# GitLab Projects Scraper — Repos, Stars & Activity (`hipersoft/gitlab-projects-scraper`) Actor

Scrape public GitLab projects in bulk. Search by keyword or look up projects by path and get stars, forks, open issues, topics, default branch, visibility, license and activity dates. Export to JSON, CSV or Excel.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/hipersoft/gitlab-projects-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [hiper soft](https://apify.com/hipersoft) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, Other
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.0005 / project scraped

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?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
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.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## 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.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## GitLab Projects Scraper — Repos, Stars, Forks & Activity

Search and export **public GitLab projects** into clean **JSON, CSV, Excel or XML**. Pull repository metadata at scale — **stars**, **forks**, **open issues**, **topics**, **default branch**, **visibility**, **license** and **activity dates** — by keyword or by exact project path, without clicking through GitLab one project at a time.

Built for developer research, open-source tracking, competitive analysis and data pipelines that need structured GitLab project data in bulk.

### What does the GitLab Projects Scraper do?

Give it a **search** keyword (like `kubernetes` or `terraform`) and/or a list of exact **project paths** (like `gitlab-org/gitlab`), pick how to order results, and the actor returns one clean row per project:

- **Search mode** — paginate public projects matching your keyword, ordered by stars, latest activity or creation date.
- **Path lookup** — fetch specific projects directly by their `namespace/project` path; each includes license and open-issue counts.

You can use either on its own or combine both in a single run.

### What data can you get?

Each project record contains these fields:

| Field | Type | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `id` | integer | GitLab's numeric project ID. |
| `name` | string | Project name, e.g. `GitLab`. |
| `pathWithNamespace` | string | Full path, e.g. `gitlab-org/gitlab`. |
| `description` | string | The project's short description. |
| `starCount` | integer | Number of stars. |
| `forksCount` | integer | Number of forks. |
| `openIssuesCount` | integer | Count of open issues. |
| `defaultBranch` | string | Default branch name, e.g. `main` or `master`. |
| `visibility` | string | Project visibility — `public`. |
| `topics` | array | List of topic tags on the project. |
| `lastActivityAt` | string (ISO date) | Timestamp of the most recent activity. |
| `createdAt` | string (ISO date) | When the project was created. |
| `webUrl` | string (URL) | Public GitLab URL of the project. |
| `license` | string | License identifier, when available. |

### Use cases

- **Open-source research** — find and rank the top public projects for a technology or topic.
- **Competitive analysis** — track stars, forks and activity across a curated set of projects over time.
- **Developer intelligence** — build lists of active projects in a namespace, language or ecosystem.
- **Dashboards & pipelines** — feed clean, structured project records into your own analytics or reporting tools.

### How to use it

1. Add the GitLab Projects Scraper to your Apify account and open the input form.
2. Enter a **Search query** (e.g. `kubernetes`) and/or add exact **Project paths** (e.g. `gitlab-org/gitlab`).
3. Choose how to **order** search results — by stars, last activity or created date.
4. Set **Max items** to cap the export, then **Run**.
5. **Export** the dataset as JSON, CSV, Excel or XML, or pull it via the Apify API.

### Input

```json
{
  "search": "kubernetes",
  "projectPaths": ["gitlab-org/gitlab"],
  "orderBy": "stars",
  "maxItems": 100
}
```

| Field | Type | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `search` | string | Keyword to search public projects by name and description. |
| `projectPaths` | array | Optional list of exact `namespace/project` paths to fetch directly. |
| `orderBy` | string | Sort search results by `stars`, `last_activity_at` or `created_at`. |
| `maxItems` | integer | Maximum projects to return (default 100). |

### Output

```json
{
  "id": 278964,
  "name": "GitLab",
  "pathWithNamespace": "gitlab-org/gitlab",
  "description": "GitLab is the open-source DevSecOps platform ...",
  "starCount": 6127,
  "forksCount": 12347,
  "openIssuesCount": 0,
  "defaultBranch": "master",
  "visibility": "public",
  "topics": ["hacktoberfest", "javascript", "ruby", "vue.js"],
  "lastActivityAt": "2026-08-31T02:11:06.860Z",
  "createdAt": "2015-05-20T10:47:11.949Z",
  "webUrl": "https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab",
  "license": "MIT License"
}
```

### FAQ

**What can I search?**
Any public project on GitLab.com — by keyword, or by exact `namespace/project` path. Combine both in one run to mix a broad search with specific projects you already know.

**How many projects can I get?**
As many as your search returns. Use **Max items** to cap a run and keep it cheap.

**How does billing work?**
You pay only per project you get, so small, tightly filtered runs stay inexpensive.

**What export formats are supported?**
JSON, CSV, Excel and XML, plus direct access via the Apify API.

**Can I use this with n8n?**
Yes. Run the GitLab Projects Scraper from n8n with the [Apify node](https://n8n.io/integrations/apify/) — trigger a run, wait for it to finish, and read the dataset items straight into your workflow to enrich records, build dashboards or drive alerts. It also works with [Make](https://apify.com/integrations/make), [Zapier](https://apify.com/integrations/zapier) and the [Apify API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2).

**Can I connect this to other tools?**
The GitLab Projects Scraper connects with almost any cloud service or web app through [integrations on the Apify platform](https://apify.com/integrations) — [Make](https://apify.com/integrations/make), [Zapier](https://apify.com/integrations/zapier), [Slack](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/slack), [Google Drive](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/drive) and [many more](https://apify.com/integrations), plus [webhooks](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/webhooks) to trigger an action whenever a run finishes.

**Is this only public data?**
Yes. It returns only publicly available GitLab project data. You are responsible for compliance with GitLab's terms of use.

### Related Actors

Doing developer research or open-source tracking? Combine this with our other developer-data scrapers:

- [GitHub Scraper](https://apify.com/hipersoft/github-scraper) — search repositories and user profiles with stars, topics, license and profile fields.
- [npm Package Scraper](https://apify.com/hipersoft/npm-scraper) — search and look up npm packages with metadata, dependencies and downloads.
- [PyPI Package Scraper](https://apify.com/hipersoft/pypi-scraper) — metadata, dependencies, licenses and downloads for Python packages.
- [Docker Hub Scraper](https://apify.com/hipersoft/docker-hub-scraper) — search Docker Hub images with pull counts, stars and tags.

### Notes

Original clean-room implementation. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by GitLab B.V.; "GitLab" is a trademark of GitLab B.V. Reads only publicly available project data.

# Actor input Schema

## `search` (type: `string`):

Keyword to search public GitLab projects by name and description, e.g. "kubernetes", "terraform", "machine learning". Leave empty if you only want to look up specific projects by path below.

## `projectPaths` (type: `array`):

Optional list of specific projects to fetch by their full path "namespace/project", e.g. "gitlab-org/gitlab". Each is looked up directly and includes license and open-issue counts. Use this on its own or together with a search query.

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

How to sort search results (descending): by star count, most recent activity, or creation date. Applies to the search query only.

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

Maximum number of projects to return across all pages and lookups.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "search": "kubernetes",
  "projectPaths": [
    "gitlab-org/gitlab"
  ],
  "orderBy": "stars",
  "maxItems": 100
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

The scraped results as dataset items.

# 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 = {};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("hipersoft/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 = {}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("hipersoft/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 '{}' |
apify call hipersoft/gitlab-projects-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,hipersoft/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/gbvuhIoaZe9rT9Yir/builds/imgMlFjh4vFKFHPNL/openapi.json