Npm Scraper

Scrape npm packages from the npm registry, the world's largest JavaScript package registry. Search by keyword and get package names, versions, descriptions, monthly download counts, quality scores, and repository links.

What does npm Scraper do?

npm Scraper uses the npm registry public API to search for Node.js packages and extract full metadata. It fetches package details including versions, descriptions, keywords, publishers, maintainers, and license information. Optionally enriches results with monthly download counts from the npm downloads API.

Who is it for?

• 💻 JavaScript developers — discovering and comparing packages for their projects
• 📊 Technology analysts — tracking npm ecosystem trends and package adoption rates
• 🏢 Engineering managers — evaluating library health, maintenance status, and popularity
• 🔒 Security teams — auditing dependency quality scores and version histories
• 📝 Technical writers — researching popular packages for tutorials and comparison guides

Why scrape npm?

npm is the world's largest software registry with over 2 million packages. It's the definitive source for understanding the JavaScript and Node.js ecosystem.

Key reasons to scrape it:

• Ecosystem analysis — Map the JavaScript package landscape for any domain
• Technology research — Find the most popular libraries for specific use cases
• Competitive intelligence — Track download trends for competing packages
• Developer tools — Build dashboards or recommendation engines for developers
• Security research — Monitor packages for quality scores and maintenance status

Use cases

• JavaScript developers finding the best packages for their projects
• Engineering managers evaluating library adoption and maintenance health
• Technical writers researching popular packages for tutorials
• Open-source maintainers tracking competitor package adoption
• Security teams auditing dependency health and quality scores
• Researchers studying open-source package ecosystems

How to scrape npm

1. Go to npm Scraper on Apify Store
2. Enter one or more search keywords
3. Enable or disable download count enrichment
4. Set result limits
5. Click Start and wait for results
6. Download data as JSON, CSV, or Excel

Input parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
searchQueries	string[]	(required)	Keywords to search for
includeDownloads	boolean	true	Fetch monthly download counts
maxResultsPerSearch	integer	50	Max packages per keyword (max 250)

Input example

{
    "searchQueries": ["web framework", "testing library"],
    "includeDownloads": true,
    "maxResultsPerSearch": 20
}

Output

Each package in the dataset contains:

Field	Type	Description
name	string	Package name
version	string	Latest version
description	string	Package description
keywords	string[]	Package keywords
license	string	License type
publisher	string	Publisher username
maintainers	string[]	Maintainer usernames
homepage	string	Homepage URL
repository	string	Repository URL
npmUrl	string	npm package page URL
monthlyDownloads	number	Downloads in the last month
popularityScore	number	npm popularity score (0-1)
qualityScore	number	npm quality score (0-1)
maintenanceScore	number	npm maintenance score (0-1)
finalScore	number	npm composite score
scrapedAt	string	ISO timestamp of extraction

Output example

{
    "name": "express",
    "version": "5.1.0",
    "description": "Fast, unopinionated, minimalist web framework",
    "keywords": ["express", "framework", "web", "rest", "restful", "router", "app", "api"],
    "license": "MIT",
    "publisher": "wesleytodd",
    "maintainers": ["wesleytodd", "ljharb"],
    "homepage": "https://expressjs.com/",
    "repository": "git+https://github.com/expressjs/express.git",
    "npmUrl": "https://www.npmjs.com/package/express",
    "monthlyDownloads": 295069103,
    "popularityScore": 1,
    "qualityScore": 1,
    "maintenanceScore": 1,
    "finalScore": 465.07,
    "scrapedAt": "2026-03-03T03:50:00.123Z"
}

How much does it cost to scrape npm?

npm Scraper uses pay-per-event pricing:

Event	Price
Run started	$0.001
Package extracted	$0.001 per package

Cost examples

Scenario	Packages	Cost
Quick search	20	$0.021
Ecosystem survey	100	$0.101
Large analysis	250	$0.251

Platform costs are negligible — typically under $0.001 per run.

Using npm Scraper with the Apify API

Node.js

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: 'YOUR_API_TOKEN' });

const run = await client.actor('automation-lab/npm-scraper').call({
    searchQueries: ['web framework'],
    includeDownloads: true,
    maxResultsPerSearch: 20,
});

const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(`Found ${items.length} packages`);
items.forEach(pkg => {
    console.log(`${pkg.name} v${pkg.version} (${pkg.monthlyDownloads.toLocaleString()} downloads/month)`);
});

Python

from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient('YOUR_API_TOKEN')

run = client.actor('automation-lab/npm-scraper').call(run_input={
    'searchQueries': ['web framework'],
    'includeDownloads': True,
    'maxResultsPerSearch': 20,
})

dataset = client.dataset(run['defaultDatasetId']).list_items().items
print(f'Found {len(dataset)} packages')
for pkg in dataset:
    print(f"{pkg['name']} v{pkg['version']} ({pkg['monthlyDownloads']:,} downloads/month)")

Use with Claude AI (MCP)

This actor is available as a tool in Claude AI through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Add it to Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, or any MCP-compatible client.

Setup for Claude Code

$claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com"

Setup for Claude Desktop, Cursor, or VS Code

Add this to your MCP config file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com"
        }
    }
}

Example prompts

• "Search npm for React state management libraries and compare their download counts."
• "What are the most popular Node.js HTTP client packages on npm right now?"
• "Get metadata and quality scores for express, fastify, and koa so I can decide which to use."

Learn more in the Apify MCP documentation.

Integrations

npm Scraper works with all Apify integrations:

• Scheduled runs — Track package popularity trends over time
• Webhooks — Get notified when a scrape completes
• API — Trigger runs and fetch results programmatically
• Google Sheets — Export package data to a spreadsheet
• Slack — Share trending packages with your team

Connect to Zapier, Make, or Google Sheets for automated workflows.

Tips

• Compare download counts to identify the most adopted solution for a given problem
• Check quality and maintenance scores to evaluate package health before adopting
• Use keywords in the output to discover related packages
• Monitor monthly downloads over time to spot growing or declining packages
• Multiple search queries let you compare ecosystem segments in one run
• Set includeDownloads: false for faster runs when you only need metadata

Legality

Scraping publicly available data is generally legal according to the US Court of Appeals ruling (HiQ Labs v. LinkedIn). This actor only accesses publicly available information and does not require authentication. Always review and comply with the target website's Terms of Service before scraping. For personal data, ensure compliance with GDPR, CCPA, and other applicable privacy regulations.

FAQ

How many packages can I search? Each search returns up to 250 packages. Use multiple search queries to cover different topics.

Does it include dependency information? The search API returns metadata and scores. For full dependency trees, you'd need to query individual package endpoints.

Are scoped packages supported? Yes — both scoped (e.g. @nestjs/core) and unscoped packages are fully supported, including download counts.

How often are download counts updated? npm download counts are updated daily. Monthly counts cover the last 30 days.

What do the scores mean? npm calculates three scores: popularity (download counts and dependents), quality (tests, docs, stability), and maintenance (freshness, issue responsiveness). The final score combines all three.

Download counts show 0 for some packages. Some very new or private-scope packages may not have download stats available on the npm downloads API. The scraper will return 0 in those cases.

I'm not finding a package I know exists. The npm search API ranks by relevance and may not surface niche packages with generic keywords. Try searching with the exact package name for best results.

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