Introduction
This article describes how to quickly get started with the GitHub REST API using GitHub CLI, curl
, or JavaScript. For a more detailed guide, see "Getting started with the REST API."
Using GitHub CLI in the command line
GitHub CLI is the easiest way to use the GitHub REST API from the command line.
-
Install GitHub CLI on macOS, Windows, or Linux. For more information, see Installation in the GitHub CLI repository.
-
Authenticate with GitHub by running this command from your terminal.
gh auth login
-
Follow the on-screen prompts.
GitHub CLI automatically stores your Git credentials for you when you choose HTTPS as your preferred protocol for Git operations and answer "yes" to the prompt asking if you would like to authenticate to Git with your GitHub credentials. This can be useful as it allows you to use Git commands like
git push
andgit pull
without needing to set up a separate credential manager or use SSH. -
Make a request using the GitHub CLI
api
subcommand, followed by the path. Use the--method
or-X
flag to specify the method. For more information, see the GitHub CLIapi
documentation.This example makes a request to the "Get Octocat" endpoint, which uses the method
GET
and the path/octocat
. For the full reference documentation for this endpoint, see "REST API endpoints for meta data."Shell gh api /octocat --method GET
gh api /octocat --method GET
Using GitHub CLI in GitHub Actions
You can also use GitHub CLI in your GitHub Actions workflows. For more information, see "Using GitHub CLI in workflows."
Authenticating with an access token
Instead of using the gh auth login
command, pass an access token as an environment variable called GH_TOKEN
. GitHub recommends that you use the built-in GITHUB_TOKEN
instead of creating a token. If this is not possible, store your token as a secret and replace GITHUB_TOKEN
in the example below with the name of your secret. For more information about GITHUB_TOKEN
, see "Automatic token authentication." For more information about secrets, see "Using secrets in GitHub Actions."
The following example workflow uses the "List repository issues" endpoint, and requests a list of issues in the octocat/Spoon-Knife
repository.
on: workflow_dispatch: jobs: use_api: runs-on: ubuntu-latest permissions: issues: read steps: - env: GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }} run: | gh api https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Spoon-Knife/issues
on:
workflow_dispatch:
jobs:
use_api:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
permissions:
issues: read
steps:
- env:
GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
run: |
gh api https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Spoon-Knife/issues
Authenticating with a GitHub App
If you are authenticating with a GitHub App, you can create an installation access token within your workflow:
-
Store your GitHub App's ID as a configuration variable. In the following example, replace
APP_ID
with the name of the configuration variable. You can find your app ID on the settings page for your app or through the API. For more information, see "REST API endpoints for GitHub Apps." For more information about configuration variables, see "Store information in variables." -
Generate a private key for your app. Store the contents of the resulting file as a secret. (Store the entire contents of the file, including
-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
and-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
.) In the following example, replaceAPP_PEM
with the name of the secret. For more information, see "Managing private keys for GitHub Apps." For more information about secrets, see "Using secrets in GitHub Actions." -
Add a step to generate a token, and use that token instead of
GITHUB_TOKEN
. Note that this token will expire after 60 minutes. For example:YAML on: workflow_dispatch: jobs: track_pr: runs-on: ubuntu-latest steps: - name: Generate token id: generate-token uses: actions/create-github-app-token@v1 with: app-id: ${{ vars.APP_ID }} private-key: ${{ secrets.APP_PEM }} - name: Use API env: GH_TOKEN: ${{ steps.generate-token.outputs.token }} run: | gh api https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Spoon-Knife/issues
on: workflow_dispatch: jobs: track_pr: runs-on: ubuntu-latest steps: - name: Generate token id: generate-token uses: actions/create-github-app-token@v1 with: app-id: ${{ vars.APP_ID }} private-key: ${{ secrets.APP_PEM }} - name: Use API env: GH_TOKEN: ${{ steps.generate-token.outputs.token }} run: | gh api https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Spoon-Knife/issues
Using Octokit.js
You can use Octokit.js to interact with the GitHub REST API in your JavaScript scripts. For more information, see "Scripting with the REST API and JavaScript."
-
Create an access token. For example, create a personal access token or a GitHub App user access token. You will use this token to authenticate your request, so you should give it any scopes or permissions that are required to access that endpoint. For more information, see "Authenticating to the REST API" or "Identifying and authorizing users for GitHub Apps."
Warning: Treat your access token like a password.
To keep your token secure, you can store your token as a secret and run your script through GitHub Actions. For more information, see the "Using Octokit.js in GitHub Actions" section.
You can also store your token as a Codespaces secret and run your script in Codespaces. For more information, see "Managing encrypted secrets for your codespaces."
If these options are not possible, consider using another CLI service to store your token securely.
-
Install
octokit
. For example,npm install octokit
. For other ways to install or loadoctokit
, see the Octokit.js README. -
Import
octokit
in your script. For example,import { Octokit } from "octokit";
. For other ways to importoctokit
, see the Octokit.js README. -
Create an instance of
Octokit
with your token. ReplaceYOUR-TOKEN
with your token.JavaScript const octokit = new Octokit({ auth: 'YOUR-TOKEN' });
const octokit = new Octokit({ auth: 'YOUR-TOKEN' });
-
Use
octokit.request
to execute your request. Send the HTTP method and path as the first argument. Specify any path, query, and body parameters in an object as the second argument. For more information about parameters, see "Getting started with the REST API."For example, in the following request the HTTP method is
GET
, the path is/repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues
, and the parameters areowner: "octocat"
andrepo: "Spoon-Knife"
.JavaScript await octokit.request("GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues", { owner: "octocat", repo: "Spoon-Knife", });
await octokit.request("GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues", { owner: "octocat", repo: "Spoon-Knife", });
Using Octokit.js in GitHub Actions
You can also execute your JavaScript scripts in your GitHub Actions workflows. For more information, see "Workflow syntax for GitHub Actions."
Authenticating with an access token
GitHub recommends that you use the built-in GITHUB_TOKEN
instead of creating a token. If this is not possible, store your token as a secret and replace GITHUB_TOKEN
in the example below with the name of your secret. For more information about GITHUB_TOKEN
, see "Automatic token authentication." For more information about secrets, see "Using secrets in GitHub Actions."
The following example workflow:
- Checks out the repository content
- Sets up Node.js
- Installs
octokit
- Stores the value of
GITHUB_TOKEN
as an environment variable calledTOKEN
and runs.github/actions-scripts/use-the-api.mjs
, which can access that environment variable asprocess.env.TOKEN
on:
workflow_dispatch:
jobs:
use_api_via_script:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
permissions:
issues: read
steps:
- name: Check out repo content
uses: actions/checkout@v4
- name: Setup Node
uses: actions/setup-node@v4
with:
node-version: '16.17.0'
cache: npm
- name: Install dependencies
run: npm install octokit
- name: Run script
run: |
node .github/actions-scripts/use-the-api.mjs
env:
TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
The following is an example JavaScript script with the file path .github/actions-scripts/use-the-api.mjs
.
import { Octokit } from "octokit"
const octokit = new Octokit({
auth: process.env.TOKEN
});
try {
const result = await octokit.request("GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues", {
owner: "octocat",
repo: "Spoon-Knife",
});
const titleAndAuthor = result.data.map(issue => {title: issue.title, authorID: issue.user.id})
console.log(titleAndAuthor)
} catch (error) {
console.log(`Error! Status: ${error.status}. Message: ${error.response.data.message}`)
}
Authenticating with a GitHub App
If you are authenticating with a GitHub App, you can create an installation access token within your workflow:
-
Store your GitHub App's ID as a configuration variable. In the following example, replace
APP_ID
with the name of the configuration variable. You can find your app ID on the settings page for your app or through the App API. For more information, see "REST API endpoints for GitHub Apps." For more information about configuration variables, see "Store information in variables." -
Generate a private key for your app. Store the contents of the resulting file as a secret. (Store the entire contents of the file, including
-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
and-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
.) In the following example, replaceAPP_PEM
with the name of the secret. For more information, see "Managing private keys for GitHub Apps." For more information about secrets, see "Using secrets in GitHub Actions." -
Add a step to generate a token, and use that token instead of
GITHUB_TOKEN
. Note that this token will expire after 60 minutes. For example:on: workflow_dispatch: jobs: use_api_via_script: runs-on: ubuntu-latest steps: - name: Check out repo content uses: actions/checkout@v4 - name: Setup Node uses: actions/setup-node@v4 with: node-version: '16.17.0' cache: npm - name: Install dependencies run: npm install octokit - name: Generate token id: generate-token uses: actions/create-github-app-token@v1 with: app-id: ${{ vars.APP_ID }} private-key: ${{ secrets.APP_PEM }} - name: Run script run: | node .github/actions-scripts/use-the-api.mjs env: TOKEN: ${{ steps.generate-token.outputs.token }}
Using curl
in the command line
Note: If you want to make API requests from the command line, GitHub recommends that you use GitHub CLI, which simplifies authentication and requests. For more information about getting started with the REST API using GitHub CLI, see the GitHub CLI version of this article.
-
Install
curl
if it isn't already installed on your machine. To check ifcurl
is installed, executecurl --version
in the command line. If the output provides information about the version ofcurl
, that meanscurl
is installed. If you get a message similar tocommand not found: curl
, you need to download and installcurl
. For more information, see the curl project download page. -
Create an access token. For example, create a personal access token or a GitHub App user access token. You will use this token to authenticate your request, so you should give it any scopes or permissions that are required to access the endpoint. For more information, see "Authenticating to the REST API."
Warning: Treat your access token like a password.
To keep your token secure, you can store your token as a Codespaces secret and use the command line through Codespaces. For more information, see "Managing encrypted secrets for your codespaces."
You can also use GitHub CLI instead of
curl
. GitHub CLI will take care of authentication for you. For more information, see the GitHub CLI version of this page.If these options are not possible, consider using another CLI service to store your token securely.
-
Use the
curl
command to make your request. Pass your token in anAuthorization
header. ReplaceYOUR-TOKEN
with your token.Shell curl --request GET \ --url "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Spoon-Knife/issues" \ --header "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \ --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR-TOKEN"
curl --request GET \ --url "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Spoon-Knife/issues" \ --header "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \ --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR-TOKEN"
Note: In most cases, you can use
Authorization: Bearer
orAuthorization: token
to pass a token. However, if you are passing a JSON web token (JWT), you must useAuthorization: Bearer
.
Using curl
commands in GitHub Actions
You can also use curl
commands in your GitHub Actions workflows.
Authenticating with an access token
GitHub recommends that you use the built-in GITHUB_TOKEN
instead of creating a token. If this is not possible, store your token as a secret and replace GITHUB_TOKEN
in the example below with the name of your secret. For more information about GITHUB_TOKEN
, see "Automatic token authentication." For more information about secrets, see "Using secrets in GitHub Actions."
on: workflow_dispatch: jobs: use_api: runs-on: ubuntu-latest permissions: issues: read steps: - env: GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }} run: | curl --request GET \ --url "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Spoon-Knife/issues" \ --header "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \ --header "Authorization: Bearer $GH_TOKEN"
on:
workflow_dispatch:
jobs:
use_api:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
permissions:
issues: read
steps:
- env:
GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
run: |
curl --request GET \
--url "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Spoon-Knife/issues" \
--header "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
--header "Authorization: Bearer $GH_TOKEN"
Authenticating with a GitHub App
If you are authenticating with a GitHub App, you can create an installation access token within your workflow:
-
Store your GitHub App's ID as a configuration variable. In the following example, replace
APP_ID
with the name of the configuration variable. You can find your app ID on the settings page for your app or through the App API. For more information, see "REST API endpoints for GitHub Apps." For more information about configuration variables, see "Store information in variables." -
Generate a private key for your app. Store the contents of the resulting file as a secret. (Store the entire contents of the file, including
-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
and-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
.) In the following example, replaceAPP_PEM
with the name of the secret. For more information, see "Managing private keys for GitHub Apps." For more information about storing secrets, see "Using secrets in GitHub Actions." -
Add a step to generate a token, and use that token instead of
GITHUB_TOKEN
. Note that this token will expire after 60 minutes. For example:YAML on: workflow_dispatch: jobs: use_api: runs-on: ubuntu-latest steps: - name: Generate token id: generate-token uses: actions/create-github-app-token@v1 with: app-id: ${{ vars.APP_ID }} private-key: ${{ secrets.APP_PEM }} - name: Use API env: GH_TOKEN: ${{ steps.generate-token.outputs.token }} run: | curl --request GET \ --url "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Spoon-Knife/issues" \ --header "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \ --header "Authorization: Bearer $GH_TOKEN"
on: workflow_dispatch: jobs: use_api: runs-on: ubuntu-latest steps: - name: Generate token id: generate-token uses: actions/create-github-app-token@v1 with: app-id: ${{ vars.APP_ID }} private-key: ${{ secrets.APP_PEM }} - name: Use API env: GH_TOKEN: ${{ steps.generate-token.outputs.token }} run: | curl --request GET \ --url "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Spoon-Knife/issues" \ --header "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \ --header "Authorization: Bearer $GH_TOKEN"
Next steps
For a more detailed guide, see "Getting started with the REST API."