GitHub

Overview

The GitHub REST API exposes nearly everything on GitHub — repos, issues, PRs, commits, users, organizations, actions, releases, and more. Unauthenticated access works for public data (verified live: 60 requests/hour); OAuth or a personal access token raises limits and unlocks private data.

Quick Start

Public repo — no auth needed (verified live):

curl "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World"

User profile:

curl "https://api.github.com/users/octocat"

Search repos:

curl "https://api.github.com/search/repositories?q=astro+language:javascript&sort=stars"

Repo contents:

curl "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/contents/"

With a token (authenticated, 5,000 req/hr):

curl "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"

Authentication

• Anonymous: public data, 60 requests/hour (verified working).
• Personal access token (GitHub → Settings → Developer settings): 5,000 req/hr, private repos.
• OAuth: for acting on behalf of users (issues, gists, repo writes) — the listing’s OAuth flag refers to this.
• GraphQL API also available at https://api.github.com/graphql.

Rate Limits & Notes

• Rate limit headers come back in responses (X-RateLimit-Remaining, X-RateLimit-Reset).
• 404 can mean “private or doesn’t exist” — the API deliberately hides existence.
• Pagination via Link headers or ?page=N&per_page=100 (max 100).
• Set a descriptive User-Agent — GitHub requires it.

FAQ

Is GitHub API free? Yes — public data is free; 60 req/hr anonymous, 5,000 req/hr with a free token.

Do I need OAuth? Only for user-scoped actions — reads work anonymously or with a token.

How do I avoid rate limits? Authenticate with a token and cache responses.