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Arch User Repository (AUR) API

Free Arch User Repository RPC API with no key: search AUR packages, get versions, dependencies, maintainers, votes and popularity scores. Tested example.

No API key requiredHTTPSFree tier

Endpoint tested and returned HTTP 200 on 2026-08-20

What is the Arch User Repository (AUR) API?

The Arch User Repository RPC API is a free, key-free interface for searching and inspecting AUR packages, returning version, dependencies, maintainer, vote count and popularity score for community-maintained Arch Linux packages.

The AUR hosts community-contributed Arch Linux packages, and its RPC interface is what every AUR helper (yay, paru and the rest) uses under the hood. It supports both search and precise info lookup.

The `Popularity` and `OutOfDate` fields matter when evaluating an AUR package. AUR content is unvetted and maintained by individuals, so a package with few votes, low popularity and an out-of-date flag is a genuine risk rather than just an inconvenience.

Quick facts

Base URL
https://aur.archlinux.org/rpc/v5
Authentication
No API key required.
Rate limit
4,000 requests per day per IP.
Pricing
Free.
CORS
Not enabled — call it from your server
Official docs
Read the docs

How to use the Arch User Repository (AUR) API

Every request below was executed against the live API on 2026-08-20, and the response shown is the real body it returned — not an illustration.

1. Look up an AUR package

GET https://aur.archlinux.org/rpc/v5/info?arg%5B%5D=yay

curl
curl 'https://aur.archlinux.org/rpc/v5/info?arg%5B%5D=yay'
JavaScript (fetch)
const res = await fetch("https://aur.archlinux.org/rpc/v5/info?arg%5B%5D=yay");
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${res.status}`);
const data = await res.json();
console.log(data);
Python (requests)
import requests

res = requests.get("https://aur.archlinux.org/rpc/v5/info?arg%5B%5D=yay", timeout=20)
res.raise_for_status()
print(res.json())
Response — HTTP 200
{
  "resultcount": 1,
  "results": [
    {
      "Depends": [
        "pacman>6.1",
        "git"
      ],
      "Description": "Yet another yogurt. Pacman wrapper and AUR helper written in go.",
      "FirstSubmitted": 1475688004,
      "ID": 2131240,
      "Keywords": [
        "arm",
        "AUR",
        "go",
        "helper",
        "pacman",
        "wrapper",
        "x86"
      ],
      "LastModified": 1781905288,
      "License": [
        "GPL-3.0-or-later"
      ],
      "Maintainer": "jguer",
      "MakeDepends": [
        "go>=1.24"
      ],
      "Name": "yay",
      "NumVotes": 2647,
      "OptDepends": [
        "sudo",
        "doas"
      ],
      "OutOfDate": null,
      "PackageBase": "yay",
      "PackageBaseID": 115973,
      "Popularity": 43.174448,
      "Submitter": "jguer",
      "URL": "https://github.com/Jguer/yay",
      "URLPath": "/cgit/aur.git/snapshot/yay.tar.gz",
      "Version": "13.0.1-1"
    }
  ],
  "type": "multiinfo",
  "version": 5
}

Parameters

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
info?arg[]=<name>pathOptionalExact info for one or more packages. info?arg[]=yay
search/<term>pathOptionalSearch packages by name or description. search/docker
bystringOptionalSearch field: name, name-desc, maintainer or depends. name

Response fields

resultcountinteger
Number of packages returned.
results[].Namestring
Package name.
results[].Versionstring
Current AUR version.
results[].Descriptionstring
Package description.
results[].Maintainerstring
Current maintainer, or null if orphaned.
results[].NumVotes / Popularityinteger|number
Community votes and a decayed popularity score.
results[].OutOfDateinteger
Unix timestamp when flagged out of date, or null.
results[].Depends / MakeDependsarray
Runtime and build dependencies.

What you can build with the Arch User Repository (AUR) API

  • Build or extend an AUR helper tool
  • Check whether an AUR package is maintained and current
  • Search for Arch packages from a script
  • Audit the dependency tree of an AUR package before installing

Common errors and how to fix them

Empty results with type: error

Malformed arg parameters.

Fix: The bracket syntax arg[]= must be URL-encoded as arg%5B%5D= in many clients.

Maintainer is null

The package is orphaned — nobody maintains it.

Fix: Treat orphaned packages with caution; they often stop building after upstream changes.

OutOfDate is set

A user flagged the package as outdated.

Fix: Combine with Popularity and NumVotes to judge whether it is safe to install.

Arch User Repository (AUR) API — frequently asked questions

Is the AUR API free?

Yes, free with no API key, limited to 4,000 requests per day per IP.

Is AUR content safe to install?

AUR packages are community-submitted and unvetted. Always read the PKGBUILD before installing, and check Maintainer, NumVotes and OutOfDate as risk signals.

Why do my arg[] parameters fail?

The square brackets need URL encoding in most HTTP clients — send arg%5B%5D= rather than arg[]=.

What does Popularity mean?

A decayed score based on votes over time, so it reflects current interest rather than all-time totals. Low popularity plus an out-of-date flag is a warning sign.

Tools that pair with this API

JSON Formatter

Format, beautify and minify JSON online with 2-space, 4-space or tab indentation. Sort keys alphabetically and catch syntax errors instantly — free and private.

JSON Validator

Free online JSON validator: validate JSON and find syntax errors with the exact line and column. See root type, key counts and depth — instant and 100% private.

Arch User Repository (AUR) is an independent third-party service and is not affiliated with ByteTools or ByteVancer. Details on this page were verified on 2026-08-20; always check the official documentation before relying on this API in production, as terms and limits can change.