Flathub Apps Scraper: Linux Flatpak Apps Data Collector

This tool lets you gather detailed metadata and download statistics for Linux Flatpak applications available on Flathub. Whether you want to pull details for a specific tool, search by keywords like "editor", or check monthly install numbers, you can easily export the data in CSV, JSON, or Excel format.

This actor operates independently and is built to help developers, analysts, and open-source enthusiasts collect application insights smoothly.

Use Cases

• Targeted App Lookup: Look up specific software (e.g., org.mozilla.firefox) to keep track of its name, summary, developer, license, and icon URL.
• Keyword Search: Discover software by searching for keywords such as "editor" or "media" and paginate through the results.
• Install Metrics: Track usage trends by collecting total downloads and recent monthly install counts for specific application IDs.
• Fleet & Catalog Lists: Build comprehensive software catalogs, control overall item caps, toggle statistics on or off, and export structured tables.
• Automated Monitoring: Run scheduled jobs to monitor updates or download trends across software titles over time.

Data Fields Extracted

Depending on the mode you choose, the tool extracts the following fields:

Field	Type	Description
app_id	string	Standard Flatpak application identifier.
name	string	Display name of the application.
summary	string	Brief description or tag line.
developer_name	string	Person or organization behind the app.
project_license	string	Open-source or proprietary software license.
main_categories	string	Primary application category (e.g., office, utility).
verification_verified	boolean	Indicates whether the publisher is officially verified.
installs_last_month	integer	Total downloads recorded over the last month.
updated_at	integer	Unix timestamp of the latest catalog update.
icon	string	Direct link to the app's icon image.
installs_total	integer	Total cumulative downloads.
url	string	Direct web link to the app listing page.
scraped_at	string	UTC timestamp marking when the data was collected.

Input Options

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
mode	string	app	Choose between looking up specific apps, searching by text, or pulling install stats.
query	string	editor	Search keywords (used when mode is set to search).
appIds	array	["org.mozilla.firefox"]	List of application IDs to fetch (used in app or stats mode).
includeStats	boolean	true	Fetch install metrics along with application details.
requestDelaySecs	number	1	Delay between consecutive requests to prevent network overload.
userAgent	string	kawsarActorResearch/1.0	Custom headers sent with requests.
timeoutSecs	integer	300	Overall run duration limit in seconds.
requestTimeoutSecs	integer	30	Timeout per individual network request.
proxyConfiguration	object	{}	Optional proxy settings if required.

Example Input Configuration

{
  "mode": "search",
  "query": "editor",
  "appIds": ["org.mozilla.firefox"],
  "includeStats": true,
  "requestDelaySecs": 1,
  "userAgent": "AppResearch/1.0",
  "timeoutSecs": 300,
  "requestTimeoutSecs": 30
}

Example Output Data

{
  "app_id": "org.onlyoffice.desktopeditors",
  "name": "ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors",
  "summary": "Office productivity suite",
  "developer_name": "ONLYOFFICE",
  "project_license": "AGPL-3.0-only",
  "main_categories": "office",
  "verification_verified": true,
  "installs_last_month": 84248,
  "updated_at": 1779470741,
  "icon": "https://dl.flathub.org/media/org/onlyoffice/desktopeditors/5602da018a6ffaae80da2f668f0113e0/icons/128x128/org.onlyoffice.desktopeditors.png",
  "url": "https://flathub.org/apps/org.onlyoffice.desktopeditors",
  "scraped_at": "2026-10-12T00:00:00+00:00"
}

How It Works

1. Initialization: Parses your configuration, sets request parameters, and initializes the queue.
2. Data Collection: Retrieves application listings or iterates through multi-page search results based on your target mode.
3. Normalization: Deduplicates repeated application entries by ID, formats all numeric and text fields consistently, and attaches collection timestamps.
4. Resilience & Storage: Retries transient request failures smoothly and writes structured results directly to your storage dataset.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I export the extracted data to CSV or Excel?

Yes. You can download the dataset directly in JSON, CSV, Excel, or XML format.

How does deduplication work?

Entries are automatically deduplicated by their unique application ID during execution so you receive clean datasets without repeated rows.

What happens when an invalid application ID is provided?

If an application ID cannot be found, the runner captures the issue cleanly in an error log row so the rest of your run continues without interruption.

Trademark Notice

Flathub and related application names, logos, and trademarks belong to their respective owners. Their mention in this document is purely for descriptive purposes to identify the data source and does not imply endorsement, affiliation, or partnership.

Disclaimer

This Actor is an independent collection tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Flathub or its maintainers. All data is gathered from standard publicly accessible channels. Users are responsible for adhering to applicable data usage guidelines and software license agreements.

Is web scraping legal?

This Actor only collects publicly available data, mostly through standard public web feeds and listings without bypassing access controls. Collecting public data is widely practiced, though user responsibilities depend on usage:

• Personal Data: If output data contains personal details, regional privacy laws (such as GDPR or CCPA) may apply. Ensure you handle personal identifiers in compliance with local rules.
• Copyright: Certain descriptions or software branding may be protected by copyright. Avoid directly republishing copyright-protected content at scale without permission.
• Terms & Rules: Ensure your data gathering respects standard rate limits and reasonable web etiquette.

To learn more, read Apify's guide: Is web scraping legal?