How to get GitHub followers
GET request to /v1/github/followers with your input. You get clean JSON back in seconds for ~3 credits (0.1/result) per call — no OAuth, scraping or platform SDKs. Follower cards {id, login, type, url, avatar} — ~0.1/row; large accounts are expensive to page fully.How to get GitHub followers (step by step)
- 1
Get a free API key
Create a free Captapi account (100 credits, no card) and generate an API key from the dashboard.
- 2
Call the GitHub Followers API
Send an authenticated GET request to /v1/github/followers with your input. No OAuth, no scraping setup.
- 3
Read the JSON response
Parse the clean JSON response. Pass cache=true for a free 24h cache hit; default is always fresh.
Code example
curl "https://api.captapi.com/v1/github/followers?username=getify" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer capt_live_..."
# or: -H "x-api-key: capt_live_..."What the response looks like
{
"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 (credits charged, cache hit/miss) is returned in the X-Captapi-Credits and X-Captapi-Cache response headers.
Request 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. |
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.
Ready to get GitHub followers?
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Get your free API key