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Repository contents
Use the REST API to create, modify, and delete Base64 encoded content in a repository.
About repository contents
To request the raw format or rendered HTML (when supported), use custom media types for repository contents.
Custom media types for repository contents
READMEs, files, and symlinks support the following custom media types:
application/vnd.github.raw
application/vnd.github.html
Use the .raw
media type to retrieve the contents of the file.
For markup files such as Markdown or AsciiDoc, you can retrieve the rendered HTML using the .html
media type. Markup languages are rendered to HTML using our open-source Markup library.
All objects support the following custom media type:
application/vnd.github.object
Use the object
media type parameter to retrieve the contents in a consistent object format regardless of the content type. For example, instead of an array of objects
for a directory, the response will be an object with an entries
attribute containing the array of objects.
You can read more about the use of media types in the API here.
Get repository content
Gets the contents of a file or directory in a repository. Specify the file path or directory in :path
. If you omit
:path
, you will receive the contents of the repository's root directory. See the description below regarding what the API response includes for directories.
Files and symlinks support a custom media type for retrieving the raw content or rendered HTML (when supported). All content types support a custom media type to ensure the content is returned in a consistent object format.
Notes:
- To get a repository's contents recursively, you can recursively get the tree.
- This API has an upper limit of 1,000 files for a directory. If you need to retrieve more files, use the Git Trees API.
- Download URLs expire and are meant to be used just once. To ensure the download URL does not expire, please use the contents API to obtain a fresh download URL for each download.
- This API supports files up to 1 megabyte in size.
If the content is a directory
The response will be an array of objects, one object for each item in the directory. When listing the contents of a directory, submodules have their "type" specified as "file". Logically, the value should be "submodule". This behavior exists in API v3 for backwards compatibility purposes. In the next major version of the API, the type will be returned as "submodule".
If the content is a symlink
If the requested :path
points to a symlink, and the symlink's target is a normal file in the repository, then the
API responds with the content of the file (in the format shown in the example. Otherwise, the API responds with an object
describing the symlink itself.
If the content is a submodule
The submodule_git_url
identifies the location of the submodule repository, and the sha
identifies a specific
commit within the submodule repository. Git uses the given URL when cloning the submodule repository, and checks out
the submodule at that specific commit.
If the submodule repository is not hosted on github.com, the Git URLs (git_url
and _links["git"]
) and the
github.com URLs (html_url
and _links["html"]
) will have null values.
Parameters for "Get repository content"
Headers |
---|
Name, Type, Description |
accept string Setting to |
Path parameters |
Name, Type, Description |
owner string RequiredThe account owner of the repository. The name is not case sensitive. |
repo string RequiredThe name of the repository without the |
path string Requiredpath parameter |
Query parameters |
Name, Type, Description |
ref string The name of the commit/branch/tag. Default: the repository’s default branch. |
HTTP response status codes for "Get repository content"
Status code | Description |
---|---|
200 | OK |
302 | Found |
403 | Forbidden |
404 | Resource not found |
Code samples for "Get repository content"
curl -L \
-H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR-TOKEN>" \
http(s)://HOSTNAME/api/v3/repos/OWNER/REPO/contents/PATH
Response if content is a file
Status: 200
{
"type": "file",
"encoding": "base64",
"size": 5362,
"name": "README.md",
"path": "README.md",
"content": "IyBZb2dhIEJvmsgaW4gcHJvZ3Jlc3MhIEZlZWwgdAoKOndhcm5pbmc6IFdvc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\\nIHdvcmtmbG93Lgo=\\n",
"sha": "3d21ec53a331a6f037a91c368710b99387d012c1",
"url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octokit/octokit.rb/contents/README.md",
"git_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octokit/octokit.rb/git/blobs/3d21ec53a331a6f037a91c368710b99387d012c1",
"html_url": "https://github.com/octokit/octokit.rb/blob/master/README.md",
"download_url": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/octokit/octokit.rb/master/README.md",
"_links": {
"git": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octokit/octokit.rb/git/blobs/3d21ec53a331a6f037a91c368710b99387d012c1",
"self": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octokit/octokit.rb/contents/README.md",
"html": "https://github.com/octokit/octokit.rb/blob/master/README.md"
}
}
Create or update file contents
Creates a new file or replaces an existing file in a repository. You must authenticate using an access token with the workflow
scope to use this endpoint.
Note: If you use this endpoint and the "Delete a file" endpoint in parallel, the concurrent requests will conflict and you will receive errors. You must use these endpoints serially instead.
Parameters for "Create or update file contents"
Headers | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Name, Type, Description | ||||
accept string Setting to | ||||
Path parameters | ||||
Name, Type, Description | ||||
owner string RequiredThe account owner of the repository. The name is not case sensitive. | ||||
repo string RequiredThe name of the repository without the | ||||
path string Requiredpath parameter | ||||
Body parameters | ||||
Name, Type, Description | ||||
message string RequiredThe commit message. | ||||
content string RequiredThe new file content, using Base64 encoding. | ||||
sha string Required if you are updating a file. The blob SHA of the file being replaced. | ||||
branch string The branch name. Default: the repository’s default branch. | ||||
committer object The person that committed the file. Default: the authenticated user. | ||||
Properties of |
Name, Type, Description |
---|
name string RequiredThe name of the author or committer of the commit. You'll receive a |
email string RequiredThe email of the author or committer of the commit. You'll receive a |
date string |
author
object The author of the file. Default: The committer
or the authenticated user if you omit committer
.
Name, Type, Description |
---|
name string RequiredThe name of the author or committer of the commit. You'll receive a |
email string RequiredThe email of the author or committer of the commit. You'll receive a |
date string |
HTTP response status codes for "Create or update file contents"
Status code | Description |
---|---|
200 | OK |
201 | Created |
404 | Resource not found |
409 | Conflict |
422 | Validation failed, or the endpoint has been spammed. |
Code samples for "Create or update file contents"
curl -L \
-X PUT \
-H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR-TOKEN>" \
http(s)://HOSTNAME/api/v3/repos/OWNER/REPO/contents/PATH \
-d '{"message":"my commit message","committer":{"name":"Monalisa Octocat","email":"octocat@github.com"},"content":"bXkgbmV3IGZpbGUgY29udGVudHM="}'
Response
Status: 201
{
"content": {
"name": "hello.txt",
"path": "notes/hello.txt",
"sha": "95b966ae1c166bd92f8ae7d1c313e738c731dfc3",
"size": 9,
"url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/contents/notes/hello.txt",
"html_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/blob/master/notes/hello.txt",
"git_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/blobs/95b966ae1c166bd92f8ae7d1c313e738c731dfc3",
"download_url": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/octocat/HelloWorld/master/notes/hello.txt",
"type": "file",
"_links": {
"self": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/contents/notes/hello.txt",
"git": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/blobs/95b966ae1c166bd92f8ae7d1c313e738c731dfc3",
"html": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/blob/master/notes/hello.txt"
}
},
"commit": {
"sha": "7638417db6d59f3c431d3e1f261cc637155684cd",
"node_id": "MDY6Q29tbWl0NzYzODQxN2RiNmQ1OWYzYzQzMWQzZTFmMjYxY2M2MzcxNTU2ODRjZA==",
"url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/commits/7638417db6d59f3c431d3e1f261cc637155684cd",
"html_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/git/commit/7638417db6d59f3c431d3e1f261cc637155684cd",
"author": {
"date": "2014-11-07T22:01:45Z",
"name": "Monalisa Octocat",
"email": "octocat@github.com"
},
"committer": {
"date": "2014-11-07T22:01:45Z",
"name": "Monalisa Octocat",
"email": "octocat@github.com"
},
"message": "my commit message",
"tree": {
"url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/trees/691272480426f78a0138979dd3ce63b77f706feb",
"sha": "691272480426f78a0138979dd3ce63b77f706feb"
},
"parents": [
{
"url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/commits/1acc419d4d6a9ce985db7be48c6349a0475975b5",
"html_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/git/commit/1acc419d4d6a9ce985db7be48c6349a0475975b5",
"sha": "1acc419d4d6a9ce985db7be48c6349a0475975b5"
}
],
"verification": {
"verified": false,
"reason": "unsigned",
"signature": null,
"payload": null
}
}
}
Delete a file
Deletes a file in a repository.
You can provide an additional committer
parameter, which is an object containing information about the committer. Or, you can provide an author
parameter, which is an object containing information about the author.
The author
section is optional and is filled in with the committer
information if omitted. If the committer
information is omitted, the authenticated user's information is used.
You must provide values for both name
and email
, whether you choose to use author
or committer
. Otherwise, you'll receive a 422
status code.
Note: If you use this endpoint and the "Create or update file contents" endpoint in parallel, the concurrent requests will conflict and you will receive errors. You must use these endpoints serially instead.
Parameters for "Delete a file"
Headers | |||
---|---|---|---|
Name, Type, Description | |||
accept string Setting to | |||
Path parameters | |||
Name, Type, Description | |||
owner string RequiredThe account owner of the repository. The name is not case sensitive. | |||
repo string RequiredThe name of the repository without the | |||
path string Requiredpath parameter | |||
Body parameters | |||
Name, Type, Description | |||
message string RequiredThe commit message. | |||
sha string RequiredThe blob SHA of the file being deleted. | |||
branch string The branch name. Default: the repository’s default branch | |||
committer object object containing information about the committer. | |||
Properties of |
Name, Type, Description |
---|
name string The name of the author (or committer) of the commit |
email string The email of the author (or committer) of the commit |
author
object object containing information about the author.
Name, Type, Description |
---|
name string The name of the author (or committer) of the commit |
email string The email of the author (or committer) of the commit |
HTTP response status codes for "Delete a file"
Status code | Description |
---|---|
200 | OK |
404 | Resource not found |
409 | Conflict |
422 | Validation failed, or the endpoint has been spammed. |
503 | Service unavailable |
Code samples for "Delete a file"
curl -L \
-X DELETE \
-H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR-TOKEN>" \
http(s)://HOSTNAME/api/v3/repos/OWNER/REPO/contents/PATH \
-d '{"message":"my commit message","committer":{"name":"Monalisa Octocat","email":"octocat@github.com"},"sha":"329688480d39049927147c162b9d2deaf885005f"}'
Response
Status: 200
{
"content": null,
"commit": {
"sha": "7638417db6d59f3c431d3e1f261cc637155684cd",
"node_id": "MDY6Q29tbWl0NzYzODQxN2RiNmQ1OWYzYzQzMWQzZTFmMjYxY2M2MzcxNTU2ODRjZA==",
"url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/commits/7638417db6d59f3c431d3e1f261cc637155684cd",
"html_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/git/commit/7638417db6d59f3c431d3e1f261cc637155684cd",
"author": {
"date": "2014-11-07T22:01:45Z",
"name": "Monalisa Octocat",
"email": "octocat@github.com"
},
"committer": {
"date": "2014-11-07T22:01:45Z",
"name": "Monalisa Octocat",
"email": "octocat@github.com"
},
"message": "my commit message",
"tree": {
"url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/trees/691272480426f78a0138979dd3ce63b77f706feb",
"sha": "691272480426f78a0138979dd3ce63b77f706feb"
},
"parents": [
{
"url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/Hello-World/git/commits/1acc419d4d6a9ce985db7be48c6349a0475975b5",
"html_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/git/commit/1acc419d4d6a9ce985db7be48c6349a0475975b5",
"sha": "1acc419d4d6a9ce985db7be48c6349a0475975b5"
}
],
"verification": {
"verified": false,
"reason": "unsigned",
"signature": null,
"payload": null
}
}
}
Get a repository README
Gets the preferred README for a repository.
READMEs support custom media types for retrieving the raw content or rendered HTML.
Parameters for "Get a repository README"
Headers |
---|
Name, Type, Description |
accept string Setting to |
Path parameters |
Name, Type, Description |
owner string RequiredThe account owner of the repository. The name is not case sensitive. |
repo string RequiredThe name of the repository without the |
Query parameters |
Name, Type, Description |
ref string The name of the commit/branch/tag. Default: the repository’s default branch. |
HTTP response status codes for "Get a repository README"
Status code | Description |
---|---|
200 | OK |
404 | Resource not found |
422 | Validation failed, or the endpoint has been spammed. |
Code samples for "Get a repository README"
curl -L \
-H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR-TOKEN>" \
http(s)://HOSTNAME/api/v3/repos/OWNER/REPO/readme
Response
Status: 200
{
"type": "file",
"encoding": "base64",
"size": 5362,
"name": "README.md",
"path": "README.md",
"content": "encoded content ...",
"sha": "3d21ec53a331a6f037a91c368710b99387d012c1",
"url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octokit/octokit.rb/contents/README.md",
"git_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octokit/octokit.rb/git/blobs/3d21ec53a331a6f037a91c368710b99387d012c1",
"html_url": "https://github.com/octokit/octokit.rb/blob/master/README.md",
"download_url": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/octokit/octokit.rb/master/README.md",
"_links": {
"git": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octokit/octokit.rb/git/blobs/3d21ec53a331a6f037a91c368710b99387d012c1",
"self": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octokit/octokit.rb/contents/README.md",
"html": "https://github.com/octokit/octokit.rb/blob/master/README.md"
}
}
Get a repository README for a directory
Gets the README from a repository directory.
READMEs support custom media types for retrieving the raw content or rendered HTML.
Parameters for "Get a repository README for a directory"
Headers |
---|
Name, Type, Description |
accept string Setting to |
Path parameters |
Name, Type, Description |
owner string RequiredThe account owner of the repository. The name is not case sensitive. |
repo string RequiredThe name of the repository without the |
dir string RequiredThe alternate path to look for a README file |
Query parameters |
Name, Type, Description |
ref string The name of the commit/branch/tag. Default: the repository’s default branch. |
HTTP response status codes for "Get a repository README for a directory"
Status code | Description |
---|---|
200 | OK |
404 | Resource not found |
422 | Validation failed, or the endpoint has been spammed. |
Code samples for "Get a repository README for a directory"
curl -L \
-H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR-TOKEN>" \
http(s)://HOSTNAME/api/v3/repos/OWNER/REPO/readme/DIR
Response
Status: 200
{
"type": "file",
"encoding": "base64",
"size": 5362,
"name": "README.md",
"path": "README.md",
"content": "encoded content ...",
"sha": "3d21ec53a331a6f037a91c368710b99387d012c1",
"url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octokit/octokit.rb/contents/README.md",
"git_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octokit/octokit.rb/git/blobs/3d21ec53a331a6f037a91c368710b99387d012c1",
"html_url": "https://github.com/octokit/octokit.rb/blob/master/README.md",
"download_url": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/octokit/octokit.rb/master/README.md",
"_links": {
"git": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octokit/octokit.rb/git/blobs/3d21ec53a331a6f037a91c368710b99387d012c1",
"self": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octokit/octokit.rb/contents/README.md",
"html": "https://github.com/octokit/octokit.rb/blob/master/README.md"
}
}
Download a repository archive (tar)
Gets a redirect URL to download a tar archive for a repository. If you omit :ref
, the repository’s default branch (usually
main
) will be used. Please make sure your HTTP framework is configured to follow redirects or you will need to use
the Location
header to make a second GET
request.
Note: For private repositories, these links are temporary and expire after five minutes.
Parameters for "Download a repository archive (tar)"
Headers |
---|
Name, Type, Description |
accept string Setting to |
Path parameters |
Name, Type, Description |
owner string RequiredThe account owner of the repository. The name is not case sensitive. |
repo string RequiredThe name of the repository without the |
ref string Required |
HTTP response status codes for "Download a repository archive (tar)"
Status code | Description |
---|---|
302 | Found |
Code samples for "Download a repository archive (tar)"
curl -L \
-H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR-TOKEN>" \
http(s)://HOSTNAME/api/v3/repos/OWNER/REPO/tarball/REF
Response
Status: 302
Download a repository archive (zip)
Gets a redirect URL to download a zip archive for a repository. If you omit :ref
, the repository’s default branch (usually
main
) will be used. Please make sure your HTTP framework is configured to follow redirects or you will need to use
the Location
header to make a second GET
request.
Note: For private repositories, these links are temporary and expire after five minutes. If the repository is empty, you will receive a 404 when you follow the redirect.
Parameters for "Download a repository archive (zip)"
Headers |
---|
Name, Type, Description |
accept string Setting to |
Path parameters |
Name, Type, Description |
owner string RequiredThe account owner of the repository. The name is not case sensitive. |
repo string RequiredThe name of the repository without the |
ref string Required |
HTTP response status codes for "Download a repository archive (zip)"
Status code | Description |
---|---|
302 | Found |
Code samples for "Download a repository archive (zip)"
curl -L \
-H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR-TOKEN>" \
http(s)://HOSTNAME/api/v3/repos/OWNER/REPO/zipball/REF
Response
Status: 302