# GitHub Profile API (https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/github/profile)

> Returns public profile information for a GitHub user — login, name, avatar, bio, follower / following / public-repos counts, and account-creation date — mapped to the unified Author schema. `author.likes_count` surfaces `public_gists` (a creation-count analog); `author.verified` surfaces the rare `site_admin` flag (true only for GitHub staff accounts).

TL;DR: `GET /v1/github/profile` costs 1 credit per call and returns SocialCrawl's unified JSON schema. Single x-api-key auth, 100 free credits on signup.

## Parameters

| Parameter | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `handle` | yes | GitHub username — 1–39 chars, alphanumeric + non-consecutive hyphens, no leading/trailing hyphen. |

## Code example

```bash
curl "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/github/profile?handle=octocat" \
  -H "x-api-key: sc_YOUR_API_KEY"
```

## FAQ

### How do I get a GitHub user profile with an API?

Send a GET request to /v1/github/profile with the username or org name in the handle parameter. SocialCrawl returns the profile — name, bio, followers, following, public repo count, location, blog URL, and account creation date — in the unified schema.

### Does the profile endpoint work for organizations too?

Yes. Pass an organization login as the handle and you get the org profile back: display name, description, public repo count, location, blog, and member-facing metadata. The same endpoint covers both user and org accounts.

### What fields does the GitHub User API return?

Handle, display name, bio, avatar URL, followers count, following count, public repository count, public gist count, company, location, blog or website URL, and the account creation timestamp, all normalised into the SocialCrawl author schema.

### Do I need a personal access token to read profiles?

No. SocialCrawl reads public GitHub profile data without a personal access token. Pass your x-api-key and a handle — no client ID, no OAuth, and no token rotation. The response shape matches every other SocialCrawl platform.

### How much does the GitHub User API cost?

Each profile request costs 1 credit on the standard tier. New accounts get 100 free credits with no credit card required — enough to pull around 100 profiles before you pay anything. Combine it with the repos endpoint to map a user's full output.

See the full GitHub API: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/github

## Pricing

- Standard endpoints: 1 credit per call
- Advanced endpoints: 5 credits per call
- Premium endpoints: 10 credits per call
- 100 free credits on signup, no credit card required. Cached responses cost 0 credits. Credit packs never expire.
- Full pricing: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/pricing

## Explore with AI

Questions this API answers, phrased for an AI assistant:

- How to get a GitHub user profile with an API
- What does the SocialCrawl GitHub User API return?