VS Code Extensions Scraper - Marketplace Data & Analytics API

Name: VS Code Extensions Scraper - Marketplace Data & Analytics API
Author: benthepythondev

by benthepythondev

Scrape VS Code Marketplace data for installs, ratings & trends. Perfect for market research, competitor tracking, and discovering developer tools. Pay only for results.

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Opens on Apify.com

About VS Code Extensions Scraper - Marketplace Data & Analytics API

Ever wonder which VS Code extensions are actually popular, or need to track what your competitors are releasing? This scraper pulls live data straight from the Visual Studio Marketplace so you don't have to guess. I use it to get clean datasets on extension install counts, ratings, publisher details, and what's trending. You can search by specific keywords, browse entire categories, or monitor every extension from a particular publisher. It's perfect for a few key jobs: doing market research before you build your own tool, keeping an eye on competing extensions, or just discovering useful utilities that are gaining traction. The API runs fast and you only pay for the results you get, which makes it reliable for both one-off projects and ongoing monitoring. It saves me hours of manual checking and gives me numbers I can actually use to make decisions.

What does this actor do?

VS Code Extensions Scraper - Marketplace Data & Analytics API is a web scraping and automation tool available on the Apify platform. It's designed to help you extract data and automate tasks efficiently in the cloud.

Key Features

Cloud-based execution - no local setup required
Scalable infrastructure for large-scale operations
API access for integration with your applications
Built-in proxy rotation and anti-blocking measures
Scheduled runs and webhooks for automation

How to Use

Click "Try This Actor" to open it on Apify
Create a free Apify account if you don't have one
Configure the input parameters as needed
Run the actor and download your results

Documentation

VS Code Extensions Scraper

Scrapes data from the Visual Studio Code Marketplace via its API. Get detailed information on extensions, including install counts, ratings, publisher details, and trending metrics for market analysis.

Key Features

Multiple Scrape Modes: Collect data by popularity, trending lists, search queries, category, or specific publisher.
Comprehensive Data: Fetches install counts, ratings, reviews, version info, categories, tags, and trending metrics (daily, weekly, monthly).
API-Based & Fast: Directly accesses the marketplace API; no browser automation required.
Flexible Sorting: Results can be sorted by installs, average rating, publish date, or last update date.
Structured Output: Data is delivered in a consistent JSON format for easy parsing and integration.

How to Use

Configure the actor using input parameters. The primary parameter is scrapeMode, which determines how extensions are collected.

Basic Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
`scrapeMode`	string	Required. One of: `popular`, `trending`, `search`, `category`, `publisher`.
`searchQuery`	string	Search term (for `search` mode).
`category`	string	Category name (for `category` mode).
`publisher`	string	Publisher ID (for `publisher` mode).
`sortBy`	string	Sort results by: `InstallCount`, `Rating`, `PublishedDate`, `LastUpdatedDate`.
`trendingPeriod`	string	For `trending` mode: `daily`, `weekly`, `monthly`.
`maxResults`	integer	Limit results (1-1000).

Example Configurations

Get the 100 most popular extensions:

{
  "scrapeMode": "popular",
  "maxResults": 100
}

Search for Python extensions, sorted by installs:

{
  "scrapeMode": "search",
  "searchQuery": "python",
  "sortBy": "InstallCount",
  "maxResults": 50
}

Get weekly trending extensions:

{
  "scrapeMode": "trending",
  "trendingPeriod": "weekly",
  "maxResults": 50
}

Browse extensions in a category:

{
  "scrapeMode": "category",
  "category": "Programming Languages",
  "maxResults": 100
}

Get all extensions from a specific publisher:

{
  "scrapeMode": "publisher",
  "publisher": "ms-vscode",
  "maxResults": 100
}

Input & Output

Available Categories

When using category mode, you can use categories like: Programming Languages, Snippets, Linters, Themes, Debuggers, Formatters, Keymaps, Data Science, Machine Learning, Testing, and Notebooks.

Output Data Format

The actor outputs an array of extension objects. Each object contains structured data as shown below.

{
  "name": "python",
  "display_name": "Python",
  "publisher": "ms-python",
  "publisher_display_name": "Microsoft",
  "version": "2024.0.1",
  "description": "Python language support...",
  "install_count": 193000000,
  "rating": 4.2,
  "rating_count": 1250,
  "categories": ["Programming Languages", "Linters"],
  "tags": ["python", "django", "flask"],
  "marketplace_url": "https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-python.python",
  "trending_daily": 15000,
  "trending_weekly": 85000,
  "trending_monthly": 320000
}

Integrations & Pricing

Data can be exported to JSON, CSV, Excel, Google Sheets, or sent via webhooks and API endpoints. Pricing is based on usage at $2.50 per 1,000 extensions scraped.

For support or feature requests, contact the developer through Apify.