AUR Arch Linux Packages Scraper

AUR Arch Linux Packages Scraper

Scrape AUR package metadata by search term, up to a million packages per run. Every package comes with its name, version, votes, popularity, maintainer, and description. No login or API key. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

The AUR has no official API, and the RPC endpoint is rate-limited and returns only 25 results per query. This Actor reads the public package search directly, filters by your keyword, and returns each match in one fixed schema. It is the fastest way to get Arch Linux package data into your pipeline.

Who uses it	What they scrape AUR (Arch User Repository) for
Arch Linux maintainers	Monitor packages that depend on their own packages
Security researchers	Track newly published or updated packages for a keyword
Data analysts	Build datasets of package metadata for trend analysis
Package developers	Find naming collisions or similar packages before publishing

What it does

This Actor collects AUR package records by search term and returns each one as a flat row.

• 🔍 Keyword search: matches package names and descriptions, so a term like docker returns docker, docker-compose, and podman-docker.
• 📦 Flat package rows: each result is one record with name, version, votes, popularity, maintainer, and description.
• ⚡ High volume: paid users can pull up to 1,000,000 packages per run, free users get a 10-package preview.
• 📤 Multiple exports: download as CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or push to a dataset for further processing.

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

What you can do with AUR (Arch User Repository) data

📈 Track package popularity.

A data analyst runs the Actor weekly for a set of keywords and feeds the votes and popularity fields into a dashboard to spot rising packages.

🔒 Monitor for malicious packages.

A security researcher schedules the Actor for a high-risk keyword and reviews new or updated packages for suspicious maintainers or descriptions.

🧹 Find naming collisions.

A package developer searches for their intended package name before publishing to see if a similar or conflicting package already exists.

📊 Build a package dataset.

A data engineer runs the Actor once for a broad term like python and exports the full result set to CSV for offline analysis.

Why choose this scraper

	What you get
No API key	The AUR RPC endpoint needs no key but is rate-limited and caps at 25 results. This Actor bypasses that limit.
One fixed schema	Every package comes back with the same fields, so you can merge runs without cleaning.
Scales to a million	Paid users can pull up to 1,000,000 packages per run, enough for full keyword sweeps.
Export anywhere	CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or keep the dataset in Apify for scheduled runs.

How it compares

No other Store actor targets AUR (Arch User Repository) the same way, so the honest comparison is with the alternatives teams actually weigh.

	AUR Arch Linux Packages Scraper	Build it in-house	By hand
Setup	Run it now, zero config	Days of engineering	None, but hours per pull
When AUR (Arch User Repository) changes	Maintained for you	You fix it	You re-learn the page
Proxies, retries, anti-bot	Built in	Your problem	Browser only
Output	Fixed JSON schema, CSV/Excel export	Whatever you build	Copy-paste
Cost	Pay per result	Engineering time	Analyst hours

Configure the run

Drive the Actor with a single search term, and set the maximum number of packages to return. The search matches package names and descriptions, so broad terms return more results. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

{
  "searchQuery": "docker",
  "maxItems": 10
}

A larger pull:

{
  "searchQuery": "docker",
  "maxItems": 200
}

Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. Upgrade your Apify plan to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

Run it

1. Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit.
2. Open the AUR Arch Linux Packages Scraper.
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 (run-sync-get-dataset-items) or the ApifyClient for JavaScript and Python.

Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to AUR (Arch User Repository) through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=parseforge/aur-arch-packages-scraper"

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

Troubleshooting

Why am I getting no results?

Check that your searchQuery is spelled correctly and is not too specific. The search matches names and descriptions, so try a broader term like 'docker' instead of 'docker-compose-bin'.

Why did the run stop at 10 packages?

Free users are limited to a 10-package preview. Upgrade to a paid plan to increase maxItems up to 1,000,000.

Why are some fields empty?

Some AUR packages have no maintainer or are orphaned, so those fields may be blank. That is normal and reflects the source data.

Why did the run time out?

If you set a very high maxItems, the run may take longer. Try reducing maxItems or increasing the Actor's timeout in the run settings.

Can I search for multiple keywords at once?

No, the Actor accepts one searchQuery per run. To search multiple terms, run the Actor multiple times or use a separate automation.

FAQ

Question	Answer
What is the AUR?	The Arch User Repository is a community-driven repository for Arch Linux users. It contains package build scripts (PKGBUILDs) that are not in the official repositories.
Does this Actor use the official AUR RPC?	No. The official RPC endpoint is rate-limited and returns only 25 results per query. This Actor reads the public package search directly, so it can return far more results per run.
What fields does each package row contain?	Each row includes the package name, version, votes, popularity, maintainer, and description. The exact field list is shown in the sample output below.
How many packages can I scrape?	Free users get a preview of up to 10 packages. Paid users can set maxItems up to 1,000,000 per run.
Can I search by package name only?	The search matches both package names and descriptions. If you need an exact name match, use a unique term or filter the results afterward.
Does this Actor require login or an API key?	No. It reads the public AUR search pages directly, so no authentication is needed.
Can I schedule this Actor to run automatically?	Yes. You can set up a schedule in Apify to run the Actor daily, weekly, or at any interval, and store the results in a dataset.
What export formats are supported?	You can export the results as CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML from the Apify dataset, or use the API to fetch them programmatically.
Is this Actor affiliated with Arch Linux?	No. This is an independent scraper built by the Apify community. Arch Linux is a trademark of its respective owners.
Can I scrape comments or dependencies?	No. This Actor returns only the package metadata shown in the search results. For comments or dependencies, you would need a different tool.

🆘 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 Arch Linux. 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.