# NPM Packages & Download Statistics Scraper (`litezero/npm-packages-scraper`) Actor

Extract NPM package registry details, monthly and weekly download trends, license terms, author and maintainer profiles, dependencies, version history, and repository links.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/litezero/npm-packages-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [LiteZero](https://apify.com/litezero) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, Automation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.70 / 1,000 item scrapeds

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?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
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.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## 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.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## 📦 NPM Packages & Download Statistics Scraper

Extract official NPM package registry details, monthly and weekly download metrics, version history, author info, dependencies, and license classifications in bulk.

***

### 🥊 Why This Actor Beats the Competition

| Feature | 📦 This NPM Scraper | 🐢 Web Scraping Tools | 🐌 npm view CLI |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Speed** | **200+ packages / min** (Direct JSON) | 5–10 pages / min (Puppeteer) | 1 at a time in terminal |
| **Pricing** | **$1.00 / 1,000 packages** (PPR) | High hourly compute bills | High local engineering time |
| **Downloads Included** | **Yes** (Weekly/Monthly metrics) | No (usually missed) | No (requires separate API) |
| **Platform Usage**| **FREE** (Zero compute charges) | Heavy billable RAM | Local resources |
| **Reliability** | **100%** (Official registry endpoints) | Breaks on HTML redesigns | Manual script maintenance |

***

### 🛠️ Step-by-Step: How to Use

#### Method 1: Apify Console (No-Code UI)

1. Open the actor in the Apify Console.
2. Enter target package names in **NPM Package Names** (e.g. `express`, `lodash`, `axios`, `react`).
3. Select **Download Stats Period** (e.g. `last-month`, `last-week`).
4. Click **Start** to run and export the data to JSON or CSV.

#### Method 2: Python SDK

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN")
run_input = {
    "packages": ["express", "axios", "next"],
    "period": "last-month"
}
run = client.actor("litezero/npm-packages-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item["name"], item["latestVersion"], "Downloads:", item["downloads"])
```

#### Method 3: Node.js SDK

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: 'YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN' });
const run = await client.actor('litezero/npm-packages-scraper').call({
    packages: ['express', 'axios', 'next'],
    period: 'last-month',
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items);
```

***

### 📥 Input Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `packages` | Array of strings | `["express", "lodash", "axios"]` | NPM package names to inspect. |
| `period` | String | `"last-month"` | Time range (`last-day`, `last-week`, `last-month`, `last-year`). |

***

### 📤 Output Data Dictionary & Sample

```json
{
  "name": "express",
  "latestVersion": "5.2.1",
  "description": "Fast, unopinionated, minimalist web framework",
  "license": "MIT",
  "homepage": "http://expressjs.com/",
  "repository": "git+https://github.com/expressjs/express.git",
  "downloads": 165798136,
  "downloadPeriod": "last-month",
  "dependenciesCount": 28,
  "devDependenciesCount": 35,
  "totalVersions": 268,
  "npmUrl": "https://www.npmjs.com/package/express",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-10-04T05:35:00.000Z"
}
```

***

### 💡 Top Use Cases

1. **Ecosystem & Market Share Benchmarking:** Compare download momentum across competing libraries (e.g. Next.js vs Remix, Vite vs Webpack).
2. **Security & Package Maintenance Audits:** Monitor package license compatibility and track author ownership changes across software supply chains.
3. **Developer Marketing Intelligence:** Identify fast-growing open source tools and tech stack dependencies for DevTool product teams.

# Actor input Schema

## `packages` (type: `array`):

List of NPM package names to inspect (e.g. express, lodash, axios, react).

## `period` (type: `string`):

Time range for download metrics.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "packages": [
    "express",
    "lodash",
    "axios"
  ],
  "period": "last-month"
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

No description

# 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("litezero/npm-packages-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("litezero/npm-packages-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 litezero/npm-packages-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,litezero/npm-packages-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/g5fbb48bWWbbcaTtT/builds/kTJkJdURgbSWLWy0A/openapi.json