Hex.pm API

Free Hex.pm API with no key: Elixir and Erlang package metadata, releases, download counts, dependencies and documentation links. Tested curl example.

No API key requiredHTTPSFree tier

Endpoint tested and returned HTTP 200 on 20 Aug 2026

What is the Hex.pm API?

The Hex.pm API is the free, key-free registry API for Elixir and Erlang packages, providing package metadata, every release, download statistics, dependencies and documentation links.

Hex is the package manager for the BEAM ecosystem, serving both Elixir and Erlang. Its API exposes package metadata, the full release history and download counts split by period.

The download breakdown into `all`, `recent` and `week` is more useful than a single total: a package with high all-time but low recent downloads is likely being abandoned, which a cumulative figure would hide entirely.

Quick facts

Base URL: https://hex.pm/api
Authentication: No API key for public package reads. Publishing requires an auth key.
Rate limit: 100 requests per minute per IP for anonymous access.
Pricing: Free.
CORS: Not enabled — call it from your server
Official docs: Read the docs

How to use the Hex.pm 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. Fetch an Elixir package

GET https://hex.pm/api/packages/phoenix

curl

curl 'https://hex.pm/api/packages/phoenix'

JavaScript (fetch)

const res = await fetch("https://hex.pm/api/packages/phoenix");
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://hex.pm/api/packages/phoenix", timeout=20)
res.raise_for_status()
print(res.json())

Response — HTTP 200 (truncated)

{
  "meta": {
    "links": {
      "Changelog": "https://phoenix.hexdocs.pm/changelog.html",
      "GitHub": "https://github.com/phoenixframework/phoenix"
    },
    "description": "Peace of mind from prototype to production",
    "licenses": [
      "MIT"
    ],
    "maintainers": []
  },
  "name": "phoenix",
  "url": "https://hex.pm/api/packages/phoenix",
  "owners": [
    {
      "url": "https://hex.pm/api/users/chrismccord",
      "username": "chrismccord",
      "email": "chris@chrismccord.com"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://hex.pm/api/users/gazler",
      "username": "gazler",
      "email": "gazler@gmail.com"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://hex.pm/api/users/jeregrine",
      "username": "jeregrine",
      "email": "stiebs.81@gmail.com"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://hex.pm/api/users/josevalim",
      "username": "josevalim",
      "email": "jose.valim@gmail.com"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://hex.pm/api/users/steffend",
      "username": "steffend"
    }
  ],
  "inserted_at": "2014-04-21T22:38:32.000000Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-08-18T09:57:44.311616Z",
  "repository": "hexpm",
  "releases": [
    {
      "version": "1.8.11",
      "url": "https://hex.pm/api/packages/phoenix/releases/1.8.11",
      "has_docs": true,
      "inserted_at": "2026-08-12T07:56:12.292729Z"
    },
    {
      "version": "1.8.10",
      "url": "https://hex.pm/api/packages/phoenix/releases/1.8.10",
      "has_docs": true,
      "inserted_at": "2026-08-10T16:26:27.166240Z"
    },
    {
      "version": "1.8.9",
      "url": "https://hex.pm/api/packages/phoenix/releases/1.8.9",

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`packages/<name>`	path	Required	Package name. `phoenix`
`packages?search=`	string	Optional	Search packages by name or description. `http client`
`packages/<name>/releases/<version>`	path	Optional	A specific release with its dependencies. `releases/1.7.0`
`sort`	string	Optional	downloads, recent_downloads, inserted_at or updated_at. `recent_downloads`

Response fields

namestring: Package name.
meta.descriptionstring: Package description.
meta.licensesarray: Licence identifiers.
meta.linksobject: GitHub, docs and homepage links.
downloadsobject: all, recent and week download counts.
releasesarray: Every published version with its release date.
latest_stable_versionstring: Current stable release.
docs_html_urlstring: HexDocs documentation URL.

What you can build with the Hex.pm API

Show the current version of an Elixir dependency
Compare BEAM libraries by recent download activity
Audit licences across a mix.exs dependency tree
Link straight to a package's HexDocs from your tooling

Common errors and how to fix them

404

Package name not found.

Fix: Hex package names are lowercase with underscores, matching the Elixir convention.

429

Exceeded 100 requests per minute.

Fix: Throttle and cache; package metadata changes infrequently.

Misleading download totals

`all` is cumulative and favours old packages.

Fix: Compare `recent` downloads to judge whether a package is actively used.

Hex.pm API — frequently asked questions

Is the Hex.pm API free?

Yes, reading public package data requires no API key. Publishing packages requires an auth key.

Does it cover Erlang as well as Elixir?

Yes, Hex is the package manager for the whole BEAM ecosystem, so Erlang packages are included alongside Elixir ones.

Which download figure should I look at?

`recent` rather than `all`. Cumulative totals favour older packages, while recent downloads show whether something is still actively used.

How do I find a package's documentation?

The docs_html_url field links directly to its HexDocs page, which is generated automatically for every published package.

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 Hex.pm API

If Hex.pm 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
Hipsum	Generate hipster-flavoured placeholder text over HTTP with no API key. Choose sentences, paragraphs or words, in Latin-mixed or English-only mode. Tested example.	No key	Yes	21 Aug 2026
Homebrew Formulae	Free Homebrew formulae API with no key: package versions, dependencies, install counts, licences and caveats for every macOS and Linux formula. Tested.	No key	Yes	20 Aug 2026

All Developer & Testing APIs

Hex.pm 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.