The GitHub Search API lets you programmatically find and filter content across GitHubincluding repositories, code, issues and pull requests, commits, users, topics, and labelsusing a powerful query language with qualifiers (for example by language, stars, forks, org/user, path/filename, label, state, author, or committer).
openapi: 3.0.3
info:
version: 1.1.4
title: GitHub Application About Search API
description: 'Use the REST API to retrieve information about GitHub Apps and GitHub App
installations.'
license:
name: MIT
url: https://spdx.org/licenses/MIT
termsOfService: https://docs.github.com/articles/github-terms-of-service
contact:
name: Support
url: https://support.github.com/contact?tags=dotcom-rest-api
x-github-plan: ghes
x-github-release: 3.9
servers:
- url: '{protocol}://{hostname}/api/v3'
variables:
hostname:
description: Self-hosted Enterprise Server hostname
default: HOSTNAME
protocol:
description: Self-hosted Enterprise Server protocol
default: http
tags:
- name: Search
description: Look for stuff on GitHub.
paths:
/search/code:
get:
summary: GitHub Search Code
description: 'Searches for query terms inside of a file. This method returns up to 100 results [per page](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/guides/using-pagination-in-the-rest-api).
When searching for code, you can get text match metadata for the file **content** and file **path** fields when you pass the `text-match` media type. For more details about how to receive highlighted search results, see [Text match metadata](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/search/search#text-match-metadata).
For example, if you want to find the definition of the `addClass` function inside [jQuery](https://github.com/jquery/jquery) repository, your query would look something like this:
`q=addClass+in:file+language:js+repo:jquery/jquery`
This query searches for the keyword `addClass` within a file''s contents. The query limits the search to files where the language is JavaScript in the `jquery/jquery` repository.
Considerations for code search:
Due to the complexity of searching code, there are a few restrictions on how searches are performed:
* Only the _default branch_ is considered. In most cases, this will be the `master` branch.
* Only files smaller than 384 KB are searchable.
* You must always include at least one search term when searching source code. For example, searching for [`language:go`](https://github.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=language%3Ago&type=Code) is not valid, while [`amazing
language:go`](https://github.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=amazing+language%3Ago&type=Code) is.'
tags:
- Search
operationId: search/code
externalDocs:
description: API method documentation
url: https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/search/search#search-code
parameters:
- name: q
description: The query contains one or more search keywords and qualifiers. Qualifiers allow you to limit your search to specific areas of GitHub Enterprise Server. The REST API supports the same qualifiers as the web interface for GitHub Enterprise Server. To learn more about the format of the query, see [Constructing a search query](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/search/search#constructing-a-search-query). See "[Searching code](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/search-github/searching-on-github/searching-code)" for a detailed list of qualifiers.
in: query
required: true
schema:
type: string
example: example_value
- name: sort
description: 'Sorts the results of your query. Can only be `indexed`, which indicates how recently a file has been indexed by the GitHub Enterprise Server search infrastructure. Default: [best match](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/search/search#ranking-search-results)'
in: query
required: false
schema:
type: string
enum:
- indexed
example: indexed
- name: order
description: Determines whether the first search result returned is the highest number of matches (`desc`) or lowest number of matches (`asc`). This parameter is ignored unless you provide `sort`.
in: query
required: false
schema:
type: string
enum:
- desc
- asc
default: desc
example: desc
- $ref: '#/components/parameters/per-page'
- $ref: '#/components/parameters/page'
responses:
'200':
description: Response
content:
application/json:
schema:
type: object
required:
- total_count
- incomplete_results
- items
properties:
total_count:
type: integer
incomplete_results:
type: boolean
items:
type: array
items:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/code-search-result-item'
examples:
default:
$ref: '#/components/examples/code-search-result-item-paginated'
'304':
$ref: '#/components/responses/not_modified'
'403':
$ref: '#/components/responses/forbidden'
'422':
$ref: '#/components/responses/validation_failed'
'503':
$ref: '#/components/responses/service_unavailable'
x-github:
githubCloudOnly: false
enabledForGitHubApps: true
category: search
subcategory: search
x-microcks-operation:
delay: 0
dispatcher: FALLBACK
/search/commits:
get:
summary: GitHub Search Commits
description: 'Find commits via various criteria on the default branch (usually `main`). This method returns up to 100 results [per page](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/guides/using-pagination-in-the-rest-api).
When searching for commits, you can get text match metadata for the **message** field when you provide the `text-match` media type. For more details about how to receive highlighted search results, see [Text match
metadata](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/search/search#text-match-metadata).
For example, if you want to find commits related to CSS in the [octocat/Spoon-Knife](https://github.com/octocat/Spoon-Knife) repository. Your query would look something like this:
`q=repo:octocat/Spoon-Knife+css`'
tags:
- Search
operationId: search/commits
externalDocs:
description: API method documentation
url: https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/search/search#search-commits
parameters:
- name: q
description: The query contains one or more search keywords and qualifiers. Qualifiers allow you to limit your search to specific areas of GitHub Enterprise Server. The REST API supports the same qualifiers as the web interface for GitHub Enterprise Server. To learn more about the format of the query, see [Constructing a search query](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/search/search#constructing-a-search-query). See "[Searching commits](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/search-github/searching-on-github/searching-commits)" for a detailed list of qualifiers.
in: query
required: true
schema:
type: string
example: example_value
- name: sort
description: 'Sorts the results of your query by `author-date` or `committer-date`. Default: [best match](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/search/search#ranking-search-results)'
in: query
required: false
schema:
type: string
enum:
- author-date
- committer-date
example: author-date
- $ref: '#/components/parameters/order'
- $ref: '#/components/parameters/per-page'
- $ref: '#/components/parameters/page'
responses:
'200':
description: Response
content:
application/json:
schema:
type: object
required:
- total_count
- incomplete_results
- items
properties:
total_count:
type: integer
incomplete_results:
type: boolean
items:
type: array
items:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/commit-search-result-item'
examples:
default:
$ref: '#/components/examples/commit-search-result-item-paginated'
'304':
$ref: '#/components/responses/not_modified'
x-github:
githubCloudOnly: false
enabledForGitHubApps: true
category: search
subcategory: search
x-microcks-operation:
delay: 0
dispatcher: FALLBACK
/search/issues:
get:
summary: GitHub Search Issues and Pull Requests
description: 'Find issues by state and keyword. This method returns up to 100 results [per page](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/guides/using-pagination-in-the-rest-api).
When searching for issues, you can get text match metadata for the issue **title**, issue **body**, and issue **comment body** fields when you pass the `text-match` media type. For more details about how to receive highlighted
search results, see [Text match metadata](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/search/search#text-match-metadata).
For example, if you want to find the oldest unresolved Python bugs on Windows. Your query might look something like this.
`q=windows+label:bug+language:python+state:open&sort=created&order=asc`
This query searches for the keyword `windows`, within any open issue that is labeled as `bug`. The search runs across repositories whose primary language is Python. The results are sorted by creation date in ascending order, which means the oldest issues appear first in the search results.
**Note:** For requests made by GitHub Apps with a user access token, you can''t retrieve a combination of issues and pull requests in a single query. Requests that don''t include the `is:issue` or `is:pull-request` qualifier will receive an HTTP `422 Unprocessable Entity` response. To get results for both issues and pull requests, you must send separate queries for issues and pull requests. For more information about the `is` qualifier, see "[Searching only issues or pull requests](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/github/searching-for-information-on-github/searching-issues-and-pull-requests#search-only-issues-or-pull-requests)."'
tags:
- Search
operationId: search/issues-and-pull-requests
externalDocs:
description: API method documentation
url: https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/search/search#search-issues-and-pull-requests
parameters:
- name: q
description: The query contains one or more search keywords and qualifiers. Qualifiers allow you to limit your search to specific areas of GitHub Enterprise Server. The REST API supports the same qualifiers as the web interface for GitHub Enterprise Server. To learn more about the format of the query, see [Constructing a search query](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/search/search#constructing-a-search-query). See "[Searching issues and pull requests](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/search-github/searching-on-github/searching-issues-and-pull-requests)" for a detailed list of qualifiers.
in: query
required: true
schema:
type: string
example: example_value
- name: sort
description: 'Sorts the results of your query by the number of `comments`, `reactions`, `reactions-+1`, `reactions--1`, `reactions-smile`, `reactions-thinking_face`, `reactions-heart`, `reactions-tada`, or `interactions`. You can also sort results by how recently the items were `created` or `updated`, Default: [best match](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/search/search#ranking-search-results)'
in: query
required: false
schema:
type: string
enum:
- comments
- reactions
- reactions-+1
- reactions--1
- reactions-smile
- reactions-thinking_face
- reactions-heart
- reactions-tada
- interactions
- created
- updated
example: comments
- $ref: '#/components/parameters/order'
- $ref: '#/components/parameters/per-page'
- $ref: '#/components/parameters/page'
responses:
'200':
description: Response
content:
application/json:
schema:
type: object
required:
- total_count
- incomplete_results
- items
properties:
total_count:
type: integer
incomplete_results:
type: boolean
items:
type: array
items:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/issue-search-result-item'
examples:
default:
$ref: '#/components/examples/issue-search-result-item-paginated'
'304':
$ref: '#/components/responses/not_modified'
'403':
$ref: '#/components/responses/forbidden'
'422':
$ref: '#/components/responses/validation_failed'
'503':
$ref: '#/components/responses/service_unavailable'
x-github:
githubCloudOnly: false
enabledForGitHubApps: true
category: search
subcategory: search
x-microcks-operation:
delay: 0
dispatcher: FALLBACK
/search/labels:
get:
summary: GitHub Search Labels
description: 'Find labels in a repository with names or descriptions that match search keywords. Returns up to 100 results [per page](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/guides/using-pagination-in-the-rest-api).
When searching for labels, you can get text match metadata for the label **name** and **description** fields when you pass the `text-match` media type. For more details about how to receive highlighted search results, see [Text match metadata](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/search/search#text-match-metadata).
For example, if you want to find labels in the `linguist` repository that match `bug`, `defect`, or `enhancement`. Your query might look like this:
`q=bug+defect+enhancement&repository_id=64778136`
The labels that best match the query appear first in the search results.'
tags:
- Search
operationId: search/labels
externalDocs:
description: API method documentation
url: https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/search/search#search-labels
parameters:
- name: repository_id
description: The id of the repository.
in: query
required: true
schema:
type: integer
example: 42
- name: q
description: The search keywords. This endpoint does not accept qualifiers in the query. To learn more about the format of the query, see [Constructing a search query](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/search/search#constructing-a-search-query).
in: query
required: true
schema:
type: string
example: example_value
- name: sort
description: 'Sorts the results of your query by when the label was `created` or `updated`. Default: [best match](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/search/search#ranking-search-results)'
in: query
required: false
schema:
type: string
enum:
- created
- updated
example: created
- $ref: '#/components/parameters/order'
- $ref: '#/components/parameters/per-page'
- $ref: '#/components/parameters/page'
responses:
'200':
description: Response
content:
application/json:
schema:
type: object
required:
- total_count
- incomplete_results
- items
properties:
total_count:
type: integer
incomplete_results:
type: boolean
items:
type: array
items:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/label-search-result-item'
examples:
default:
$ref: '#/components/examples/label-search-result-item-paginated'
'304':
$ref: '#/components/responses/not_modified'
'403':
$ref: '#/components/responses/forbidden'
'404':
$ref: '#/components/responses/not_found'
'422':
$ref: '#/components/responses/validation_failed'
x-github:
githubCloudOnly: false
enabledForGitHubApps: true
category: search
subcategory: search
x-microcks-operation:
delay: 0
dispatcher: FALLBACK
/search/repositories:
get:
summary: GitHub Search Repositories
description: 'Find repositories via various criteria. This method returns up to 100 results [per page](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/guides/using-pagination-in-the-rest-api).
When searching for repositories, you can get text match metadata for the **name** and **description** fields when you pass the `text-match` media type. For more details about how to receive highlighted search results, see [Text match metadata](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/search/search#text-match-metadata).
For example, if you want to search for popular Tetris repositories written in assembly code, your query might look like this:
`q=tetris+language:assembly&sort=stars&order=desc`
This query searches for repositories with the word `tetris` in the name, the description, or the README. The results are limited to repositories where the primary language is assembly. The results are sorted by stars in descending order, so that the most popular repositories appear first in the search results.'
tags:
- Search
operationId: search/repos
externalDocs:
description: API method documentation
url: https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/search/search#search-repositories
parameters:
- name: q
description: The query contains one or more search keywords and qualifiers. Qualifiers allow you to limit your search to specific areas of GitHub Enterprise Server. The REST API supports the same qualifiers as the web interface for GitHub Enterprise Server. To learn more about the format of the query, see [Constructing a search query](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/search/search#constructing-a-search-query). See "[Searching for repositories](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/articles/searching-for-repositories/)" for a detailed list of qualifiers.
in: query
required: true
schema:
type: string
example: example_value
- name: sort
description: 'Sorts the results of your query by number of `stars`, `forks`, or `help-wanted-issues` or how recently the items were `updated`. Default: [best match](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/search/search#ranking-search-results)'
in: query
required: false
schema:
type: string
enum:
- stars
- forks
- help-wanted-issues
- updated
example: stars
- $ref: '#/components/parameters/order'
- $ref: '#/components/parameters/per-page'
- $ref: '#/components/parameters/page'
responses:
'200':
description: Response
content:
application/json:
schema:
type: object
required:
- total_count
- incomplete_results
- items
properties:
total_count:
type: integer
incomplete_results:
type: boolean
items:
type: array
items:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/repo-search-result-item'
examples:
default:
$ref: '#/components/examples/repo-search-result-item-paginated'
'304':
$ref: '#/components/responses/not_modified'
'422':
$ref: '#/components/responses/validation_failed'
'503':
$ref: '#/components/responses/service_unavailable'
x-github:
githubCloudOnly: false
enabledForGitHubApps: true
category: search
subcategory: search
x-microcks-operation:
delay: 0
dispatcher: FALLBACK
/search/topics:
get:
summary: GitHub Search Topics
description: 'Find topics via various criteria. Results are sorted by best match. This method returns up to 100 results [per page](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/guides/using-pagination-in-the-rest-api). See "[Searching topics](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/articles/searching-topics/)" for a detailed list of qualifiers.
When searching for topics, you can get text match metadata for the topic''s **short\_description**, **description**, **name**, or **display\_name** field when you pass the `text-match` media type. For more details about how to receive highlighted search results, see [Text match metadata](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/search/search#text-match-metadata).
For example, if you want to search for topics related to Ruby that are featured on https://github.com/topics. Your query might look like this:
`q=ruby+is:featured`
This query searches for topics with the keyword `ruby` and limits the results to find only topics that are featured. The topics that are the best match for the query appear first in the search results.'
tags:
- Search
operationId: search/topics
externalDocs:
description: API method documentation
url: https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/search/search#search-topics
parameters:
- name: q
description: The query contains one or more search keywords and qualifiers. Qualifiers allow you to limit your search to specific areas of GitHub Enterprise Server. The REST API supports the same qualifiers as the web interface for GitHub Enterprise Server. To learn more about the format of the query, see [Constructing a search query](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/search/search#constructing-a-search-query).
in: query
required: true
schema:
type: string
example: example_value
- $ref: '#/components/parameters/per-page'
- $ref: '#/components/parameters/page'
responses:
'200':
description: Response
content:
application/json:
schema:
type: object
required:
- total_count
- incomplete_results
- items
properties:
total_count:
type: integer
incomplete_results:
type: boolean
items:
type: array
items:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/topic-search-result-item'
examples:
default:
$ref: '#/components/examples/topic-search-result-item-paginated'
'304':
$ref: '#/components/responses/not_modified'
x-github:
githubCloudOnly: false
enabledForGitHubApps: true
category: search
subcategory: search
x-microcks-operation:
delay: 0
dispatcher: FALLBACK
/search/users:
get:
summary: GitHub Search Users
description: 'Find users via various criteria. This method returns up to 100 results [per page](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/guides/using-pagination-in-the-rest-api).
When searching for users, you can get text match metadata for the issue **login**, public **email**, and **name** fields when you pass the `text-match` media type. For more details about highlighting search results, see [Text match metadata](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/search/search#text-match-metadata). For more details about how to receive highlighted search results, see [Text match metadata](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/search/search#text-match-metadata).
For example, if you''re looking for a list of popular users, you might try this query:
`q=tom+repos:%3E42+followers:%3E1000`
This query searches for users with the name `tom`. The results are restricted to users with more than 42 repositories and over 1,000 followers.
This endpoint does not accept authentication and will only include publicly visible users. As an alternative, you can use the GraphQL API. The GraphQL API requires authentication and will return private users, including Enterprise Managed Users (EMUs), that you are authorized to view. For more information, see "[GraphQL Queries](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/graphql/reference/queries#search)."'
tags:
- Search
operationId: search/users
externalDocs:
description: API method documentation
url: https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/search/search#search-users
parameters:
- name: q
description: The query contains one or more search keywords and qualifiers. Qualifiers allow you to limit your search to specific areas of GitHub Enterprise Server. The REST API supports the same qualifiers as the web interface for GitHub Enterprise Server. To learn more about the format of the query, see [Constructing a search query](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/search/search#constructing-a-search-query). See "[Searching users](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/search-github/searching-on-github/searching-users)" for a detailed list of qualifiers.
in: query
required: true
schema:
type: string
example: example_value
- name: sort
description: 'Sorts the results of your query by number of `followers` or `repositories`, or when the person `joined` GitHub Enterprise Server. Default: [best match](https://docs.github.com/enterprise-server@3.9/rest/search/search#ranking-search-results)'
in: query
required: false
schema:
type: string
enum:
- followers
- repositories
- joined
example: followers
- $ref: '#/components/parameters/order'
- $ref: '#/components/parameters/per-page'
- $ref: '#/components/parameters/page'
responses:
'200':
description: Response
content:
application/json:
schema:
type: object
required:
- total_count
- incomplete_results
- items
properties:
total_count:
type: integer
incomplete_results:
type: boolean
items:
type: array
items:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/user-search-result-item'
examples:
default:
$ref: '#/components/examples/user-search-result-item-paginated'
'304':
$ref: '#/components/responses/not_modified'
'422':
$ref: '#/components/responses/validation_failed'
'503':
$ref: '#/components/responses/service_unavailable'
x-github:
githubCloudOnly: false
enabledForGitHubApps: true
category: search
subcategory: search
x-microcks-operation:
delay: 0
dispatcher: FALLBACK
components:
schemas:
nullable-simple-user:
title: Simple User
description: A GitHub user.
type: object
properties:
name:
nullable: true
type: string
example: octocat
email:
nullable: true
type: string
example: octocat@github.com
login:
type: string
example: octocat
id:
type: integer
example: 1
node_id:
type: string
example: MDQ6VXNlcjE=
avatar_url:
type: string
format: uri
example: https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif
gravatar_id:
type: string
example: 41d064eb2195891e12d0413f63227ea7
nullable: true
url:
type: string
format: uri
example: https://api.github.com/users/octocat
html_url:
type: string
format: uri
example: https://github.com/octocat
followers_url:
type: string
format: uri
example: https://api.github.com/users/octocat/followers
following_url:
type: string
example: https://api.github.com/users/octocat/following{/other_user}
gists_url:
type: string
example: https://api.github.com/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}
starred_url:
type: string
example: https://api.github.com/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}
subscriptions_url:
type: string
format: uri
example: https://api.github.com/users/octocat/subscriptions
organizations_url:
type: string
format: uri
example: https://api.github.com/users/octocat/orgs
repos_url:
type: string
format: uri
example: https://api.github.com/users/octocat/repos
events_url:
type: string
example: https://api.github.com/users/octocat/events{/privacy}
received_events_url:
type: string
format: uri
example: https://api.github.com/users/octocat/received_events
type:
type: string
example: User
site_admin:
type: boolean
example: true
starred_at:
type: string
example: '"2020-07-09T00:17:55Z"'
required:
- avatar_url
- events_url
- followers_url
- following_url
- gists_url
- gravatar_id
- html_url
- id
- node_id
- login
- organizations_url
- received_events_url
- repos_url
- site_admin
- starred_url
- subscriptions_url
- type
- url
nullable: true
commit-search-result-item:
title: Commit Search Result Item
description: Commit Search Result Item
type: object
properties:
url:
type: string
format: uri
example: https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World
sha:
type: string
example: abc123def456789012345678901234567890
html_url:
type: string
format: uri
example: https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World
comments_url:
type: string
format: uri
example: https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World
commit:
type: object
properties:
author:
type: object
properties:
name:
type: string
email:
type: string
date:
type: string
format: date-time
required:
- name
- email
- date
committer:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/nullable-git-user'
comment_count:
# --- truncated at 32 KB (729 KB total) ---
# Full source: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/github/refs/heads/main/openapi/github-search-api-openapi.yml