GitHub · Guide

How to run a GitHub trending devs

TL;DR

To run a GitHub trending devs, sign up for a free Captapi key, then send one GET request to /v1/github/trending-developers with your input. You get clean JSON back in seconds for 2 credits per call — no OAuth, scraping or platform SDKs. github.com/trending/developers — windowed ranks with popularRepo + followers (2 credits).

Get your free API key API reference

How to run a GitHub trending devs (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 Trending Developers API
Send an authenticated GET request to /v1/github/trending-developers 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/trending-developers?since=daily" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer capt_live_..."
# or: -H "x-api-key: capt_live_..."

What the response looks like

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "source": "github.com/trending/developers",
    "since": "weekly",
    "totalReturned": 2,
    "developers": [
      {
        "platform": "github",
        "type": "developer",
        "rank": 1,
        "login": "getify",
        "name": "Kyle Simpson",
        "url": "https://github.com/getify",
        "avatar": "https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/150330?v=4",
        "popularRepo": "getify/You-Dont-Know-JS",
        "popularRepoUrl": "https://github.com/getify/You-Dont-Know-JS",
        "popularRepoDescription": "A book series on JS",
        "since": "weekly",
        "followers": 45221,
        "publicRepos": 74,
        "bio": "Human-Centric Technologist",
        "location": "Austin, TX",
        "ownerType": "User"
      },
      {
        "platform": "github",
        "type": "developer",
        "rank": 2,
        "login": "sindresorhus",
        "name": "Sindre Sorhus",
        "url": "https://github.com/sindresorhus",
        "avatar": "https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/170270?v=4",
        "popularRepo": "sindresorhus/awesome",
        "popularRepoUrl": "https://github.com/sindresorhus/awesome",
        "since": "weekly",
        "followers": 70000,
        "publicRepos": 1200,
        "ownerType": "User"
      }
    ]
  }
}

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
since	string	No	Trending window: daily (default), weekly, or monthly — matches github.com/trending/developers?since=.
language	string	No	Optional programming-language slug → /trending/developers/{language}.
limit	integer	No	Max items to return (default 25, max 100). Flat 2 credits per call.
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 Trending Developers API do?

The GitHub Trending Developers API lets you search and return matching results from a public GitHub query using one GET request to /v1/github/trending-developers. It returns clean JSON — no OAuth or infrastructure setup required.

How many credits does the GitHub Trending Developers API cost?

Each successful call costs 2 credits. 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.

Is this followers:>1000 user search?

No. That returns all-time most-followed accounts. This scrapes github.com/trending/developers for a since window and hydrates followers/bio from /users/{login}. There is no Search relevance score field.

Is the GitHub Trending Developers 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 run a GitHub trending devs?

Start free with 100 credits — no credit card required.

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