GitHub User Profile Velocity API
Returns a GitHub user's contribution picture: pull requests opened and merged, the outside repositories they contribute to, and their own repositories.
GET /v1/github/user/profile-velocityLast updated November 2026Maintained by the SocialCrawl team
When to use the GitHub User Profile Velocity API
Use it to judge how active a developer is and where they work. The depth setting controls how many repositories get extra detail.
From the API reference
Composite endpoint: combines a /search/issues PR-velocity query (total + merged), the user's own repo list, and parallel per-repo enrichment (stars + releases for external repos; README + releases + top-issues for own repos) into a structured contribution dossier { velocity, contributed_repos[], own_repos[] }. The depth param controls fan-out width: quick enriches up to 5 external + 3 own repos, default 10 + 5, deep 15 + 5. 10 credits per call.
Searching 69 platforms in parallel
What can you do with the User Profile Velocity API?
The User Profile Velocity endpoint gives you structured GitHub data with computed fields in a single request. No scraping infrastructure to build or maintain.
Example Request
# GET /v1/github/user/profile-velocity: 10 credits per call. Cache hits are free and failed calls are refunded.
# Check the price first for 0 credits: add dry_run=1 to the query. Nothing is fetched or charged.
# --max-time 60: the API's own time limit for this endpoint.
# --retry 3: retries timeouts, 429 and 5xx, honoring Retry-After.
# -o response.json keeps only the final attempt's body.
# One Idempotency-Key per request, reused on every retry, so a retried call is never charged twice.
IDEMPOTENCY_KEY=$(od -An -N16 -tx1 /dev/urandom | tr -d ' \n')
curl -sS --max-time 60 --retry 3 -o response.json \
-H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Idempotency-Key: $IDEMPOTENCY_KEY" \
"https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/github/user/profile-velocity?handle=octocat" && cat response.json# GET /v1/github/user/profile-velocity: 10 credits per call. Cache hits are free and failed calls are refunded.
# Check the price first for 0 credits: add dry_run=1 to the query. Nothing is fetched or charged.
import os
import random
import time
import uuid
import requests
API_KEY = os.environ.get("SOCIALCRAWL_API_KEY", "YOUR_API_KEY")
TIMEOUT_S = 60 # the API's own time limit for this endpoint.
MAX_RETRIES = 3
URL = "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/github/user/profile-velocity"
def backoff(attempt):
# Exponential backoff with jitter: about 1 s, 2 s, then 4 s.
return 2 ** attempt * (0.5 + random.random() / 2)
def socialcrawl(params):
# One Idempotency-Key per request, reused on every retry, so a retried call is never charged twice.
idempotency_key = str(uuid.uuid4())
for attempt in range(MAX_RETRIES + 1):
try:
res = requests.get(
URL,
params=params,
headers={"x-api-key": API_KEY, "Idempotency-Key": idempotency_key},
timeout=TIMEOUT_S,
)
body = res.json()
except (requests.RequestException, ValueError):
# A timeout, a dropped connection or a non-JSON gateway page: retry with the same key.
if attempt == MAX_RETRIES:
raise
time.sleep(backoff(attempt))
continue
if body["success"]:
return body
error = body["error"]
# Branch on error["type"], never on the message text.
if error["type"] == "RESOURCE_NOT_FOUND":
return None # refunded: nothing to read
retry_after = res.headers.get("Retry-After")
# SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE without Retry-After is a withdrawn endpoint: permanent.
permanent = error["type"] == "SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE" and retry_after is None
if not error.get("retryable") or permanent or attempt == MAX_RETRIES:
raise RuntimeError(f"{error['type']}: {error['message']} (request_id {body['request_id']})")
# Retry-After (seconds) wins; otherwise back off.
time.sleep(float(retry_after) if retry_after else backoff(attempt))
params = {
"handle": "octocat",
}
body = socialcrawl(params)
if body is not None:
print(body["data"])// GET /v1/github/user/profile-velocity: 10 credits per call. Cache hits are free and failed calls are refunded.
// Check the price first for 0 credits: add dry_run=1 to the query. Nothing is fetched or charged.
const API_KEY = process.env.SOCIALCRAWL_API_KEY ?? "YOUR_API_KEY";
const TIMEOUT_MS = 60_000; // the API's own time limit for this endpoint.
const MAX_RETRIES = 3;
type Page = { next_cursor: string | null; has_more: boolean };
type SocialCrawlResponse =
| { success: true; data: any; pagination?: Page; credits_used: number; request_id: string }
| { success: false; error: { type: string; message: string; retryable: boolean }; request_id: string };
const sleep = (ms: number) => new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, ms));
// Exponential backoff with jitter: about 1 s, 2 s, then 4 s.
const backoffMs = (attempt: number) => 2 ** attempt * 1000 * (0.5 + Math.random() / 2);
async function socialcrawl(url: URL) {
// One Idempotency-Key per request, reused on every retry, so a retried call is never charged twice.
const idempotencyKey = crypto.randomUUID();
for (let attempt = 0; ; attempt++) {
let res: Response;
let body: SocialCrawlResponse;
try {
res = await fetch(url, {
headers: {
"x-api-key": API_KEY,
"Idempotency-Key": idempotencyKey,
},
signal: AbortSignal.timeout(TIMEOUT_MS),
});
body = (await res.json()) as SocialCrawlResponse;
} catch (error) {
// A timeout, a dropped connection or a non-JSON gateway page: retry with the same key.
if (attempt >= MAX_RETRIES) throw error;
await sleep(backoffMs(attempt));
continue;
}
if (body.success) return body;
// Branch on error.type, never on the message text.
if (body.error.type === "RESOURCE_NOT_FOUND") return null; // refunded: nothing to read
const retryAfter = res.headers.get("Retry-After");
// SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE without Retry-After is a withdrawn endpoint: permanent.
const permanent = body.error.type === "SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE" && retryAfter === null;
if (!body.error.retryable || permanent || attempt >= MAX_RETRIES) {
throw new Error(`${body.error.type}: ${body.error.message} (request_id ${body.request_id})`);
}
// Retry-After (seconds) wins; otherwise back off.
await sleep(retryAfter ? Number(retryAfter) * 1000 : backoffMs(attempt));
}
}
const url = new URL("https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/github/user/profile-velocity");
url.searchParams.set("handle", "octocat");
const body = await socialcrawl(url);
if (body) console.log(body.data);Parameters
| Parameter | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| handle | Yes | GitHub username. |
| depth | No | `quick`, `default`, or `deep`. Defaults to `default`. Trades off upstream calls vs. dossier richness. (quick | default | deep) |
What does the GitHub User Profile Velocity API return?
Every response follows one unified schema. Here is a real, unmodified response body, so you can see the exact fields you get back before spending a credit.
Example response
{
"success": true,
"platform": "github",
"endpoint": "/v1/github/user/profile-velocity",
"data": {
"velocity": {
"username": "octocat",
"total_prs": 8,
"merged_prs": 0,
"open_prs": 8,
"merge_rate_percent": 0,
"active_repo_count": 0
},
"contributed_repos": [],
"own_repos": [
{
"full_name": "user_a984b9",
"stars": 491,
"forks": 53,
"open_issues": 1,
"description": null,
"language": null,
"readme_excerpt": null,
"latest_release": {
"tag": "1.0",
"name": "user_d0ff59",
"date": "2018-08-10T17:09:48Z",
"body": ""
},
"top_feature_request": null,
"top_complaint": null
},
{
"full_name": "user_aca8ec",
"stars": 814,
"forks": 303,
"open_issues": 94,
"description": "Sample comment text (redacted).",
"language": null,
"readme_excerpt": "hello-worId\n===========\n\nMy first repository on GitHub.\n",
"latest_release": null,
"top_feature_request": {
"title": "Sample comment text (redacted).",
"reactions": 8,
"comments": 6,
"url": "https://example.com/user_8363a9"
},
"top_complaint": {
"title": "Sample comment text (redacted).",
"reactions": 3,
"comments": 6,
"url": "https://example.com/user_f0b367"
}
}
]
},
"credits_used": 10,
"request_id": "req_example000000",
"cached": false,
"credits_remaining": 9999,
"source": "captured",
"captured_at": "2026-10-02T15:46:38.723Z",
"redacted": true
}Live sample illustrating the unified response shape. Field values reflect the record you query.
How does the GitHub User Profile Velocity API work?
Send a GET request with your API key and get back clean, structured JSON in our unified schema. Supported computed fields are populated when the source provides the required inputs.
Method
GET
Response
JSON
How do you scrape social media data in seconds?
The fastest social media scraping API for developers. Scrape profiles, posts, comments, and analytics from 69 platforms covering 10B+ monthly active users.
One schema, every platform
Query 69 platforms with identical response structures. Write your integration once.
Computed fields, not just scraped
When an endpoint supports these metrics and the source provides the required inputs, the normalized record includes engagement_rate, estimated_reach, content_category, and language. Ready to use.
See your data before you code
Visual Data Explorer. Paste any URL, get rich result cards, sortable tables, CSV export.
import requests
response = requests.get(
'https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/tiktok/profile',
params={'handle': 'charlidamelio'},
headers={'x-api-key': 'sc_YOUR_API_KEY'}
)
data = response.json(){
"success": true,
"platform": "tiktok",
"data": {
"author": {
"username": "charlidamelio",
"followers": 152400000
},
"engagement": {
"likes": 12400000000,
"engagement_rate": 0.087
},
"metadata": {
"language": "en",
"content_category": "lifestyle"
}
}
}Have a question? We got answers
Find answers to frequently asked questions about SocialCrawl's API, pricing, and capabilities.
Contact usWhat does the GitHub Velocity API do?
How do I call the profile-velocity endpoint?
What is the depth parameter for?
What can I use a contributor velocity dossier for?
How much does the GitHub Velocity API cost?
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