# Open Vsx Extensions Scraper (`b2b_lead_generation/open-vsx-extensions-scraper`) Actor

Search and extract Open VSX extension details, ratings, download metrics, and publisher lists by query or ID. Export clean results instantly to JSON, CSV, or Excel for easy analysis

- **URL**: https://apify.com/b2b_lead_generation/open-vsx-extensions-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [B2B Lead Generation](https://apify.com/b2b_lead_generation) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.99 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
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.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## 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.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Open VSX Extensions Scraper: Open VSX Extensions Search

This Open VSX extensions scraper helps you gather detailed extension information into clean, structured data. You can easily search by keywords, pull details for a specific extension using its ID, or extract every extension published under a given namespace. Once collected, export your dataset in JSON, CSV, or Excel formats.

### Use Cases

- **Extension search**: Look up extensions like `python`, sort them by downloads, and capture ratings, review counts, and version details.
- **Single extension target**: Pass a specific extension ID (e.g., `ms-python.python`) to pull display names, download numbers, and download links.
- **Publisher extraction**: Input a publisher namespace like `redhat` to list every extension under that account.
- **Controlled extraction**: Set a maximum item limit (`maxItems`) before exporting to spreadsheets to keep your dataset focused and manageable.

### What Data Does This Tool Extract?

The scraper extracts key details for each extension record, including:

- Extension name, display name, and namespace
- Download counts, average ratings, and review counts
- Extension descriptions and version timestamps
- File download links (icon and package files)
- Verification status and deprecation flags

If a specific extension ID cannot be found during a run, the actor records an error row for that entry and continues collecting the remaining items without stopping the run.

### Input

| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|-----------|------|---------|-------------|
| `searchQueries` | array | `python` | Keywords to search for (one per line). |
| `extensionIds` | array | empty | Specific extension IDs in `namespace.name` format (e.g., `ms-python.python`). |
| `namespaces` | array | empty | Publisher namespaces (e.g., `redhat`). |
| `sortBy` | string | `relevance` | Sort results by `relevance`, `timestamp`, `downloadCount`, or `averageRating`. |
| `maxItems` | integer | 100 | Total rows to collect (up to 1000). |
| `requestDelaySecs` | number | 0.3 | Pause duration between requests. |
| `timeoutSecs` | integer | 300 | Maximum total runtime in seconds. |
| `requestTimeoutSecs` | integer | 30 | Maximum wait time for a single response. |
| `proxyConfiguration` | object | `{"useApifyProxy": false}` | Proxy settings (optional). |

#### Example Input

```json
{
  "searchQueries": ["python"],
  "extensionIds": ["ms-python.python"],
  "namespaces": ["redhat"],
  "sortBy": "relevance",
  "maxItems": 100,
  "requestDelaySecs": 0.3,
  "timeoutSecs": 300,
  "requestTimeoutSecs": 30,
  "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": false }
}

```

### Output

```json
{
  "averageRating": 3.875,
  "deprecated": false,
  "extensionDescription": "Python language support with extension access points for IntelliSense (Pylance), Debugging (Python Debugger), linting, formatting, refactoring, unit tests, and more.",
  "displayName": "Python",
  "downloadCount": 60435366,
  "files": {
    "sha256": "[https://open-vsx.org/api/ms-python/python/2026.4.0/file/ms-python.python-2026.4.0.sha256](https://open-vsx.org/api/ms-python/python/2026.4.0/file/ms-python.python-2026.4.0.sha256)",
    "download": "[https://open-vsx.org/api/ms-python/python/2026.4.0/file/ms-python.python-2026.4.0.vsix](https://open-vsx.org/api/ms-python/python/2026.4.0/file/ms-python.python-2026.4.0.vsix)",
    "icon": "[https://open-vsx.org/api/ms-python/python/2026.4.0/file/icon.png](https://open-vsx.org/api/ms-python/python/2026.4.0/file/icon.png)"
  },
  "name": "python",
  "namespace": "ms-python",
  "reviewCount": 16,
  "timestamp": "2026-03-13T04:21:53.228120Z",
  "url": "[https://open-vsx.org/api/ms-python/python](https://open-vsx.org/api/ms-python/python)",
  "verified": true,
  "version": "2026.4.0",
  "mode": "search",
  "scraped_at": "2026-10-12T00:00:00+00:00"
}

```

#### Output Fields

| Field | Type | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `averageRating` | number | Average user rating. |
| `deprecated` | boolean | Indicates if the extension is deprecated. |
| `extensionDescription` | string | Summary description of the extension. |
| `displayName` | string | User-friendly display name. |
| `downloadCount` | integer | Total recorded downloads. |
| `files` | object | Download and icon links. |
| `name` | string | Technical extension name. |
| `namespace` | string | Publisher account or namespace name. |
| `reviewCount` | integer | Total user reviews. |
| `timestamp` | string | Date and time of the release. |
| `url` | string | Direct link to the extension record. |
| `verified` | boolean | Verification flag for the extension or publisher. |
| `version` | string | Version string. |
| `mode` | string | Extraction mode (`search`, `detail`, or `namespace`). |
| `scraped_at` | string | Timestamp recorded when the data was saved. |
| `error` | string | Details about any failed items. |
| `input` | string | Query, ID, or namespace associated with an issue. |
| `status` | integer | Response status code for troubleshooting. |

### How It Works

1. **Input check**: Reads search queries, extension IDs, or namespaces. If none are provided, it defaults to searching for `python`.
2. **Data retrieval**: Fetch matches, paging through search results according to your `maxItems` setting.
3. **Deduplication**: Automatically removes duplicate entries (`namespace.name`) before outputting items to your dataset.

### FAQ

**Can I export data as CSV?**
Yes. You can export dataset results in JSON, CSV, or Excel formats directly.

**How fresh is the data?**
Every run pulls data in real-time. The `scraped_at` timestamp shows exactly when each record was collected.

**What happens if an extension ID isn't found?**
Instead of stopping the run, the scraper logs an error record for that specific ID and moves on to collect the rest.

**How many rows can I collect per run?**
`maxItems` defaults to 100, but you can set it anywhere up to 1000 items per run.

### Trademark Notice

Open VSX Extensions and related names, logos, and trademarks belong to their respective owners. Their use here is purely for identification purposes and does not imply affiliation, endorsement, or partnership.

### Disclaimer

This scraper is an independent tool created for data extraction. Users are responsible for complying with the source's terms of use, rate guidelines, and applicable data handling practices.

### Is Web Scraping Legal?

This tool collects publicly available information without bypassing security measures. Extracting public data is widely practiced, but how you use the data is important to keep in mind:

- **Personal Data**: If your dataset includes personal information, data privacy rules (such as GDPR or CCPA) may apply. Always handle personal information responsibly.
- **Copyright**: Certain descriptions or materials may be subject to copyright. Avoid republishing copyrighted content in full without proper permissions.
- **Terms**: Always respect standard platform terms and usage guidelines.
- **Legal Advice**: This overview provides general information. If you have specific legal questions, consider consulting a legal professional.

This is not legal advice. To learn more, read Apify's guide: [Is web scraping legal?](https://blog.apify.com/is-web-scraping-legal/)

# Actor input Schema

## `searchQueries` (type: `array`):

Keywords sent as query on GET https://open-vsx.org/api/-/search. One keyword per line. Example: python. Leave empty to skip search.

## `extensionIds` (type: `array`):

namespace.name values for GET https://open-vsx.org/api/{namespace}/{name}. One id per line. Example: ms-python.python. Leave empty to skip detail.

## `namespaces` (type: `array`):

Publisher namespaces for GET https://open-vsx.org/api/{namespace}. One namespace per line. Example: redhat. Leave empty to skip the namespace list.

## `sortBy` (type: `string`):

sortBy on search. Allowed values: relevance, timestamp, downloadCount, averageRating.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum extension rows to save this run. Error rows do not count. Minimum 1, hard cap 1000.

## `requestDelaySecs` (type: `number`):

Seconds to wait between Open VSX requests. Minimum 0.3. Requests run one at a time.

## `timeoutSecs` (type: `integer`):

Stop the run after this many seconds and keep rows already collected. Default 300. Maximum 3600.

## `requestTimeoutSecs` (type: `integer`):

How long to wait for one Open VSX response before that call is retried or saved as an error. Default 30.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Optional proxy for Open VSX requests. Default is no proxy. Turn on Apify Proxy only if you need it.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "searchQueries": [
    "python"
  ],
  "extensionIds": [],
  "namespaces": [],
  "sortBy": "relevance",
  "maxItems": 100,
  "requestDelaySecs": 0.3,
  "timeoutSecs": 300,
  "requestTimeoutSecs": 30,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `overview` (type: `string`):

Namespace, name, display name, version, downloads, rating, verified flag, and mode.

## `errors` (type: `string`):

Failed requests with the input value, HTTP status, and message.

## `dataset` (type: `string`):

Every row from the run, without a table view applied.

# 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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "searchQueries": [
        "python"
    ],
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": false
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("b2b_lead_generation/open-vsx-extensions-scraper").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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "searchQueries": ["python"],
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": False },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("b2b_lead_generation/open-vsx-extensions-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "searchQueries": [
    "python"
  ],
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}' |
apify call b2b_lead_generation/open-vsx-extensions-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,b2b_lead_generation/open-vsx-extensions-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/gc0Pn56518foMCnfg/builds/JANeNbxYz9eZ1hYBA/openapi.json