# Gitlab Projects Scraper (`bigibyte/gitlab-projects-scraper`) Actor

Discover public GitLab projects, details, and groups effortlessly. Set your search parameters or item limits, run the actor, and export structured data in JSON, CSV, or Excel formats for lead lists, research, or scheduled monitoring.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/bigibyte/gitlab-projects-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [BigiByte](https://apify.com/bigibyte) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 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/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-usage

## 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

## GitLab Projects Scraper

GitLab Projects Scraper helps you gather repository data, open group details, and project search results. Simply pick your mode, set your item limit, and export clean structured datasets in JSON, CSV, or Excel formats.

### Use cases

- **Project discovery**: Search projects for specific libraries, programming languages, or topics, and export structured lists.
- **Shortlisting repositories**: Pull star counts, fork metrics, topics, and web URLs for specific project IDs or paths.
- **Group lookups**: Search groups by name and export their IDs, paths, and web URLs.
- **CSV export**: Export structured datasets directly to spreadsheets without needing custom tools.
- **Scheduled monitoring**: Run recurring jobs to keep star counts, fork statistics, and last activity dates up to date.
- **Lead & research lists**: Collect project names and namespace details for research queues.

### Modes

- **Projects** (`search`): Search open projects sorted by star counts or recent activity.
- **Details** (`project`): Fetch detailed repository metadata for specific project IDs or namespace paths.
- **Groups** (`groups`): Search groups by keywords.

### Input

| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|-----------|------|---------|-------------|
| `mode` | string | `search` | Choose between Projects, Details, or Groups mode. |
| `query` | string | `python` | Search text for Projects mode. |
| `orderBy` | string | `star_count` | Sort criteria (`star_count` or `last_activity_at`). |
| `projects` | array | `["278964"]` | Project IDs or namespace paths for Details mode. |
| `groups` | array | `["gnome"]` | Keyword list for Groups mode search. |
| `maxItems` | integer | `100` | Target number of successful records to output (Max 1000). |
| `requestDelaySecs` | number | `1` | Delay between consecutive requests. Minimum threshold is 0.12s. |
| `timeoutSecs` | integer | `300` | Maximum runtime before stopping new requests. |
| `requestTimeoutSecs` | integer | `30` | Per-request timeout limit. |
| `userAgent` | string | BigiByteActorResearch/1.0 | Custom contact identifier string sent with requests. |
| `proxyConfiguration` | object | `{"useApifyProxy": false}` | Optional proxy settings. |

#### Example input

```json
{
  "mode": "search",
  "query": "python",
  "orderBy": "star_count",
  "maxItems": 100,
  "requestDelaySecs": 1,
  "timeoutSecs": 300,
  "requestTimeoutSecs": 30,
  "userAgent": "BigiByteActorResearch/1.0 (contact: research@bigibyte.com)",
  "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": false }
}

```

### What data does this actor extract?

Each successful item represents a project or group record. Descriptions are organized under `projectDescription` to keep dataset schemas uniform and clean across runs.

```json
{
  "id": 470007,
  "path_with_namespace": "ase/ase",
  "name": "ase",
  "projectDescription": "[Atomic Simulation Environment](https://ase-lib.org): A Python library for working with atoms",
  "web_url": "[https://gitlab.com/ase/ase](https://gitlab.com/ase/ase)",
  "star_count": 516,
  "forks_count": 979,
  "topics": ["Atomistic simulations", "chemistry"],
  "created_at": "2015-09-17T12:32:33.814Z",
  "last_activity_at": "2026-10-10T16:34:42.444Z",
  "namespace_name": "ase",
  "scraped_at": "2026-10-12T00:00:00+00:00"
}

```

| Field | Type | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `id` | integer | Unique identifier. Duplicates in a single run are automatically deduplicated. |
| `path_with_namespace` | string | Complete project path or namespace group path. |
| `name` | string | Display name. |
| `projectDescription` | string | Formatted project description. |
| `web_url` | string | Direct web page URL. |
| `star_count` | integer | Total star count (when available). |
| `forks_count` | integer | Total forks count (when available). |
| `topics` | array | Assigned topic labels. |
| `created_at` | string | Creation timestamp. |
| `last_activity_at` | string | Timestamp of the most recent activity. |
| `namespace_name` | string | Full namespace path. |
| `scraped_at` | string | UTC timestamp recorded when data was extracted. |

If an item encounters an HTTP error (such as a missing repository or invalid ID), it records a clear error row with status details without crashing the entire run.

### Pricing & usage limits

The actor software is completely free to use. You only pay for standard Apify platform compute consumption during execution.

`maxItems` defaults to 100 records and can be configured up to a maximum cap of 1000 items. Execution stops when `maxItems` is reached or when `timeoutSecs` expires (default 300 seconds).

### How it works

1. Reads your configuration inputs and validates selected modes, keywords, or ID lists.
2. Sends requests sequentially using your specified User-Agent header.
3. Automatically pages through dataset results while removing internal duplicate records.
4. Outputs results smoothly into datasets in structured batches.
5. Logs helpful summary logs detailing items processed, page counts, and warnings upon completion.

### FAQ

**How many projects can I extract per run?**
The default cap is set to 100 items and can be adjusted up to 1000 records per run depending on your requirements.

**What happens if a project ID is missing or invalid?**
The actor logs a descriptive status row for that individual record and seamlessly moves on to process the remaining items in your list.

**Can I export data as CSV or Excel?**
Yes, Apify natively supports downloading datasets as CSV, Excel, JSON, XML, or HTML directly from the dataset view after run completion.

**Does running a job multiple times create duplicate rows?**
Within a single execution, duplicate IDs are automatically deduplicated. Successive runs write to new datasets unless merged manually.

### Related tools

If you plan to map or join these rows, a data cleanup or CSV formatting pass are the usual next steps. BigiByte builds scrapers and automated tools for developer portals, code platforms, and open data hubs.

Need a scheduled monitor, custom dataset, or tailored extraction pipeline? BigiByte builds custom scrapers and APIs: https://bigibyte.com

### Trademark Notice

GitLab Projects and related names, logos, and trademarks belong to their respective owners. Their use in this documentation is solely to identify the target software platform and does not imply affiliation, sponsorship, endorsement, or partnership.

### Disclaimer

This Actor is an independent tool developed by BigiByte and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or otherwise officially associated with GitLab or its parent entities. Users are responsible for adhering to applicable terms, rate guidelines, and licensing standards.

### Is web scraping legal?

This Actor only collects web data without bypassing access controls. Scraping publicly available data is generally legal, but how you handle and process the extracted data matters:

- **Personal data:** If your output data includes personal details (such as names, public handles, or email addresses), data protection laws such as the GDPR or CCPA may apply. Ensure you handle personal data responsibly and lawfully.
- **Copyright:** Content like project documentation, code, or technical descriptions may be protected under specific licenses or copyright laws. Avoid redistributing full copyrighted content without proper attribution or permission.
- **Terms of use:** Ensure your request frequencies and usage comply with fair usage standards and platform policies.
- **Legal advice:** This summary provides general information, not legal advice. Consult legal counsel for specific legal guidance.

For further reading, explore Apify's legal guide: [Is web scraping legal?](https://blog.apify.com/is-web-scraping-legal/)

# Actor input Schema

## `mode` (type: `string`):

Projects runs a public project search. Details loads one project by numeric id or namespace path. Groups runs a public group search.

## `query` (type: `string`):

Text sent as the search parameter in Projects mode. Example: python.

## `orderBy` (type: `string`):

Sort for Projects mode. star_count and last_activity_at are the verified public sort values.

## `projects` (type: `array`):

Project ids or namespace paths for Details mode, one per line. Example: 278964 or gitlab-org/gitlab.

## `groups` (type: `array`):

Search text for Groups mode, one query per line. Example: gnome.

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

Maximum successful records to save in one run. Hard cap is 1000.

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

Pause between GitLab API calls. Values under 0.12 seconds are raised to 0.12 so the run stays under the public 500 requests per minute limit.

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

Stop starting new requests after this many seconds. Partial results already saved stay in the dataset.

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

How long to wait for a single GitLab HTTP response before retrying or recording an error.

## `userAgent` (type: `string`):

User-Agent sent on every request. Keep a contact address so the operator can be identified.

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

Optional proxy for GitLab requests. Default is no proxy. Turn on Apify Proxy only if your IP is throttled.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "mode": "search",
  "query": "python",
  "orderBy": "star_count",
  "projects": [
    "278964"
  ],
  "groups": [
    "gnome"
  ],
  "maxItems": 100,
  "requestDelaySecs": 1,
  "timeoutSecs": 300,
  "requestTimeoutSecs": 30,
  "userAgent": "BigiByteActorResearch/1.0 (contact: research@bigibyte.com)",
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

No description

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# 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 = {
    "projects": [
        "278964"
    ],
    "groups": [
        "gnome"
    ],
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": false
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("bigibyte/gitlab-projects-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 = {
    "projects": ["278964"],
    "groups": ["gnome"],
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": False },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("bigibyte/gitlab-projects-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 '{
  "projects": [
    "278964"
  ],
  "groups": [
    "gnome"
  ],
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}' |
apify call bigibyte/gitlab-projects-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,bigibyte/gitlab-projects-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/qk6l5o7tfnIdm1XJz/builds/YM4i5uHSQoRbqLpzz/openapi.json