VS Code Marketplace Scraper

Extract data from the Visual Studio Code Marketplace for any extension — install counts, ratings, version history, repository links, icon URLs, and full metadata. No authentication or API key required.

What you can scrape

• Search by keyword — find extensions matching a free-text query
• Browse by category — list all extensions in a specific category (Programming Languages, Themes, Linters, etc.)
• By publisher — all extensions from a named publisher (e.g., ms-python, esbenp)
• By extension ID — look up one or more specific extensions by their full ID (e.g., ms-python.python)

Use cases

Goal	Mode
Monitor most-downloaded extensions for a keyword	search + sortBy: InstallCount
Track new releases in a category	byCategory + sortBy: PublishedDate
Audit all extensions from a publisher	byPublisher
Get metadata for a known extension	byExtensionId
Build a competitor analysis report	search + multiple runs
Monitor installs & ratings over time	Any mode, scheduled

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Input parameters

Parameter	Type	Description	Required
mode	select	Query mode: search, byCategory, byPublisher, byExtensionId	Yes
searchQuery	string	Free-text keyword (mode=search)	For search
category	select	Marketplace category (mode=byCategory or optional filter in search)	For byCategory
publisherId	string	Publisher slug, e.g. ms-python (mode=byPublisher)	For byPublisher
extensionIds	array	List of full IDs like ms-python.python (mode=byExtensionId)	For byExtensionId
sortBy	select	Sort order: InstallCount, Relevance, PublishedDate, AverageRating, UpdatedDate, WeightedRating	No (default: InstallCount)
maxItems	integer	Maximum extensions to return (1–500, default 50)	No

Available categories

Programming Languages, Snippets, Linters, Themes, Debuggers, Formatters, Keymaps, SCM Providers, Other, Azure, Data Science, Machine Learning, Visualization, Notebooks, Education, Testing, Extension Packs, Language Packs, Chat

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Output fields

Each record in the dataset contains:

Field	Type	Description
extensionId	string	Internal GUID of the extension
extensionName	string	Short name (e.g., python)
displayName	string	Human-readable name (e.g., Python)
publisherId	string	Publisher GUID
publisherName	string	Publisher slug (e.g., ms-python)
publisherDisplayName	string	Publisher display name (e.g., Microsoft)
description	string	Short description of the extension
version	string	Latest version string (e.g., 2026.5.1)
publishedDate	string	ISO-8601 date first published
lastUpdated	string	ISO-8601 date last updated
categories	array	Category list (e.g., ["Programming Languages", "Debuggers"])
tags	array	Searchable tags (internal __ tags are excluded)
installCount	integer	Total install count
rating	float	Average user rating (0–5)
ratingCount	integer	Number of ratings
trendingWeekly	float	Weekly trending score
extensionUrl	string	Marketplace page URL
iconUrl	string	Extension icon URL (PNG/SVG)
repositoryUrl	string	Source repository URL (when provided)
licenseUrl	string	License file URL (when provided)
scrapedAt	string	ISO-8601 timestamp when the record was scraped

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Sample output

{
  "extensionId": "aaaabbbb-cccc-dddd-eeee-ffffffffffff",
  "extensionName": "python",
  "displayName": "Python",
  "publisherName": "ms-python",
  "publisherDisplayName": "Microsoft",
  "description": "Python language support with IntelliSense (Pylance), Debugging (Python Debugger).",
  "version": "2026.5.1",
  "publishedDate": "2016-01-19T15:03:11.337+00:00",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-05-15T11:00:54.387+00:00",
  "categories": ["Programming Languages", "Debuggers", "Data Science", "Machine Learning"],
  "tags": ["python", "django", "flask"],
  "installCount": 218969362,
  "rating": 4.2,
  "ratingCount": 628,
  "trendingWeekly": 0.425,
  "extensionUrl": "https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-python.python",
  "iconUrl": "https://ms-python.gallerycdn.vsassets.io/extensions/ms-python/python/.../Microsoft.VisualStudio.Services.Icons.Default",
  "repositoryUrl": "https://github.com/Microsoft/vscode-python",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-05-20T10:00:00.000000+00:00"
}

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FAQ

Do I need an API key or account? No. The VS Code Marketplace Gallery API is publicly accessible with no authentication.

Is proxy required? No. The API works reliably from datacenter IPs.

How many extensions can I scrape? Up to 500 per run (configurable via maxItems). For larger datasets, run multiple times with different search queries or categories.

Which sortBy should I use? Use InstallCount for most-popular extensions, UpdatedDate for recently updated, PublishedDate for newest, and WeightedRating for highest-quality extensions.

Can I filter by category and keyword at the same time? Yes — in search mode, set both searchQuery and category to filter by both simultaneously.

Why are some fields missing from certain records? Fields like repositoryUrl and licenseUrl are only included when the publisher has provided them. The actor never emits null or empty values.

What are the __ tags excluded from output? VS Code Marketplace uses internal tags prefixed with __ (e.g., __web_extension) for platform features — these are not meaningful to end users and are excluded.

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Data source

This actor uses the VS Code Marketplace Gallery API — the same API used by VS Code itself to browse and install extensions. It is publicly accessible, freely available, and does not require authentication.