A practical guide to the GitPop API and embed badges

The GitPop API exposes public PopScore data and a free CORS-enabled SVG chart endpoint. This guide shows how to use the API and the embed badge in your own README, blog, or dashboard.

GitPop·2026-08-26·3 min read

Quick answer. The GitPop API exposes two public endpoints: /api/project/[owner]/[name] returns the project's current PopScore, and /api/chart/[owner]/[name] returns a CORS-enabled SVG chart of the project's star history. The embed badge at /embed/[owner]/[name] returns a lightweight, copy-paste-able markdown snippet. Both are free, no auth required, and can be embedded in any README, blog, or documentation site.

The public API

The GitPop API exposes a small set of public endpoints. They are free, no auth required, and rate-limited at 60 requests per minute per IP.

GET /api/project/[owner]/[name]

Returns the current PopScore and key metrics for a project.

curl https://gitpop.com/api/project/ollama/ollama

{
  "fullName": "ollama/ollama",
  "popScore": 91,
  "stars": 148200,
  "starsDelta7d": 4120,
  "starsDelta24h": 612,
  "healthScore": 94,
  "healthTier": "healthy",
  "maturityScore": 78,
  "maturityTier": "mature",
  "language": "Go",
  "license": "MIT",
  "updatedAt": "2026-08-26T15:00:00.000Z"
}

The response is JSON, with CORS headers enabled so you can call it from any client-side JavaScript.

GET /api/chart/[owner]/[name]

Returns an SVG chart of the project's star history. The chart is generated server-side and cached for 6 hours. CORS is enabled.

curl https://gitpop.com/api/chart/ollama/ollama > ollama-chart.svg

You can also pass query parameters to customize the chart:

range=14d|30d|180d|YTD|1y|5y|max (default: 30d)
width=400|600|800 (default: 600)
height=100|150|200 (default: 150)
theme=light|dark (default: auto, follows prefers-color-scheme)

Example with parameters:

curl "https://gitpop.com/api/chart/ollama/ollama?range=180d&width=800&theme=dark" > ollama-chart.svg

Embedding in a README

The GitPop embed badge provides a copy-paste-able markdown snippet for any project. Visit /embed/[owner]/[name] in the browser to get the snippet.

Example: visit /embed/ollama/ollama and you will get:

[![GitPop](https://gitpop.com/api/chart/ollama/ollama?range=30d)](https://gitpop.com/repo/ollama/ollama)

The badge is a clickable SVG chart. The link goes to the project's page on GitPop.

Customizing the badge

You can customize the chart by appending query parameters to the chart URL:

[![GitPop](https://gitpop.com/api/chart/ollama/ollama?range=180d&width=600&theme=light)](https://gitpop.com/repo/ollama/ollama)

The full list of parameters is in the API documentation.

Embedding in a blog or documentation site

The SVG chart is a self-contained SVG that can be embedded anywhere HTML is rendered:

<img src="https://gitpop.com/api/chart/ollama/ollama?range=90d" alt="Ollama PopScore chart" />

Or as a direct SVG (for inline embedding with CSS control):

<object data="https://gitpop.com/api/chart/ollama/ollama?range=90d" type="image/svg+xml"></object>

The CORS headers allow the chart to be loaded from any origin. This is the key feature for embedding — without CORS, browsers would block the chart from loading on third-party sites.

Why embed a chart?

Three reasons:

Backlinks. Every project that embeds a GitPop chart links back to gitpop.com. This is the organic-growth funnel that the State of GitPop H2 2026 data report covers in detail.
Visual context for your readers. A chart of the project's star history is more informative than a static star count. Your readers can see the trajectory.
Live data. The chart is generated server-side from the latest data. Your readers always see the current PopScore, not a snapshot from when the blog post was written.

Rate limits

The public API is rate-limited at 60 requests per minute per IP. If you need higher limits, contact us (see the about page).

Common use cases

README badges. Embed a GitPop chart in your project's README. See the embed page for the snippet.
Comparison blog posts. Embed side-by-side charts in your "X vs Y" blog post. The CORS headers make this easy.
Internal dashboards. Pull the PopScore data into your internal dashboard. The JSON response from /api/project/... is the canonical source.
Status pages. Show the PopScore of projects you depend on in your status page. The radar updates daily; the API updates in sync.

For more

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