GitHub Followers API
Follower cards {id, login, type, url, avatar} — ~0.1/row; large accounts are expensive to page fully.
GET request to /v1/github/followers that responds with clean JSON and costs ~3 credits (0.1/result). Pass cache=true for a free 24h cache hit; default is always fresh. Start with 100 free credits — no credit card.What is the GitHub Followers API?
List followers from /users/{login}/followers as {id, login, type (User|Organization), url, avatar}. Opaque nextCursor from GitHub's Link header. Billed ~0.1 credits/row (min 3; default limit 30 → ~3). There is no sampling/since parameter — paging a mega-account (~250k followers) costs ~25k credits at this rate; for full archives prefer api.github.com. Structurally identical to github/following.
What you get
- Bulk list of followers with metadata
- Dates, URLs, and engagement fields when available
- Configurable result limit
- Ideal for monitoring and content pipelines
Try it
Fill in the parameters below and copy a ready-to-run request, or open the live Playground to run it against your account (no API key paste).
Parameters
curl "https://api.captapi.com/v1/github/followers?username=getify" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer capt_live_..."
# or: -H "x-api-key: capt_live_..."Edit the parameters and the code updates instantly. Switch languages and hit copy.
Example response
{
"success": true,
"data": {
"username": "getify",
"totalReturned": 2,
"nextCursor": "eyJ2IjoxLCJrIjoiZm9sbG93ZXJzIiwicCI6Mn0",
"hasMore": true,
"followers": [
{
"id": 206,
"login": "sprsquish",
"type": "User",
"url": "https://github.com/sprsquish",
"avatar": "https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/206?v=4"
},
{
"id": 365,
"login": "pius",
"type": "User",
"url": "https://github.com/pius",
"avatar": "https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/365?v=4"
}
]
}
}Billing metadata is returned in response headers: X-Captapi-Credits (credits charged), X-Captapi-Cache (hit or miss), and X-Captapi-Source. Failed requests (4xx/5xx) are never charged. See the full list of error codes in the error reference.
Response structure
A successful call returns success, cached, creditsUsed, and a data object with the following fields:
Top-level fields
usernameAccount username / handle.totalReturnedNumber of items returned in this response.nextCursorOpaque Link-header cursor (not a bare page number).hasMoreWhether more results are available beyond this page. When true, pass nextCursor to fetch the next page.
Followers
Each item in followers contains:
idGitHub numeric account id — stable for joins and dedup across pages.loginGitHub username.typeAccount kind: "User" or "Organization".urlProfile URL (https://github.com/{login}).avatarAvatar image URL.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| username | string | Yes | GitHub username or profile URL, e.g. getify. |
| limit | integer | No | Max items to return (default 30, max 100). Billed per result. |
| cursor | string | No | Opaque cursor from a previous nextCursor (GitHub Link page=). Not a bare page number. |
| cache | boolean | No | Set true to serve from the 24h response cache (0 credits on hit). Default false — always fetch fresh. Envelope includes cached + cachedAt on hits. |
Authentication: send your key as Authorization: Bearer capt_live_.... A typical call costs ~3 credits (0.1/result) — billed per result, so the exact amount scales with how many items you request. Pass cache=true for a free 24h cache hit; default is always fresh (metrics refresh within ~1 hour).
How it works
- 1. Sign up — get 100 free credits, no card required.
- 2. Create a key from your dashboard.
- 3. Send one request to
/v1/github/followersand parse the JSON response.
Use cases
Audience sample
Page a first screen of followers with stable id for CRM joins — not a full mega-account dump.
Org vs user
Filter type=Organization vs User in the follower graph.
When to call GitHub directly
Full archives of 100k+ followers are cheaper on api.github.com (free, rate-limited).
Frequently asked questions
What does the GitHub Followers API do?+
The GitHub Followers API lets you list items in bulk with metadata from a public GitHub followers using one GET request to /v1/github/followers. It returns clean JSON — no OAuth or infrastructure setup required.
How many credits does the GitHub Followers API cost?+
At the default limit this endpoint costs 3 credits (0.1 per result). Billing scales with how many results you request. Pass cache=true to serve from the 24h cache (0 credits on hit); default is always fresh. Hits include cached + cachedAt. Selected profile endpoints also accept cacheMaxAge=1d|3d|7d|14d|30d. Failed or empty results are never charged.
Do I need a GitHub API key or OAuth?+
No. A single Captapi key works across every platform Captapi supports — YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X, Reddit, Threads, Bluesky, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Rumble, Spotify, Kwai, and more. We handle proxies, rate limits, retries, and authentication for you.
Why is paging a large account expensive?+
There is no sampling/since parameter — every page costs ~0.1 credits/row. ~250k followers ≈ 25k credits. For full archives call api.github.com (free, rate-limited) directly.
What is id / type for?+
id is GitHub's numeric account id (stable for joins/dedup). type is User or Organization — both come from the upstream followers/following payload.
Is the GitHub Followers API suitable for production use?+
Yes. It is a stable REST endpoint with predictable JSON and automatic retries. Pass cache=true to serve from the 24h cache (0 credits on hit); default is always fresh. Hits include cached + cachedAt. Selected profile endpoints also accept cacheMaxAge=1d|3d|7d|14d|30d. Use it for analytics, monitoring, and content automation.
More GitHub APIs
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