npm Registry API
Free npm registry API with no key: package metadata, all versions, dependencies, maintainers and dist-tags for any public package. Tested curl example.
Endpoint tested and returned HTTP 200 on 19 Aug 2026
What is the npm Registry API?
The npm Registry API is a free, key-free API that returns metadata for any public npm package — every published version, dependencies, maintainers, licence, repository and dist-tags such as latest.
Every npm package has a public JSON document at `https://registry.npmjs.org/<package>`, and it is completely open. This is the same endpoint npm itself uses, so the data is authoritative rather than a mirror.
Be aware that the full document is large — it contains the complete metadata for every version ever published, which for a mature package can run to several megabytes. When you only need the current release, request `/<package>/latest` instead and save the bandwidth.
Quick facts
- Base URL
https://registry.npmjs.org- Authentication
- No key for public package reads. Publishing requires an auth token.
- Rate limit
- No published hard limit, but the registry is a shared resource — cache rather than polling.
- Pricing
- Free.
- CORS
- Enabled — callable directly from browser JavaScript
- Official docs
- Read the docs
How to use the npm Registry API
Every request below was executed against the live API on 19 Aug 2026, and the response shown is the real body it returned — not an illustration.
1. Fetch metadata for a package
GET https://registry.npmjs.org/next
curl 'https://registry.npmjs.org/next'const res = await fetch("https://registry.npmjs.org/next");
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${res.status}`);
const data = await res.json();
console.log(data);import requests
res = requests.get("https://registry.npmjs.org/next", timeout=20)
res.raise_for_status()
print(res.json()){"_id":"next","_rev":"4194-34202ed7bb15900c788103265667bbb3","name":"next","dist-tags":{"next-11":"11.1.4","next-12-2-6":"12.2.6","next-14-1":"14.1.1","rc":"15.0.0-rc.1","next-13":"13.5.11","next-12-3-2":"12.3.7","beta":"16.0.0-beta.0","next-14":"14.2.35","next-15-3":"15.3.9","next-15-2":"15.2.9","next-15-0":"15.1.12","next-15-0-0":"15.0.8","preview":"16.3.0-preview.10","backport":"15.5.23","latesParameters
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
<package> | path | Required | Package name. Scoped names must be URL-encoded, e.g. %40scope%2Fname. next |
<version> | path | Optional | A specific version, or `latest` for just the current release. latest |
Response fields
name / descriptionstring- Package name and description.
dist-tags.lateststring- Current latest published version — usually the field you actually want.
versionsobject- Every published version keyed by version number. This is what makes the document large.
timeobject- Publish timestamp for each version, plus created and modified.
license / repositorystring|object- Licence identifier and source repository.
What you can build with the npm Registry API
- Show the current version of a package in documentation automatically
- Check whether a dependency has a newer release
- Audit licences across your dependency tree
- Build package search, comparison or badge services
Common errors and how to fix them
404
Package does not exist, or a scoped name was not URL-encoded.
Fix: Encode scoped packages: `@scope/name` becomes `%40scope%2Fname`.
Very large response
You fetched the full document with every version.
Fix: Request `/<package>/latest` when you only need the current release.
npm Registry API — frequently asked questions
Does the npm registry API need authentication?
No, reading public package metadata is completely open with no key. Authentication is only needed to publish packages or access private ones.
How do I get just the latest version of an npm package?
Request `https://registry.npmjs.org/<package>/latest`, which returns only the current release rather than the full multi-megabyte document containing every version.
How do I query a scoped package?
URL-encode the name — `@angular/core` becomes `%40angular%2Fcore`. Sending the raw slash returns a 404.
Can I get npm download statistics from this API?
No, downloads come from a separate host, api.npmjs.org/downloads, which exposes point and range endpoints for package download counts.
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 npm Registry API
If npm Registry API 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 |
| NuGet | Free NuGet API with no key: search .NET packages, get versions, download counts, descriptions and authors from the official registry. Tested curl example. | No key | Yes | 19 Aug 2026 |
| Open VSX Registry | Search and read VS Code extension metadata from the vendor-neutral Open VSX registry as JSON. No key, generous rate limit, real download counts and ratings. | No key | Yes | 21 Aug 2026 |
npm Registry API is an independent third-party service and is not affiliated with ByteTools or ByteVancer. Details on this page were verified on 19 Aug 2026; always check the official documentation before relying on this API in production, as terms and limits can change.