User profile
1 credit/v1/github/profilePublic user profile: login, name, avatar, bio, follower and following counts, public repository count, and account creation date.
handle
GitHub APIScrape public GitHub data with one API
Fetch public GitHub profiles, repos, issues, releases, and search as structured JSON with one SocialCrawl API key. Same Author, Post, and Comment schema as every other platform. Reads are priced in credits.
/v1/github
11 active endpoints. 1 dossier composite.
- GET /v1/github/profile
- GET /v1/github/repo
- GET /v1/github/profile/repos
- GET /v1/github/repo/readme
- GET /v1/github/repo/releases
- GET /v1/github/repo/issues
- GET /v1/github/issue
- GET /v1/github/issue/comments
- GET /v1/github/search
- GET /v1/github/repo/top-issues
- GET /v1/github/repo/dossier
- GET /v1/github/user/profile-velocity
What GitHub endpoints does SocialCrawl ship?
Eleven live read endpoints plus one dossier composite for public GitHub data. User profiles, repositories, READMEs, releases, issues, comments, search, and contribution velocity. Data API only. No private repos, no write access, no GitHub OAuth app.
Repository
1 credit/v1/github/repoOne repository: full name, description, stars, forks, open issues, watchers, main language, and creation date.
url
Profile repositories
1 credit/v1/github/profile/reposPublic repositories a user owns: name, description, main language, star and fork counts, created and last-pushed dates.
handle, type, sort, direction, per_page, page
Repository README
1 credit/v1/github/repo/readmeRepository README as plain file content, ready to read or feed to a model.
url
Repository releases
1 credit/v1/github/repo/releasesRecent releases, newest first: tag, name, release notes, publish date, prerelease flag, and downloadable files.
url, per_page, page
Repository issues
1 credit/v1/github/repo/issuesIssues for one repository: title, body, author, labels, state, and dates. Pull requests appear in the list and are marked. Filter by type, state, label, or date.
url, type, state, labels, sort, direction, since, per_page, page
Issue or pull request
1 credit/v1/github/issueOne issue or pull request by URL: title, body, author, labels, state, reaction counts, comment count, and dates.
url
Issue comments
1 credit/v1/github/issue/commentsComments on one issue or pull request, oldest first: id, author, body, reaction count, and time posted.
url, since, per_page, page
Issue search
1 credit/v1/github/searchIssues and pull requests across GitHub that match a query, plus total match count. Uses GitHub search syntax.
query, sort, order, per_page, page
Top issues
5 credits/v1/github/repo/top-issuesTwo issues for a repository: the top feature request by reactions, and the top complaint by discussion volume.
url
Profile velocity
10 credits/v1/github/user/profile-velocityContribution dossier for a user: PRs opened and merged, outside repositories they contribute to, and their own repositories. depth controls how many repos get extra detail.
handle, depth
Repo dossier
5 credits/v1/github/repo/dossierOne call for a repository: details, README excerpt, latest three releases, top feature request, and top complaint. Use it when you would otherwise call repo, readme, releases, and issues separately.
Legs: repo metadata, README excerpt, latest releases, top feature request, top complaint. Failed optional legs do not block the rest of the dossier.
GitHub API12 endpoints supported
View docsReturns a GitHub user's public profile: login, name, avatar, bio, follower and following counts, public repository count, and account creation date.
Use it when you have a username and want a snapshot of the person before listing their repositories.
GET/v1/github/profile?handle=octocat
handle · GitHub username — 1–39 chars, alphanumeric + non-consecutive hyphens, no leading/trailing hyphen.
$ curl https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/github/profile?handle=octocat \
-H "x-api-key: sc_YOUR_API_KEY"— · idle
// Running this live needs your own API key — hit "Try it" to see an example responseHow the GitHub API works
GitHub is a normal SocialCrawl social surface. You call GET /v1/github/… with an API key, spend credits on live misses, and get a single JSON envelope back. No GitHub OAuth app. No second SDK.
Authenticate every call
Send your key in the x-api-key header. No GitHub OAuth app and no personal access token in your client. The same key works across the SocialCrawl catalog.
GET with query params
All GitHub routes are GET. Pass handle, url, query, depth, and filters as query strings. We validate formats before charging.
Pay in credits, not seats
Standard reads cost 1 credit. Top issues and repo dossier cost 5. Profile velocity costs 10. Cache hits cost 0. Empty or hard failures refund.
Read one JSON envelope
Every response is the same shape: success, data, credits_used, credits_remaining, request_id, cached. Lists also carry pagination when the route supports it.
The usual integration chain
Most products resolve a user or repo, list surface content, then deepen only the issues that matter.
01Profile or repo
GET /v1/github/repo?url=…Author-shaped user or repository card with stars, language, and counters
Resolve the handle or repo URL once before listing content.
02Repos and README
GET /v1/github/repo/issues?url=…&state=openRepo list for a user, or README and releases for one project
Surface inventory and project write-up before you open issues.
03Issues
GET /v1/github/issue?url=…Issue list for a repo, or one issue by URL
List rows are not enough when you need labels, body, or state filters.
04Comments or dossier
GET /v1/github/issue/comments?url=…Issue comments, top-issues pair, or full repo dossier
Expand discussion or summarize a project only when the item matters.
request
GET /v1/github/repo
?url=https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World
Host: www.socialcrawl.dev
x-api-key: sc_your_api_key_here
# deepen issues
GET /v1/github/repo/issues?url=https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World&state=open
GET /v1/github/repo/dossier?url=https://github.com/octocat/Hello-Worldresponse envelope
{
"success": true,
"data": {
"id": "octocat/Hello-World",
"username": "octocat/Hello-World",
"display_name": "Hello-World",
"followers": 2800,
"url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World",
"ext": {
"language": "C",
"forks": 1400,
"open_issues": 12
}
},
"credits_used": 1,
"credits_remaining": 9999,
"request_id": "req_…",
"cached": false
}What lands in data
Field names match the rest of SocialCrawl where archetypes align. Repo cards and issue threads use the same leaves as other platforms.
Authorprofile, repo
id, username (login), display_name, avatar_url, bio, followers, following, url, ext (public repos, created_at)
PostList / Postprofile/repos, repo/releases, repo/issues
repo or issue records as Post: id, url, content.text, engagement (stars/reactions, comments), author, published_at, ext (language, labels, state, forks)
CommentListissue, issue/comments, search
items[] with author, content.text, engagement, published_at for issue or pull request discussion
Analyticsdossier, top-issues, profile-velocity
top-issues pair, repo dossier (info, readme, releases, top_issues), or profile-velocity (velocity, contributed_repos, own_repos)
Inside the gateway
Same request lifecycle as every other /v1 platform endpoint. GitHub is not a sidecar.
- 01
Edge receives the call
Next.js catch-all routes into the Hono social API. We mint a request_id, authenticate the key, then enforce rate limit (600/min) and concurrency (50 in flight per key).
- 02
Validate, then debit
Registry lookup finds github/profile (or repo, issues, search). Required params and URL or handle format checks run first. Invalid input returns 400 with no charge. Valid calls debit the tier cost atomically before upstream work.
- 03
Cache or fetch
A deterministic cache key is built from platform + resource + params. Hit: return immediately, credits_used = 0. Miss: direct GitHub REST for standard reads; composite routes fan out multiple GitHub calls. Retries on 5xx/network with a circuit breaker if the source is unhealthy.
- 04
Normalize and return
Upstream JSON is mapped to Author / Post / PostList / CommentList / Analytics, validated against the canonical Zod schema, then wrapped in the success envelope and logged for billing audit.
Billing rules that matter in production
- Standard live miss: 1 credit
- Top issues: 5 credits flat
- Repo dossier: 5 credits flat
- Profile velocity: 10 credits
- Cache hit: 0 credits
- Empty / hard fail: auto-refund
- Bad params: 400, never charged
- No credits: 402, never charged
- Disabled routes: 503, never charged
How we get the data
GitHub is public-read developer data. We normalize it into the SocialCrawl schema so your code does not learn a second OAuth flow or GitHub-only response shapes.
What GitHub is for this API
Public profiles, repositories, READMEs, releases, issues, pull requests, and comments. Read-only surface for research, monitoring, and product jobs. No private repos and no write access.
How SocialCrawl reaches it
Direct GitHub REST API (api.github.com) behind the SocialCrawl gateway. Composite routes (top-issues, dossier, profile-velocity) fan out multiple GitHub calls and fold the results.
What leaves our edge
A unified JSON envelope: success, data, credits_used, request_id, cached. Users become Author objects. Repos and issues share Post leaves where the archetypes align.
What we do not ship live
No write endpoints. No private repository content. No GitHub Actions logs or org admin surfaces. Prefer the registry docs for the live inventory.
field map sketch
user / repo card→ author.*login, bio, followers, public repos, avatar
issue / PR title + body→ post.content.text + ext.*stars, forks, language, open issues, description
issue comments list→ CommentList items[]issue title, labels, state, reactions, comments
What this API is used for
The jobs this API is most often used for.
12active GitHub endpoints in the registry
1 / 5 / 10credit ladder for standard, advanced, premium
Repo intelligence and developer contribution monitoring
Callers concentrate on profile and repo cards, issue lists, README and release pulls, and dossier or velocity composites when a single project or person needs a dense summary. Public GitHub reads on the shared schema with credit pricing. No GitHub OAuth app in your stack. Composites fold multi-call dossiers into one billed route.
Standard profile, repo, and issue calls are typically a few seconds on live miss. Composites (top-issues, dossier, profile-velocity) are slower because they fan out multiple upstream calls.
What people build with the GitHub API
The jobs GitHub data is most often used for. Each one is a full recipe with the endpoint chain and pricing.
Use case examples
Common ways teams put this data to work, and the stack each one tends to run.
Open-source monitors
Python, cron, Slack botsPoll repo cards, releases, and issue lists for a fixed set of projects. Alert when stars, open issues, or release notes change.
Product research teams
Node, notebooks, BI loadsSearch issues across GitHub, then expand issue body, comments, and top-issues or dossier for feature requests and complaints.
Backend product jobs
Go, workers, ExplorerWire profile to repos to README to issues into pipelines. Profile-velocity for contributor scoring. Same key as the rest of SocialCrawl.
Call it in two lines
Standard tier is one credit per live call. Cache hits are free. Top issues, dossier, and profile velocity use the higher rungs.
curl "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/github/repo?url=https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World" \
-H "x-api-key: sc_your_api_key_here"curl "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/github/search?query=is:issue+label:bug" \
-H "x-api-key: sc_your_api_key_here"Same key as the rest of the catalog
Endpoints
What data does the GitHub API return?
Every endpoint returns structured JSON in a unified envelope. Computed fields such as engagement rate and content category are included only where the endpoint supports them and the required source inputs are present.
ProfileGet a GitHub user profileRepoGet a GitHub repositoryProfile ReposList a GitHub user's repositoriesRepo ReadmeGet a repository's READMERepo ReleasesList a repository's releasesRepo IssuesList a repository's issues (and PRs)IssueGet a single issue or pull requestIssue CommentsGet comments on an issue or pull requestSearchSearch GitHub issues and pull requestsRepo Top IssuesTop feature request and top complaint for a repositoryRepo DossierFull project dossier for a repositoryUser Profile VelocityUser contribution velocity dossier
Comparison
How does SocialCrawl compare to Official GitHub REST API for GitHub data?
Same GitHub data, two very different paths. Auth, rate limits, schema, and cost — side by side.
| Feature | SocialCrawl | Official GitHub REST API |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication | One x-api-key shared across 48 platforms | Personal access token (PAT) to create, scope, and rotate |
| Setup | Sign up, copy your key, send a GET. No app registration | Free, but you manage tokens per project and learn per-resource schemas |
| Rate limits | Managed upstream, no 403 retry logic to write | 5,000 requests/hour per authenticated token; you handle retries |
| Response schema | Unified data.items envelope shared with 47 other platforms | Different shape per resource; Base64 READMEs, Link-header pagination |
| Pricing | 1 credit standard, 5 advanced, 10 premium; 100 free credits, no card | Free within rate limits |
| Data coverage | Profiles, repos, issues, PRs, releases, plus AI dossier, top-issues, and velocity | Full raw resource coverage; no computed or AI-synthesized endpoints |
| Maintenance | Upstream changes absorbed by SocialCrawl for you | You own token rotation, pagination, and schema changes |
Authentication
SocialCrawl
One x-api-key shared across 48 platforms
Official GitHub REST API
Personal access token (PAT) to create, scope, and rotate
Setup
SocialCrawl
Sign up, copy your key, send a GET. No app registration
Official GitHub REST API
Free, but you manage tokens per project and learn per-resource schemas
Rate limits
SocialCrawl
Managed upstream, no 403 retry logic to write
Official GitHub REST API
5,000 requests/hour per authenticated token; you handle retries
Response schema
SocialCrawl
Unified data.items envelope shared with 47 other platforms
Official GitHub REST API
Different shape per resource; Base64 READMEs, Link-header pagination
Pricing
SocialCrawl
1 credit standard, 5 advanced, 10 premium; 100 free credits, no card
Official GitHub REST API
Free within rate limits
Data coverage
SocialCrawl
Profiles, repos, issues, PRs, releases, plus AI dossier, top-issues, and velocity
Official GitHub REST API
Full raw resource coverage; no computed or AI-synthesized endpoints
Maintenance
SocialCrawl
Upstream changes absorbed by SocialCrawl for you
Official GitHub REST API
You own token rotation, pagination, and schema changes
FAQ
Have a question? We got answers
Find answers to frequently asked questions about SocialCrawl's API, pricing, and capabilities.
Contact usWhat is the SocialCrawl GitHub API?
It is a unified wrapper over api.github.com with 12 endpoints covering profiles, repositories, issues, pull requests, READMEs, and releases. You call it with one x-api-key and get the same data.items schema you use for every other SocialCrawl platform, no per-platform SDK to learn.
What GitHub endpoints does SocialCrawl offer?
12 endpoints: Profile, Repo, Profile Repos, Repo Readme, Repo Releases, Repo Issues, Issue, Issue Comments, Search, Repo Top Issues, Repo Dossier, and User Profile Velocity.
Do I need a GitHub personal access token (PAT) to use it?
No. SocialCrawl handles GitHub authentication for you, so there is no personal access token to create, scope, or rotate. You pass your SocialCrawl x-api-key with a handle or repo URL, and the response comes back in the unified schema.
How much does the GitHub API cost?
Most endpoints cost 1 credit on the standard tier. The advanced AI endpoints (top-issues and dossier) cost 5 credits each, and profile-velocity is premium at 10 credits. New accounts get 100 free credits with no credit card required.
Do I have to handle GitHub rate limits and pagination?
No. SocialCrawl manages GitHub's REST rate limits and pagination upstream for you. You request a resource and get clean JSON back: no 403 rate-limit retries, no Link-header cursor parsing, and the same envelope you already use across platforms.
What do the dossier, top-issues, and velocity endpoints add over the raw GitHub API?
GitHub's REST API returns raw resources, one call at a time. These three composite endpoints synthesize multiple calls into one answer: a full repo dossier, the top feature request and top complaint for a repo, and a contributor velocity report for a user. Get started with 100 free credits.
What is the best GitHub scraper API?
SocialCrawl is a strong choice when you want GitHub data without managing personal access tokens: 12 endpoints covering profiles, repos, issues, releases, and search, plus AI dossier, top-issues, and velocity endpoints the official REST API doesn't offer. Standard calls cost 1 credit, and new accounts get 100 free credits with no credit card.
Is there a GitHub data API?
Yes. GitHub itself ships an official REST and GraphQL API that is excellent for authenticated access to your own repositories. SocialCrawl complements it for reading public GitHub data without managing a personal access token: 12 endpoints span profiles, repositories, issues, pull requests, READMEs, releases, and search, plus computed dossier, top-issues, and velocity endpoints the raw API doesn't offer. One x-api-key handles rate limits and pagination upstream, standard calls cost 1 credit, and new accounts get 100 free credits with no card.
Is scraping GitHub data legal?
SocialCrawl returns publicly available GitHub data and does not access private or login-gated content. Whether scraping fits your project depends on your use case and jurisdiction — you are responsible for complying with GitHub's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws such as GDPR and CCPA. This is general information, not legal advice.
GitHub scraping API vs the official GitHub API — what's the difference?
With SocialCrawl there is no app review or approval queue — sign up and call GitHub endpoints immediately with a single x-api-key. Responses share one unified schema with every other SocialCrawl platform, and credit-based pricing replaces per-platform quotas. Official APIs are still the right choice for posting and other write actions: SocialCrawl is read-only data.
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