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 20 Aug 2026

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 AUR content is unvetted and maintained by individuals, so a package with few votes, low popularity and an out-of-date flag is a genuine risk rather than just an inconvenience.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 20 Aug 2026, 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

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`info?arg[]=<name>`	path	Optional	Exact info for one or more packages. `info?arg[]=yay`
`search/<term>`	path	Optional	Search packages by name or description. `search/docker`
`by`	string	Optional	Search 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.

Alternatives to Arch User Repository (AUR) API

If Arch User Repository (AUR) does not fit, these developer & testing apis cover similar ground. Every one was called before publishing, and each links to its own reference page with a working curl command and the response it returned.

API	What it does	Auth	CORS	Last verified
GitHub REST API	GitHub REST API with no key for public data: repository details, users, issues, releases and commits. 60 req/hour unauthenticated, 5,000 with a token.	No key	Yes	19 Aug 2026
JSONPlaceholder	Free fake REST API for testing and prototyping. Posts, comments, users and todos with full GET, POST, PUT and DELETE support. No key. Real curl examples.	No key	Yes	19 Aug 2026
Postman Echo	Postman Echo reflects your HTTP request back as JSON: headers, body, query params and auth. Free, no key, ideal for debugging clients. Real POST example.	No key	No	19 Aug 2026
DummyJSON	Free fake REST API with realistic products, users, carts, recipes and auth. Supports search, pagination, sorting and POST. No key. Tested GET and POST examples.	No key	Yes	19 Aug 2026
Artifact Hub	Search Helm charts, operators, Falco rules and other CNCF artefacts as JSON with no key. Includes security-scan summaries per package. Verified live example.	No key	Yes	21 Aug 2026
Badgen	Free badge API with no key: build shields-style SVG badges from a URL path. Static badges, live data badges and custom colours. Tested example and live response.	No key	Yes	21 Aug 2026

All Developer & Testing APIs

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 20 Aug 2026; always check the official documentation before relying on this API in production, as terms and limits can change.