VS Code Extension Scraper

Scrape the Visual Studio Code Marketplace to extract extension data including install counts, ratings, publishers, and version information. Track the most popular VS Code extensions across categories.

What does VS Code Extension Scraper do?

This actor scrapes the VS Code Marketplace to collect structured data about Visual Studio Code extensions. It uses both the Marketplace Gallery API and HTML scraping to extract extension names, publishers, install counts, ratings, versions, last updated dates, and categories. This is the perfect tool for developers analyzing the VS Code extension ecosystem, publishers benchmarking their extensions, or tech writers covering popular development tools.

Features

• Search extensions by category or keyword (linters, themes, AI, formatters, etc.)
• Sort results by installs, rating, name, or publish date
• Extract install counts, ratings, publisher info, and version details
• Uses the official VS Code Marketplace Gallery API for accurate data
• Falls back to HTML scraping if API is unavailable
• Automatic deduplication of extension entries

How to use

1. Open the actor page on Apify Console
2. Click "Start" to run with default settings (linters, themes, AI extensions sorted by installs)
3. Customize categories, sort order, and max results in the input
4. Download results from the Dataset tab when the run completes

Input parameters

Output format

Each extension in the dataset contains:

{
    "name": "ESLint",
    "publisher": "dbaeumer",
    "installs": 35000000,
    "rating": 4.6,
    "version": "3.0.5",
    "lastUpdated": "2026-02-10",
    "categories": "Linters",
    "description": "Integrates ESLint JavaScript into VS Code",
    "extensionUrl": "https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=dbaeumer.vscode-eslint",
    "scrapedAt": "2026-02-19T12:00:00.000Z"
}

Tips and tricks

• Use broad search terms like "python", "javascript", or "docker" to find language-specific extensions
• Sort by rating to discover hidden gems with high user satisfaction
• Schedule monthly runs to track how install counts grow over time
• Compare install counts across competing extensions to identify market leaders

About

This actor is maintained by consummate_mandala. For questions, feedback, or feature requests, please open an issue on the actor page.