Github Ranking vs public-apis
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A auto-updated list ranking GitHub repositories by stars and forks, by language.
Open source · MIT
A community-curated list of free public APIs you can use in your own projects.
The short answer
Choose Github Ranking if you need…
- Developers looking for popular open-source projects in a specific language
- Students searching for well-known learning repositories
- People curious about which GitHub projects have the most stars or forks
Choose public-apis if you need…
- Developers looking for a third-party API to add to a side project
- Students exploring what kinds of data services exist
- Teams comparing candidate APIs before choosing one
Side-by-side
| Github Ranking | public-apis | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Curated list | Curated list |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 12.8k | 495k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Beginner |
| How you get it | Read it online | Read it online |
| Main language | Python | Python |
| Last code update | 4 days ago | 5 days ago |
What each one is
Github Ranking
This repository is a README-based directory that ranks GitHub projects by star count and fork count, with top-10 tables and links to top-100 lists for each programming language. The README says the rankings are updated automatically, and it shows a last-update timestamp. People use it to see which popular open-source projects exist and how they compare.
public-apis
This is a curated directory of public APIs, which are services that let programs request data or features from outside sources. The README says it is manually maintained by community members and people working at APILayer, and it covers many domains. The top of the README mainly promotes the APILayer suite of paid-plus-free REST APIs and related Postman collections. Developers use it to find an API to build on rather than searching the web for one.
Best for
Github Ranking
- Developers looking for popular open-source projects in a specific language
- Students searching for well-known learning repositories
- People curious about which GitHub projects have the most stars or forks
public-apis
- Developers looking for a third-party API to add to a side project
- Students exploring what kinds of data services exist
- Teams comparing candidate APIs before choosing one
Strengths
Github Ranking
- Updated automatically, according to the README's timestamp
- Covers many programming languages in one place
- Provides a bilingual (English and Chinese) description
public-apis
- Large, widely-starred collection of many domains in one place
- Simple to browse and search as a plain Markdown file
- Released under the MIT license
Not ideal for
Github Ranking
- Anyone needing a tool to install or run: this is a static list, not software
- People wanting a vetted quality review, since ranking reflects popularity rather than suitability
public-apis
- People who need a runnable tool or application, since this is a list and not software to install
- Anyone who needs guaranteed uptime or support, because listed APIs are maintained by different third parties
- Readers who want an unbiased comparison, since the README is heavily promotional toward APILayer products
Trade-offs
Github Ranking
- Popularity is not the same as quality or relevance
- The README is truncated, so the full language list and update mechanism are not fully visible here
- Some ranked entries have old last-commit dates, so they may be stale
public-apis
- Many listed APIs have their own terms, limits, or paid tiers that the list itself does not spell out in this excerpt
- The README excerpt is dominated by APILayer promotion, which may bias what appears first
- No release tags are published, so there is no versioned snapshot to rely on
Getting started
Github Ranking
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/EvanLi/Github-Rankingpublic-apis
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/public-apis/public-apisFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Github Ranking and public-apis?
Github Ranking: A auto-updated list ranking GitHub repositories by stars and forks, by language. public-apis: A community-curated list of free public APIs you can use in your own projects. Github Ranking suits developers looking for popular open-source projects in a specific language, while public-apis suits developers looking for a third-party api to add to a side project.
Are Github Ranking and public-apis free?
Github Ranking: Free and open source. public-apis: Free and open source.
Is Github Ranking or public-apis more popular?
public-apis has more GitHub stars (495k) than Github Ranking (12.8k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.