npm Registry API
Query the public npm registry for any package's metadata, versions, dist-tags, and download counts: no key.
The npm public registry is itself a JSON HTTP API. Hitting registry.npmjs.org/{package} returns the full package document (all versions, dependencies, maintainers, repository, license), while /{package}/latest gives just the newest version's manifest. A separate downloads API (api.npmjs.org/downloads) returns weekly/monthly download counts, and registry.npmjs.org/-/v1/search powers package search. This is the backbone for any AI automation or Claude Skill that audits dependencies, checks for the latest version, resolves a changelog/repo URL, or evaluates a package's popularity, all keyless and CORS-friendly.
Free tier
Free, no signup, no key for public read.Rate limits
Not published for read access; be polite and cache (the registry is CDN-fronted and tolerant of normal traffic).Auth
No keyBase URL
https://registry.npmjs.orgWhat you'd build with it
- Check whether a dependency has a newer version available
- Resolve a package's repository, homepage, and license for an audit automation
- Rank or search packages by name for a recommendation tool
Key endpoints
- GET
/{package}Full package document: all versions, dist-tags, maintainers, time. - GET
/{package}/latestManifest of the latest published version only. - GET
/-/v1/search?text={query}Search packages by text query.
Members get the runnable recipe
Sign in free to copy the example request, see a sample response, and read the gotchas.