What’s the best way to get started with the GitHub REST API?

[NIMADITH-LMH]

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I’m new to using GitHub’s REST API and I’d like to integrate it into a small project. Could you share the best beginner-friendly resources or examples? Also, when would you recommend choosing GraphQL over REST?
Thanks in advance!

[Argh94]

Beginner-Friendly Resources for GitHub REST APIOfficial GitHub Documentation
GitHub’s REST API docs are clear and well-organized, with a "Quickstart" section that walks you through authentication and sending simple requests step-by-step.
Link: GitHub REST API Documentation
Postman Tutorials
Postman is a great tool for testing APIs, and GitHub provides a Postman Collection to try out various requests. It’s perfect for beginners since it doesn’t require coding upfront.
Link: GitHub REST API with Postman
Python Tutorials
If you’re using Python, the requests library is a great starting point. Here’s a simple example to fetch a repository’s info:

headers = {"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"}
response = requests.get("https://api.github.com/repos/owner/repo", headers=headers)
print(response.json())```

A good Python tutorial: Real Python - Using the GitHub API with Python
YouTube Videos
Channels like freeCodeCamp or Tech With Tim have beginner-friendly video tutorials on using APIs. Search for “GitHub REST API Tutorial for Beginners” on YouTube. Here’s a starting point:
YouTube: GitHub API Tutorial
Example Projects on GitHub
You can find sample projects using the REST API directly on GitHub. Just search for github rest api example in the Code section.

When to Choose GraphQL Over REST?GitHub also offers a GraphQL API, which can be better in certain cases. Here’s how to decide:Use REST if:  You’re new and want to start quickly. REST is simpler, and its documentation is more beginner-friendly.  
Your project is small and only needs a few simple requests (like fetching user or repo info).  
You’re comfortable with tools like Postman or cURL, which work well with REST.

Use GraphQL if:  You need specific data and want to avoid fetching unnecessary fields. GraphQL lets you request only what you need, making responses lighter (unlike REST, which may include extra data).  
Your project is complex, and you need to fetch related data (e.g., user info, repositories, and issues) in a single request. GraphQL handles this with one query.  
You want flexibility to change data requirements later without major code changes.

 A simple GraphQL example to fetch a repository’s name and description:  

```query {
  repository(owner: "owner", name: "repo") {
    name
    description
  }
}```

 You can test GraphQL with the GitHub GraphQL Explorer.

Final AdviceStart with the REST API since it’s easier to learn and has more resources. If your project grows complex or you’re getting too much unnecessary data, consider switching to GraphQL. Try building a small project (like fetching a user’s repository list) with REST to get comfortable. Let me know if you have more questions—I’m happy to help! 

[PRIYAtechky]

For beginners, GitHub’s official REST API docs are the best starting point:
👉 GitHub REST API Docs

[jihanurrahman33]

---

Your fastest path (60-minute starter)

1) Skim the official “Getting started” + auth pages

These two pages show how requests are structured (methods, paths, headers), how to authenticate, and include copy-paste examples. ([GitHub Docs]1)

Key headers you’ll use from day one

• Accept: application/vnd.github+json
• X-GitHub-Api-Version: 2022-11-28
• User-Agent: <your app or username> (this one is required). ([GitHub Docs]1)

2) Make your first call with curl

List your public repos:

curl -L \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
  -H "X-GitHub-Api-Version: 2022-11-28" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $GITHUB_TOKEN" \
  -H "User-Agent: awesome-starter-app" \
  https://api.github.com/users/<your-username>/repos

That structure (method + path + headers) is exactly what the docs teach and reuse everywhere. ([GitHub Docs]1)

3) Create something (e.g., open an issue)

curl -L -X POST \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
  -H "X-GitHub-Api-Version: 2022-11-28" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $GITHUB_TOKEN" \
  -H "User-Agent: awesome-starter-app" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/<owner>/<repo>/issues \
  -d '{"title":"Hello from the API","body":"First issue via REST 🎉"}'

(You’ll need a fine-grained PAT with the minimal repo permissions you need.) ([GitHub Docs]2)

4) Handle pagination & rate limits early

• Many list endpoints are paginated—follow the Link header (rel="next", rel="last") or use the endpoint’s page/per_page/since style. ([GitHub Docs]3)
• Check your quota:

curl -i -H "Authorization: Bearer $GITHUB_TOKEN" \
  -H "User-Agent: awesome-starter-app" \
  https://api.github.com/rate_limit

Learn how primary/secondary limits work so you don’t get surprised. ([GitHub Docs]4)

5) Use an SDK once you’ve proved the calls

GitHub maintains Octokit libraries for JS/TS, Ruby, etc., which handle auth, retries, pagination helpers, and typing. ([GitHub Docs]5)

Tiny JS example (Octokit)

import { Octokit } from "octokit";

const octokit = new Octokit({ auth: process.env.GITHUB_TOKEN });
const { data: issues } = await octokit.request(
  "GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues",
  { owner: "octocat", repo: "hello-world" }
);
console.log(issues.map(i => i.title));

(Octokit sends a valid User-Agent and recommended headers for you.) ([GitHub Docs]1)

---

What to read (beginner-friendly, official first)

1. REST API – Start here (Quickstart / Getting started / Best practices / Libraries). These four pages cover everything you need to build a solid first integration. ([GitHub Docs]6)
2. Authenticating to the REST API (PATs, GitHub App tokens, scopes/permissions). ([GitHub Docs]7)
3. Using pagination and Rate limits (crucial in production). ([GitHub Docs]3)
4. (Optional) A recent third-party walkthrough if you like blog style learning. ([GeeksforGeeks]8)

---

REST vs GraphQL — when to choose which?

Pick REST when…

• You’re performing simple, well-scoped actions (create an issue, add a label, trigger a workflow) or integrating with an endpoint that maps 1:1 to a resource.
• You value stable, cache-friendly URLs and easy debugging with curl/HTTP tooling.
• You’re using ecosystem docs/samples that already assume REST.
  (These points align with GitHub’s own “Comparing APIs” guidance.) ([GitHub Docs]9)

Pick GraphQL when…

• You need to fetch a graph of related data in one round-trip (e.g., repo → issues → comments → authors) and want to ask for exactly the fields you need—no over/under-fetching.
• You need fine control over nested pagination and connections.
• You want server-calculated aggregations without stitching multiple REST calls.
  (GitHub highlights these as GraphQL strengths.) ([GitHub Docs]9)

Practical rule: If one REST call (or two) gets you everything—use REST. If you’re composing 3–6 dependent REST calls just to shape a page of UI data, switch to GraphQL.

---

Small project ideas to practice

• “Issue dashboard”: list open issues you created across all repos (pagination + filtering). REST is perfect here. ([GitHub Docs]3)
• “Release notes helper”: fetch merged PRs since last tag and generate a changelog (REST; later try the same in GraphQL to compare). ([GitHub Docs]6)
• “Org explorer”: one GraphQL query to show repos + top contributors + recent PRs for each.

---

Pro tips you’ll thank yourself for later

• Always send X-GitHub-Api-Version and a real User-Agent. ([GitHub Docs]1)
• Use fine-grained PATs with least privilege (and expirations). ([GitHub Docs]2)
• Read the Best practices page (conditional requests with ETags, handle secondary limits, backoff). ([GitHub Docs]10)

---

If you tell me your preferred stack (Node, Python, etc.), I’ll hand you a tiny, runnable starter that authenticates, paginates, and opens an issue—wired up to your env vars.

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