!

Thank you for the work you’ve been doing to keep this site running!

 

[kashimora]

This is tuff

 

[Geako]

Link to Forum comment section should be on top, after that other "other comments".

 

[shinya78]

New notice just dropped on main site.

This release also reintroduces limits for users not logged in, which was rolled back a couple of weeks ago due to instability concerns.

gtasanandreas_CJ_HereWeGoAgain.gif

 

[TGN]

Hmmm... I do wonder if rate limiting wouldn't be enough to fix the scraper issue instead without hindering the general user experience?
Taking away advanced search seems alright, but 10 chaps a day does seem like it makes the site not really usable for a visitor who might then go to AIDS-giving sites like Kissmanga instead

How many scanlators even upload to Mangadex anymore? Not up-to-speed with politics

 

[BestBoy]

User Search is gone again

 

[eraumavezumnome]

I made an account on purpose on a throwaway mail, just to tell you to go fuck yourself. I can't even access what I was reading anymore. I can't make even a simple search for genre without account, in this has-been site, with UI from 1995. 10 chapters a day? Is that a joke? What you want is money, seen it before. Not getting any from me, especially after this BS move.

It's also extremely easy to see if someone is scrapping this place: the manga will be 20 chapters behind, unlike other places. Or it isn't even here at all, therefore, not on that site either.

Be glad you're even still good enough for bots to sniff you. Bye🖕

 

[HaikenEdge]

How many scanlators even upload to Mangadex anymore? Not up-to-speed with politics

Might be less politics and more the results of the last purge.

 

[Tscheddov]

This limitations have been a bad idea when you first rolled them out and they still are.

this is insane !

Please, roll this back again and bury this idea deep in the ground and seal it with concrete.

 

[Astral1_]

Honestly this is just scummy, I am force to create an account if want to read more than 10 chapters. Like "prevent API abuser and scaplers" my ass. This isn't preventing anything your basically shooting yourselves in the foot while punishing 90% of the Guest users that are clearly not responsible for this. This is doing more harm than good

 

[Tscheddov]

this is just plain terrible.

this way MD is no longer free. 10 chapters a day is ridiculous.
also why limiting the searchbar functionality ?

forcing users to create an account and banning the use of throwaway mail adresses ... EDIT/ CORRECTION: the use of throwaways is not banned.
makes you look like you want to collect as much user data as you can.


thats getting pretty close to the websites/groups that monetize their content by hiding latest chapters behind paywalls etc.
And these paywalled websites/ groups are banned here!
you hide chapters and basic functionality behind account registration and log-in . (login-walled)

except for the scummy ones i know of no other current free Manga website that resorts to such tactics.

@Bartolumiu @Grogzilla @EtherealNeko and whoever is involved in this.

please reconsider these restrictions and revert them.

this does not help with the issue of bots/ and scrapers it just worsens the Mangadex user experience and destroys your reputation even further. MD was once ranked among the top websites, even after the DMCA massacre.
but after the bloody valentine and this restrictions MD dropped really far.
when looking around in boards, forums, chats and whatnot, barely anyone still recommends this website.

Mangadex has been working without this for years and now suddenly its the only way to keep the site running ?
Also the load from bots and scrapes surely has not increased but decreased after the DMCA. Not to mention a number of grups and uploaders abandoned this place and release their stuff elsewhere.


please don't kill MangaDex

 

[finalm]

forcing users to create an account and banning the use of throwaway mail adresses ...
makes you look like you want to collect as much user data as you can.

Give the man a cigar! You're basically asking a corporation not to monetize as much as they think they can get away with and forgo maximizing profit. Unless you can make them convinced they can't get away with it, your chances look slim.

 

[EtherealNeko]

User Search is gone again

User search is available on the search bar for logged-in users.

 

[EtherealNeko]

this way MD is no longer free.

forcing users to create an account and banning the use of throwaway mail adresses ...

MangaDex continues to be free. Please point out where in the sign-up process you're asked to pay.

Throwaway email addresses aren't banned; plenty of users use them. Obviously, they then have issues logging in if they forget their password, but that's their choice.