# NPM Package Metadata API (`automly/npm-package-metadata-api`) Actor Retrieve clean, structured metadata for npm packages from the public npm registry API. - **URL**: https://apify.com/automly/npm-package-metadata-api.md - **Developed by:** [Automly](https://apify.com/automly) (community) - **Categories:** Developer tools - **Stats:** 1 total users, 0 monthly users, 0.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing Pay per usage This Actor is paid per platform usage. The Actor is free to use, and you only pay for the Apify platform usage, which gets cheaper the higher subscription plan you have. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-usage ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## NPM Package Metadata API **NPM Package Metadata API** retrieves clean, structured metadata for npm packages from the public npm registry. Use it to monitor dependencies, compare packages, track release history, and feed developer data into analytics or AI workflows. ### Why use this NPM package metadata API? npm packages change constantly. This actor gives you a simple way to pull package summaries, latest versions, maintainers, dependency counts, keywords, and project links without dealing with raw registry responses. ### Features - Search one or more npm packages in a single run - Return a clean record for each package requested - Include a short README excerpt when available - Capture latest version, maintainers, repository, homepage, and keywords - Pay-per-event pricing tied to each returned package record ### Input #### Example: monitor common packages ```json { "packages": "react,express,typescript", "maxResults": 3, "includeReadmeExcerpt": true } ``` #### Example: check a smaller dependency set ```json { "packages": "@apify/request-list,requests", "maxResults": 10, "includeReadmeExcerpt": false } ``` #### Input fields | Field | Type | Description | |---|---|---| | `packages` | string | Comma-separated npm package names to fetch, such as `react,express,typescript`. | | `maxResults` | integer | Maximum number of package records to return. Values above 100 are clamped. | | `includeReadmeExcerpt` | boolean | Include a short README excerpt for each package when available. | ### Output #### Example record ```json { "packageName": "express", "latestVersion": "5.1.0", "description": "Fast, unopinionated, minimalist web framework for Node.js", "homepageUrl": "https://expressjs.com/", "repositoryUrl": "https://github.com/expressjs/express", "license": "MIT", "keywords": [ "express", "framework", "web", "node" ], "maintainers": [ { "name": "expressjs", "email": "npm@expressjs.com" } ], "publishedAt": "2026-05-24T12:00:00Z", "versionCount": 123, "dependenciesCount": 18, "distTags": { "latest": "5.1.0" }, "readmeExcerpt": "Express is a minimal and flexible Node.js web application framework...", "packageUrl": "https://www.npmjs.com/package/express", "publisher": "expressjs", "isPrivate": false, "recordType": "package_metadata" } ``` ### Limits and caveats - Package metadata quality varies by project. - Some packages have sparse README, dependency, or maintainer information. - Very long README content is shortened for readability. - The actor is optimized for package lookups and monitoring, not full dependency graph crawling. ### Pricing This actor uses **Pay-Per-Event** pricing. | Event | Price | Charged when | |---|---:|---| | `package-record-produced` | $0.50 / 1k | A package record is successfully produced | ### FAQ **Do I need an npm API key?** No. The actor uses the public npm registry API. **Can I monitor package updates over time?** Yes. Re-run the actor on a schedule and compare version or metadata changes. **What if a package does not exist?** The actor returns an error record for that package instead of failing the whole run. **Is the output useful for AI workflows?** Yes. The normalized fields are designed for enrichment, analysis, search, and RAG pipelines. # Actor input Schema ## `packages` (type: `string`): Comma-separated npm package names to fetch, such as `react,express,typescript`. ## `maxResults` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of package records to return. Values above 100 are clamped. ## `includeReadmeExcerpt` (type: `boolean`): Include a short README excerpt for each package when available. ## Actor input object example ```json { "maxResults": 100, "includeReadmeExcerpt": false } ```` # Actor output Schema ## `records` (type: `string`): All records produced by this run. ## `overview` (type: `string`): Dataset presented using the dataset schema overview view. # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = {}; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("automly/npm-package-metadata-api").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = {} # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("automly/npm-package-metadata-api").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{}' | apify call automly/npm-package-metadata-api --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=automly/npm-package-metadata-api", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "NPM Package Metadata API", "description": "Retrieve clean, structured metadata for npm packages from the public npm registry API.", "version": "1.0", "x-build-id": "AjBAXkthNM4BZqE46" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/automly~npm-package-metadata-api/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-automly-npm-package-metadata-api", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/automly~npm-package-metadata-api/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-automly-npm-package-metadata-api", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/automly~npm-package-metadata-api/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-automly-npm-package-metadata-api", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "required": [ "packages" ], "properties": { "packages": { "title": "Packages", "type": "string", "description": "Comma-separated npm package names to fetch, such as `react,express,typescript`." }, "maxResults": { "title": "Max results", "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of package records to return. Values above 100 are clamped.", "default": 100 }, "includeReadmeExcerpt": { "title": "Include README excerpt", "type": "boolean", "description": "Include a short README excerpt for each package when available.", "default": false } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```