# GitLab Public Projects Scraper (`parseforge/gitlab-public-projects-scraper`) Actor

Scrapes public GitLab projects by search term, topic, or newest. Returns each project as a flat row with name, description, star count, and activity timestamps.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/parseforge/gitlab-public-projects-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [ParseForge](https://apify.com/parseforge) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, Automation
- **Stats:** 1 total users, 0 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $19.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

[![ParseForge](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ParseForge/apify-assets/main/banner.jpg)](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp)

### GitLab Public Projects Scraper

**Scrape public GitLab projects by search term, topic, or newest, up to a million per run.** Each project comes with its name, path, description, star count, and activity timestamps. No API token needed. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

GitLab's official API needs a personal access token and rate-limits you. This reads the public project directory directly, filtered by search term, topic, and sort order, and returns each match in one fixed schema.

| Who uses it | What they scrape GitLab for |
|---|---|
| Market researchers | Which open-source projects a niche is building this quarter |
| DevRel teams | Which companies are active on GitLab and what they publish |
| Recruiters | Which developers maintain popular projects in a technology stack |
| Security analysts | Which public repositories match a CVE or vulnerable dependency |

### What it does

This Actor collects public GitLab projects by search term, topic, or newest, and returns each one as a flat row.

- 🔎 **Search term:** find projects by name or description, e.g. 'react' or 'kubernetes'.
- 🏷️ **Topic filter:** narrow results to a GitLab topic, e.g. 'machine-learning'.
- 📊 **Sort & order:** sort by star count, last activity, created date, and more, ascending or descending.
- 📦 **Bulk export:** collect up to 1,000,000 projects per run, then export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

### What you can do with GitLab data

**📈 Track open-source trends.**

A market researcher runs the Actor weekly with a topic like 'llm' and sorts by star count to see which projects are gaining traction.

**🧲 Build a lead list.**

A DevRel team searches for 'kubernetes' and filters by last activity to find companies actively publishing infrastructure code.

**🛡️ Audit public exposure.**

A security analyst searches for a vulnerable dependency name and collects every public project that mentions it.

**👥 Find maintainers.**

A recruiter searches for 'golang' and sorts by star count to identify developers behind popular projects.

### Why choose this scraper

| | What you get |
|---|---|
| **No API token** | Reads the public project directory directly, no registration or rate limits |
| **One fixed schema** | Every project returns the same flat fields, ready for analysis |
| **Sort by what matters** | Star count, last activity, created date, and more |
| **Scale to a million** | Collect up to 1,000,000 projects per run |

### How it compares

This Actor focuses on public project search and filtering, while the competitor also scrapes user profiles.

| Feature | ParseForge | Gitlab Scraper | Fast & Reliable | $2 / 1k |
|---|---|---|
| Search by project name or description | Yes | Not listed |
| Filter by topic | Yes | Not listed |
| Sort by star count or activity | Yes | Not listed |
| Scrape user profiles | No | Yes |
| Collect up to 1,000,000 projects per run | Yes | Not listed |

### Configure the run

Drive the Actor from a search term, a topic filter, and a sort order, alone or together, and filters run as each project is read so only matches reach your dataset. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

```json
{
 "maxItems": 10
}
```

A larger pull:

```json
{
 "maxItems": 200
}
```

### Pricing

Pay-per-result: **$0.021 per result** collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

| Results collected | Approximate cost |
|---|---|
| 100 results | $2.10 |
| 1,000 results | $21.00 |
| 10,000 results | $210.00 |

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

### Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. [Upgrade your Apify plan](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp) to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

### Run it

1. [Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp).
2. Open the [GitLab Public Projects Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/gitlab-public-projects-scraper?fpr=vmoqkp).
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click **Start**.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the **Dataset** tab.

Run it programmatically through the [Apify API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2) (`run-sync-get-dataset-items`) or the [ApifyClient](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js) for JavaScript and Python.

### Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to GitLab through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=parseforge/gitlab-public-projects-scraper"
```

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

### Troubleshooting

**Why am I getting no results?**

Check your search term and topic filter. If both are set, they are combined with AND, which may be too restrictive. Try clearing one.

**Why are results different from the GitLab website?**

The Actor uses the public API, which may have slightly different ranking or freshness than the website. Try adjusting the sort order.

**Why did the run stop before reaching maxItems?**

GitLab may rate-limit requests. The Actor retries automatically, but if the limit is reached, try reducing maxItems or running later.

**Can I get more fields than shown?**

The Actor returns a fixed set of fields. If you need additional data, consider using the GitLab API directly or a custom scraper.

### FAQ

| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Do I need a GitLab account or API token? | No. The Actor reads the public project directory, so no authentication is required. |
| Can I scrape private projects? | No, only public projects are available. Private projects require authentication and are not supported. |
| What is the maximum number of projects I can collect? | You can set maxItems up to 1,000,000 projects per run. |
| Can I filter by programming language? | The Actor supports filtering by topic, not language. Use a topic like 'python' or 'golang' to approximate language filtering. |
| How do I sort results? | Use the orderBy and sort inputs. You can sort by star count, last activity, created date, name, and more, in ascending or descending order. |
| What does the output look like? | Each project is returned as a flat row with fields like name, path, description, star count, and activity timestamps. |
| Can I export the data? | Yes, you can export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML directly from the Apify platform. |
| Is this legal? | Scraping public data is generally allowed, but you should review GitLab's terms of service and respect robots.txt. |
| How often can I run this Actor? | You can schedule runs as often as you like, subject to Apify platform limits. |
| Can I search for a specific project name? | Yes, use the search input to find projects by name or description. |

### Related actors

Browse the full [ParseForge collection](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp) for more scrapers.

🆘 **Need help?** Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ **Disclaimer.** This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by GitLab Inc. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.

# Actor input Schema

## `search` (type: `string`):

Search term (project name / description). Leave blank to list newest public projects.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of projects to collect per run.

## `orderBy` (type: `string`):

Field to sort results by.

## `sort` (type: `string`):

Sort direction (asc / desc).

## `topic` (type: `string`):

Filter projects by topic (e.g. 'kubernetes'). Optional.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "search": "react",
  "maxItems": 10,
  "orderBy": "star_count",
  "sort": "desc",
  "topic": ""
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "maxItems": 10
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("parseforge/gitlab-public-projects-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "maxItems": 10 }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("parseforge/gitlab-public-projects-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "maxItems": 10
}' |
apify call parseforge/gitlab-public-projects-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,parseforge/gitlab-public-projects-scraper"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/7i1gDJerhjkurHbAS/builds/qqaysCxb5v6YlTyop/openapi.json