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GitHub REST API

The GitHub REST API (v3) provides developers with programmatic access to GitHub functionalities, ideal for automation, integrations, and workflows.

Developed by GitHub, Inc.

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99.90%Uptime
200msLatency
50kStars
OAuth2Auth
NoCredit Card
RESTStyle
v3Version
API Endpoints

Reference for available routes, request structures, and live examples.

Retrieve all open issues for a GitHub repository

Full Endpoint URL
https://api.github.com/repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues
Implementation Example
curl -X GET 'https://api.github.com/repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'
Request Payload
{
  "state": "open",
  "labels": "bug,enhancement"
}
Expected Response
[
  {
    "id": 123456,
    "user": {
      "login": "octocat",
      "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif"
    },
    "state": "open",
    "title": "Fix header alignment",
    "created_at": "2023-07-18T12:34:56Z"
  }
]
Version:v3
Limit:5000 requests/hour
Real-World Applications
  • Automate issue creation and triage via CI pipelinesOptimized Capability
  • Build dashboards showing PR and commit metricsOptimized Capability
  • Create bots to label, comment, or merge pull requestsOptimized Capability
  • Sync org/user data into internal toolsOptimized Capability
  • Trigger workflows (actions) programmaticallyOptimized Capability
Advantages
  • ✓ Rich, well‑documented REST endpoints covering all GitHub features
  • ✓ Stable, versioned (v3) with deprecation transparency
  • ✓ High rate limits for authenticated users (5,000/hour)
  • ✓ Wide ecosystem support and official SDKs
Limitations
  • ✗ Rate limit is low for unauthenticated usage (60/hour)
  • ✗ Secondary rate limits (points/minute) can throttle burst traffic
  • ✗ Complex authentication (OAuth2) setup for first‑time users
  • ✗ No built‑in SDK for some languages like Rust or Swift

FAQs

API Specifications

v3
Pricing Model
Free with rate‑limited access; additional features via GitHub paid plans
Credit Card
Not Required
Response Formats
JSON
Supported Languages
6 Languages
SDK Support
octokit.js (JavaScript), PyGithub (Python), go-github (Go), github-api (Java)
Time to Hello World

5–10 minutes (token creation and basic authentication setup)

Rate Limit

Authenticated: 5,000/hour; Unauthenticated: 60/hour; Secondary limits: 900 points/minute

Free Tier Usage

All endpoints free to call within rate limits: unauthenticated 60/hour, authenticated 5,000/hour

Use Case: Best For

Developers building integrations, automation tooling, dashboards, bots, CI workflows

Not Recommended For

High‑volume batch processing without authentication; real‑time high‑throughput systems

Resources

Documentation Official Website Source Code Pricing Details Postman Collection
#users#repos#code

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