npm Packages Search Scraper

Search npm packages and export public registry metadata, popularity scores, maintainer usernames, repository links, and download-count snapshots. The Actor uses npm's public registry and downloads APIs, so it is fast, browserless, and suitable for scheduled monitoring.

Use it for software supply-chain research, developer ecosystem analysis, DevRel/content planning, dependency shortlist exports, and package popularity reports.

At a glance

• Primary job: Turn npm search terms or known package names into structured package rows.
• Input: A keyword query, direct package names, result limit, and optional download-count enrichment.
• Output: One dataset row per npm package with metadata, links, scores, maintainers, downloads, and status.
• Best for: Package discovery, dependency monitoring, supply-chain shortlist exports, and recurring data snapshots.

Common workflows

• Find packages by topic: Search keywords such as react, eslint plugin, or date formatting and export ranked packages.
• Monitor known dependencies: Fetch packages such as react, vite, and typescript on a schedule and compare download-count snapshots.
• Build supply-chain shortlists: Export repository links, maintainer usernames, scores, and popularity metrics before manual review.
• Automate reporting: Send Apify dataset exports to CSV, JSON, Excel, webhooks, API clients, or MCP-compatible AI agents.

Input recipes

• Small smoke test: query: "react", maxItems: 10, includeDownloads: true.
• Known-package monitoring: packageNames: ["react", "vite", "typescript"], includeDownloads: true.
• Supply-chain shortlist: query: "eslint plugin", maxItems: 100, includeMaintainers: true, dedupe: true.

What data can you extract?

Field	Description
packageName	npm package name, including scope when present.
scope	Scope such as @types, or null for unscoped packages.
version	Latest package version from npm.
description, keywords, license	Public package metadata when available.
publisherUsername, maintainerUsernames	Public npm usernames exposed by registry/search responses.
weeklyDownloads, monthlyDownloads, downloadsLastMonth	Download metrics from npm search/download APIs.
dependents	Dependent count when returned by npm search.
scoreFinal, scorePopularity, scoreQuality, scoreMaintenance, searchScore	npm search ranking and score signals.
homepageUrl, repositoryUrl, bugsUrl, npmUrl	Useful package links for review and enrichment.
updatedAt, fetchedAt	Source update time when available and Actor fetch time.
status, source, errorMessage	Row status and whether it came from search or direct package mode.

Input configuration

Setting	JSON key	Use it for	Example
Search query	query	Discover packages by keyword.	react
Package names	packageNames	Fetch known packages directly.	["react", "@types/node"]
Maximum package rows	maxItems	Cap saved rows and control spend.	50
Include download counts	includeDownloads	Enrich each package with npm downloads API counts.	true
Download period	downloadPeriod	Choose last-day, last-week, or last-month.	last-month
Include maintainers	includeMaintainers	Include public maintainer usernames.	true
Deduplicate package names	dedupe	Avoid duplicates across direct and search inputs.	true

Example input

{
  "query": "react",
  "maxItems": 10,
  "includeDownloads": true,
  "downloadPeriod": "last-month",
  "includeMaintainers": true,
  "dedupe": true
}

Example output

{
  "packageName": "react",
  "scope": null,
  "version": "19.1.0",
  "description": "React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces.",
  "keywords": ["react"],
  "license": null,
  "publisherUsername": "fb",
  "maintainerUsernames": ["fb", "react-bot"],
  "weeklyDownloads": 143867154,
  "monthlyDownloads": 617430030,
  "downloadsLastMonth": 617430030,
  "dependents": 213476,
  "scoreFinal": 0.95,
  "repositoryUrl": "https://github.com/facebook/react",
  "npmUrl": "https://www.npmjs.com/package/react",
  "status": "ok",
  "source": "search"
}

Pricing

Tier	Package result price
Free	$0.00014087 per successful package row
Bronze	$0.0001225 per successful package row
Silver	$0.000095547 per successful package row
Gold	$0.000073498 per successful package row
Platinum	$0.000048998 per successful package row
Diamond	$0.000034299 per successful package row

A run start event is $0.005 per run. Package result pricing is charged for successful npm package metadata rows saved to the dataset.

Tips for best results

• Start small: Use maxItems: 10 until you confirm the fields match your workflow.
• Use focused keywords: Specific terms such as eslint plugin produce more useful shortlists than broad words like plugin.
• Mix modes carefully: Direct packageNames are processed first, then search fills the remaining maxItems.
• Expect nullable fields: Some npm responses omit license, links, dependents, or score fields.

API usage

Node.js:

import { ApifyClient } from "apify-client";

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const run = await client.actor("fetch_cat/npm-packages-search-scraper").call({
  query: "react",
  maxItems: 10,
  includeDownloads: true
});
console.log(run.defaultDatasetId);

Python:

from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN")
run = client.actor("fetch_cat/npm-packages-search-scraper").call(run_input={
    "query": "react",
    "maxItems": 10,
    "includeDownloads": True,
})
print(run["defaultDatasetId"])

cURL:

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/fetch_cat~npm-packages-search-scraper/runs?token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query":"react","maxItems":10,"includeDownloads":true}'

MCP and AI agents

Use this Actor from MCP-compatible tools through the official Apify MCP Server.

$claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=fetch_cat/npm-packages-search-scraper"

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=fetch_cat/npm-packages-search-scraper"
    }
  }
}

Example prompt: "Run npm Packages Search Scraper for eslint plugin with 25 results and summarize high-popularity packages with repository links."

Limits and caveats

• Public npm only: The Actor does not access private packages, account data, or tokens.
• No tarball analysis: It does not download package tarballs or inspect source files.
• Freshness: npm registry and download-count data can change after a run finishes.
• Rate limits: Public APIs may throttle large or frequent runs; retry logic is bounded.

Legality and responsible use

Process only data that you are allowed to access. Follow npm's terms, Apify's terms, and applicable laws.

Related actors

• Website Contact Finder
• Bing Search Results Scraper

FAQ

Can I export results?

Yes. Apify datasets support JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, RSS, and API access.

Why are some fields empty?

Some packages do not expose every field publicly. The Actor leaves unavailable fields empty instead of guessing.

Does it support scoped packages?

Yes. Direct package inputs can include scoped names such as @types/node.

Support

Open an issue from the Actor page if a run fails or output looks wrong. Include the run ID or run URL, input JSON, expected output, actual output, and a reproducible public URL such as https://www.npmjs.com/package/react or the exact npm query.