How to get GitHub user
GET request to /v1/github/user with your input. You get clean JSON back in seconds for 1 credit per call — no OAuth, scraping or platform SDKs. GitHub public profile — login, type User|Organization, email when public, followers (1 credit).How to get GitHub user (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 User API
Send an authenticated GET request to /v1/github/user 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/user?username=getify" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer capt_live_..."
# or: -H "x-api-key: capt_live_..."What the response looks like
{
"success": true,
"data": {
"platform": "github",
"type": "User",
"login": "getify",
"id": 150330,
"nodeId": "MDQ6VXNlcjE1MDMzMA==",
"url": "https://github.com/getify",
"apiUrl": "https://api.github.com/users/getify",
"name": "Kyle Simpson",
"company": "Getify Solutions",
"blog": "http://getify.me",
"location": "Austin, TX",
"bio": "Kyle Simpson is a Human-Centric Technologist. He's fighting for the people behind the pixels.",
"avatar": "https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/150330?v=4",
"publicRepos": 74,
"publicGists": 411,
"followers": 45221,
"following": 3,
"hireable": true,
"siteAdmin": false,
"createdAt": "2009-11-08T06:56:21Z",
"updatedAt": "2026-04-28T20:14:44Z"
}
}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 or https://github.com/getify. |
| 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 User API do?
The GitHub User API lets you fetch profile or page details and audience stats from a public GitHub profile or page using one GET request to /v1/github/user. It returns clean JSON — no OAuth or infrastructure setup required.
How many credits does the GitHub User API cost?
Each successful call costs 1 credit. 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.
Why use Captapi instead of api.github.com?
GitHub's public /users/{username} API is free (60 req/hour unauthenticated, 5,000/hour with a personal access token) and needs no OAuth for public profiles. Captapi's value is one Bearer key across ~32 platforms, shared rate-limit/retry handling, and the same camelCase envelope as other profile endpoints — not removing a GitHub login barrier. For GitHub-only jobs, call api.github.com directly.
How do I tell a user from an organization?
Read type — "User" or "Organization" (GitHub's casing). Examples: getify is a User; vercel is an Organization.
When is email present?
Only when the account made an email public on their GitHub profile. Private emails are never returned; the field is omitted when unset.
Is the GitHub User 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 user?
Start free with 100 credits — no credit card required.
Get your free API key