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We've recently moved some of the REST API documentation. If you can't find what you're looking for, you might try the new Branches, Collaborators, Commits, Deploy Keys, Deployments, GitHub Pages, Releases, Metrics, Webhooks REST API pages.

Releases

The releases API allows you to create, modify, and delete releases and release assets.

In this article

Note: The Releases API replaces the Downloads API. You can retrieve the download count and browser download URL from the endpoints in this API that return releases and release assets.

List releases

This returns a list of releases, which does not include regular Git tags that have not been associated with a release. To get a list of Git tags, use the Repository Tags API.

Information about published releases are available to everyone. Only users with push access will receive listings for draft releases.

get /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases

Parameters

NameTypeInDescription
acceptstringheader

Setting toapplication/vnd.github.v3+json is recommended.

ownerstringpath
repostringpath
per_pageintegerquery

Results per page (max 100)

Default: 30

pageintegerquery

Page number of the results to fetch.

Default: 1

Code samples

Shell
 curl \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/hello-world/releases
JavaScript (@octokit/core.js)
 await octokit.request('GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases', {
  owner: 'octocat',
  repo: 'hello-world'
})

Response

 Status: 200 OK
 [
  {
    "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1",
    "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/releases/v1.0.0",
    "assets_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1/assets",
    "upload_url": "https://uploads.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1/assets{?name,label}",
    "tarball_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/tarball/v1.0.0",
    "zipball_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/zipball/v1.0.0",
    "id": 1,
    "node_id": "MDc6UmVsZWFzZTE=",
    "tag_name": "v1.0.0",
    "target_commitish": "master",
    "name": "v1.0.0",
    "body": "Description of the release",
    "draft": false,
    "prerelease": false,
    "created_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
    "published_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
    "author": {
      "login": "octocat",
      "id": 1,
      "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
      "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
      "gravatar_id": "",
      "url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat",
      "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
      "followers_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/followers",
      "following_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
      "gists_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
      "starred_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
      "subscriptions_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/subscriptions",
      "organizations_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/orgs",
      "repos_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/repos",
      "events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
      "received_events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/received_events",
      "type": "User",
      "site_admin": false
    },
    "assets": [
      {
        "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/assets/1",
        "browser_download_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/releases/download/v1.0.0/example.zip",
        "id": 1,
        "node_id": "MDEyOlJlbGVhc2VBc3NldDE=",
        "name": "example.zip",
        "label": "short description",
        "state": "uploaded",
        "content_type": "application/zip",
        "size": 1024,
        "download_count": 42,
        "created_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
        "updated_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
        "uploader": {
          "login": "octocat",
          "id": 1,
          "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
          "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
          "gravatar_id": "",
          "url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat",
          "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
          "followers_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/followers",
          "following_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
          "gists_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
          "starred_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
          "subscriptions_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/subscriptions",
          "organizations_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/orgs",
          "repos_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/repos",
          "events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
          "received_events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/received_events",
          "type": "User",
          "site_admin": false
        }
      }
    ]
  }
]

Notes

Error Codes

HTTP Status CodeDescription
404

Resource not found

Create a release

Users with push access to the repository can create a release.

This endpoint triggers notifications. Creating content too quickly using this endpoint may result in secondary rate limiting. See "Secondary rate limits" and "Dealing with secondary rate limits" for details.

post /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases

Parameters

NameTypeInDescription
acceptstringheader

Setting toapplication/vnd.github.v3+json is recommended.

ownerstringpath
repostringpath
tag_namestringbody

Required. The name of the tag.

target_commitishstringbody

Specifies the commitish value that determines where the Git tag is created from. Can be any branch or commit SHA. Unused if the Git tag already exists. Default: the repository's default branch (usually master).

namestringbody

The name of the release.

bodystringbody

Text describing the contents of the tag.

draftbooleanbody

true to create a draft (unpublished) release, false to create a published one.

prereleasebooleanbody

true to identify the release as a prerelease. false to identify the release as a full release.

discussion_category_namestringbody

If specified, a discussion of the specified category is created and linked to the release. The value must be a category that already exists in the repository. For more information, see "Managing categories for discussions in your repository."

generate_release_notesbooleanbody

Whether to automatically generate the name and body for this release. If name is specified, the specified name will be used; otherwise, a name will be automatically generated. If body is specified, the body will be pre-pended to the automatically generated notes.

Code samples

Shell
 curl \
  -X POST \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/hello-world/releases \
  -d '{"tag_name":"tag_name"}'
JavaScript (@octokit/core.js)
 await octokit.request('POST /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases', {
  owner: 'octocat',
  repo: 'hello-world',
  tag_name: 'tag_name'
})

Response

 Status: 201 Created
 {
  "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1",
  "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/releases/v1.0.0",
  "assets_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1/assets",
  "upload_url": "https://uploads.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1/assets{?name,label}",
  "tarball_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/tarball/v1.0.0",
  "zipball_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/zipball/v1.0.0",
  "discussion_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/discussions/90",
  "id": 1,
  "node_id": "MDc6UmVsZWFzZTE=",
  "tag_name": "v1.0.0",
  "target_commitish": "master",
  "name": "v1.0.0",
  "body": "Description of the release",
  "draft": false,
  "prerelease": false,
  "created_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
  "published_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
  "author": {
    "login": "octocat",
    "id": 1,
    "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
    "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
    "gravatar_id": "",
    "url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat",
    "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
    "followers_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/followers",
    "following_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
    "gists_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
    "starred_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
    "subscriptions_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/subscriptions",
    "organizations_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/orgs",
    "repos_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/repos",
    "events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
    "received_events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/received_events",
    "type": "User",
    "site_admin": false
  },
  "assets": [
    {
      "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/assets/1",
      "browser_download_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/releases/download/v1.0.0/example.zip",
      "id": 1,
      "node_id": "MDEyOlJlbGVhc2VBc3NldDE=",
      "name": "example.zip",
      "label": "short description",
      "state": "uploaded",
      "content_type": "application/zip",
      "size": 1024,
      "download_count": 42,
      "created_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
      "updated_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
      "uploader": {
        "login": "octocat",
        "id": 1,
        "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
        "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
        "gravatar_id": "",
        "url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat",
        "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
        "followers_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/followers",
        "following_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
        "gists_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
        "starred_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
        "subscriptions_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/subscriptions",
        "organizations_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/orgs",
        "repos_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/repos",
        "events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
        "received_events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/received_events",
        "type": "User",
        "site_admin": false
      }
    }
  ]
}

Notes

Error Codes

HTTP Status CodeDescription
404

Not Found if the discussion category name is invalid

422

Validation failed

Generate release notes content for a release

Generate a name and body describing a release. The body content will be markdown formatted and contain information like the changes since last release and users who contributed. The generated release notes are not saved anywhere. They are intended to be generated and used when creating a new release.

post /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/generate-notes

Parameters

NameTypeInDescription
acceptstringheader

Setting toapplication/vnd.github.v3+json is recommended.

ownerstringpath
repostringpath
tag_namestringbody

Required. The tag name for the release. This can be an existing tag or a new one.

target_commitishstringbody

Specifies the commitish value that will be the target for the release's tag. Required if the supplied tag_name does not reference an existing tag. Ignored if the tag_name already exists.

previous_tag_namestringbody

The name of the previous tag to use as the starting point for the release notes. Use to manually specify the range for the set of changes considered as part this release.

configuration_file_pathstringbody

Specifies a path to a file in the repository containing configuration settings used for generating the release notes. If unspecified, the configuration file located in the repository at '.github/release.yml' or '.github/release.yaml' will be used. If that is not present, the default configuration will be used.

Code samples

Shell
 curl \
  -X POST \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/hello-world/releases/generate-notes \
  -d '{"tag_name":"tag_name"}'
JavaScript (@octokit/core.js)
 await octokit.request('POST /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/generate-notes', {
  owner: 'octocat',
  repo: 'hello-world',
  tag_name: 'tag_name'
})

Name and body of generated release notes

 Status: 200 OK
 {
  "name": "Release v1.0.0 is now available!",
  "body": "##Changes in Release v1.0.0 ... ##Contributors @monalisa"
}

Notes

Error Codes

HTTP Status CodeDescription
404

Resource not found

Get the latest release

View the latest published full release for the repository.

The latest release is the most recent non-prerelease, non-draft release, sorted by the created_at attribute. The created_at attribute is the date of the commit used for the release, and not the date when the release was drafted or published.

get /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/latest

Parameters

NameTypeInDescription
acceptstringheader

Setting toapplication/vnd.github.v3+json is recommended.

ownerstringpath
repostringpath

Code samples

Shell
 curl \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/hello-world/releases/latest
JavaScript (@octokit/core.js)
 await octokit.request('GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/latest', {
  owner: 'octocat',
  repo: 'hello-world'
})

Response

 Status: 200 OK
 {
  "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1",
  "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/releases/v1.0.0",
  "assets_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1/assets",
  "upload_url": "https://uploads.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1/assets{?name,label}",
  "tarball_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/tarball/v1.0.0",
  "zipball_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/zipball/v1.0.0",
  "discussion_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/discussions/90",
  "id": 1,
  "node_id": "MDc6UmVsZWFzZTE=",
  "tag_name": "v1.0.0",
  "target_commitish": "master",
  "name": "v1.0.0",
  "body": "Description of the release",
  "draft": false,
  "prerelease": false,
  "created_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
  "published_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
  "author": {
    "login": "octocat",
    "id": 1,
    "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
    "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
    "gravatar_id": "",
    "url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat",
    "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
    "followers_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/followers",
    "following_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
    "gists_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
    "starred_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
    "subscriptions_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/subscriptions",
    "organizations_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/orgs",
    "repos_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/repos",
    "events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
    "received_events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/received_events",
    "type": "User",
    "site_admin": false
  },
  "assets": [
    {
      "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/assets/1",
      "browser_download_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/releases/download/v1.0.0/example.zip",
      "id": 1,
      "node_id": "MDEyOlJlbGVhc2VBc3NldDE=",
      "name": "example.zip",
      "label": "short description",
      "state": "uploaded",
      "content_type": "application/zip",
      "size": 1024,
      "download_count": 42,
      "created_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
      "updated_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
      "uploader": {
        "login": "octocat",
        "id": 1,
        "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
        "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
        "gravatar_id": "",
        "url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat",
        "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
        "followers_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/followers",
        "following_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
        "gists_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
        "starred_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
        "subscriptions_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/subscriptions",
        "organizations_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/orgs",
        "repos_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/repos",
        "events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
        "received_events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/received_events",
        "type": "User",
        "site_admin": false
      }
    }
  ]
}

Notes

Get a release by tag name

Get a published release with the specified tag.

get /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/tags/{tag}

Parameters

NameTypeInDescription
acceptstringheader

Setting toapplication/vnd.github.v3+json is recommended.

ownerstringpath
repostringpath
tagstringpath

tag parameter

Code samples

Shell
 curl \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/hello-world/releases/tags/TAG
JavaScript (@octokit/core.js)
 await octokit.request('GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/tags/{tag}', {
  owner: 'octocat',
  repo: 'hello-world',
  tag: 'tag'
})

Response

 Status: 200 OK
 {
  "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1",
  "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/releases/v1.0.0",
  "assets_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1/assets",
  "upload_url": "https://uploads.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1/assets{?name,label}",
  "tarball_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/tarball/v1.0.0",
  "zipball_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/zipball/v1.0.0",
  "discussion_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/discussions/90",
  "id": 1,
  "node_id": "MDc6UmVsZWFzZTE=",
  "tag_name": "v1.0.0",
  "target_commitish": "master",
  "name": "v1.0.0",
  "body": "Description of the release",
  "draft": false,
  "prerelease": false,
  "created_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
  "published_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
  "author": {
    "login": "octocat",
    "id": 1,
    "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
    "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
    "gravatar_id": "",
    "url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat",
    "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
    "followers_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/followers",
    "following_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
    "gists_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
    "starred_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
    "subscriptions_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/subscriptions",
    "organizations_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/orgs",
    "repos_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/repos",
    "events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
    "received_events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/received_events",
    "type": "User",
    "site_admin": false
  },
  "assets": [
    {
      "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/assets/1",
      "browser_download_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/releases/download/v1.0.0/example.zip",
      "id": 1,
      "node_id": "MDEyOlJlbGVhc2VBc3NldDE=",
      "name": "example.zip",
      "label": "short description",
      "state": "uploaded",
      "content_type": "application/zip",
      "size": 1024,
      "download_count": 42,
      "created_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
      "updated_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
      "uploader": {
        "login": "octocat",
        "id": 1,
        "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
        "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
        "gravatar_id": "",
        "url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat",
        "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
        "followers_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/followers",
        "following_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
        "gists_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
        "starred_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
        "subscriptions_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/subscriptions",
        "organizations_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/orgs",
        "repos_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/repos",
        "events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
        "received_events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/received_events",
        "type": "User",
        "site_admin": false
      }
    }
  ]
}

Notes

Error Codes

HTTP Status CodeDescription
404

Resource not found

Get a release

Note: This returns an upload_url key corresponding to the endpoint for uploading release assets. This key is a hypermedia resource.

get /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/{release_id}

Parameters

NameTypeInDescription
acceptstringheader

Setting toapplication/vnd.github.v3+json is recommended.

ownerstringpath
repostringpath
release_idintegerpath

release_id parameter

Code samples

Shell
 curl \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/hello-world/releases/42
JavaScript (@octokit/core.js)
 await octokit.request('GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/{release_id}', {
  owner: 'octocat',
  repo: 'hello-world',
  release_id: 42
})

Note: This returns an upload_url key corresponding to the endpoint for uploading release assets. This key is a hypermedia resource.

 Status: 200 OK
 {
  "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1",
  "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/releases/v1.0.0",
  "assets_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1/assets",
  "upload_url": "https://uploads.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1/assets{?name,label}",
  "tarball_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/tarball/v1.0.0",
  "zipball_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/zipball/v1.0.0",
  "discussion_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/discussions/90",
  "id": 1,
  "node_id": "MDc6UmVsZWFzZTE=",
  "tag_name": "v1.0.0",
  "target_commitish": "master",
  "name": "v1.0.0",
  "body": "Description of the release",
  "draft": false,
  "prerelease": false,
  "created_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
  "published_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
  "author": {
    "login": "octocat",
    "id": 1,
    "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
    "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
    "gravatar_id": "",
    "url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat",
    "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
    "followers_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/followers",
    "following_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
    "gists_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
    "starred_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
    "subscriptions_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/subscriptions",
    "organizations_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/orgs",
    "repos_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/repos",
    "events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
    "received_events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/received_events",
    "type": "User",
    "site_admin": false
  },
  "assets": [
    {
      "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/assets/1",
      "browser_download_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/releases/download/v1.0.0/example.zip",
      "id": 1,
      "node_id": "MDEyOlJlbGVhc2VBc3NldDE=",
      "name": "example.zip",
      "label": "short description",
      "state": "uploaded",
      "content_type": "application/zip",
      "size": 1024,
      "download_count": 42,
      "created_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
      "updated_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
      "uploader": {
        "login": "octocat",
        "id": 1,
        "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
        "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
        "gravatar_id": "",
        "url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat",
        "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
        "followers_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/followers",
        "following_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
        "gists_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
        "starred_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
        "subscriptions_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/subscriptions",
        "organizations_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/orgs",
        "repos_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/repos",
        "events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
        "received_events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/received_events",
        "type": "User",
        "site_admin": false
      }
    }
  ]
}

Notes

Error Codes

HTTP Status CodeDescription
404

Resource not found

Update a release

Users with push access to the repository can edit a release.

patch /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/{release_id}

Parameters

NameTypeInDescription
acceptstringheader

Setting toapplication/vnd.github.v3+json is recommended.

ownerstringpath
repostringpath
release_idintegerpath

release_id parameter

tag_namestringbody

The name of the tag.

target_commitishstringbody

Specifies the commitish value that determines where the Git tag is created from. Can be any branch or commit SHA. Unused if the Git tag already exists. Default: the repository's default branch (usually master).

namestringbody

The name of the release.

bodystringbody

Text describing the contents of the tag.

draftbooleanbody

true makes the release a draft, and false publishes the release.

prereleasebooleanbody

true to identify the release as a prerelease, false to identify the release as a full release.

discussion_category_namestringbody

If specified, a discussion of the specified category is created and linked to the release. The value must be a category that already exists in the repository. If there is already a discussion linked to the release, this parameter is ignored. For more information, see "Managing categories for discussions in your repository."

Code samples

Shell
 curl \
  -X PATCH \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/hello-world/releases/42 \
  -d '{"tag_name":"tag_name"}'
JavaScript (@octokit/core.js)
 await octokit.request('PATCH /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/{release_id}', {
  owner: 'octocat',
  repo: 'hello-world',
  release_id: 42,
  tag_name: 'tag_name'
})

Response

 Status: 200 OK
 {
  "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1",
  "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/releases/v1.0.0",
  "assets_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1/assets",
  "upload_url": "https://uploads.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/1/assets{?name,label}",
  "tarball_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/tarball/v1.0.0",
  "zipball_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/zipball/v1.0.0",
  "discussion_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/discussions/90",
  "id": 1,
  "node_id": "MDc6UmVsZWFzZTE=",
  "tag_name": "v1.0.0",
  "target_commitish": "master",
  "name": "v1.0.0",
  "body": "Description of the release",
  "draft": false,
  "prerelease": false,
  "created_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
  "published_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
  "author": {
    "login": "octocat",
    "id": 1,
    "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
    "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
    "gravatar_id": "",
    "url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat",
    "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
    "followers_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/followers",
    "following_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
    "gists_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
    "starred_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
    "subscriptions_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/subscriptions",
    "organizations_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/orgs",
    "repos_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/repos",
    "events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
    "received_events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/received_events",
    "type": "User",
    "site_admin": false
  },
  "assets": [
    {
      "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/assets/1",
      "browser_download_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/releases/download/v1.0.0/example.zip",
      "id": 1,
      "node_id": "MDEyOlJlbGVhc2VBc3NldDE=",
      "name": "example.zip",
      "label": "short description",
      "state": "uploaded",
      "content_type": "application/zip",
      "size": 1024,
      "download_count": 42,
      "created_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
      "updated_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
      "uploader": {
        "login": "octocat",
        "id": 1,
        "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
        "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
        "gravatar_id": "",
        "url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat",
        "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
        "followers_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/followers",
        "following_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
        "gists_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
        "starred_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
        "subscriptions_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/subscriptions",
        "organizations_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/orgs",
        "repos_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/repos",
        "events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
        "received_events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/received_events",
        "type": "User",
        "site_admin": false
      }
    }
  ]
}

Notes

Error Codes

HTTP Status CodeDescription
404

Not Found if the discussion category name is invalid

Delete a release

Users with push access to the repository can delete a release.

delete /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/{release_id}

Parameters

NameTypeInDescription
acceptstringheader

Setting toapplication/vnd.github.v3+json is recommended.

ownerstringpath
repostringpath
release_idintegerpath

release_id parameter

Code samples

Shell
 curl \
  -X DELETE \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/hello-world/releases/42
JavaScript (@octokit/core.js)
 await octokit.request('DELETE /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/{release_id}', {
  owner: 'octocat',
  repo: 'hello-world',
  release_id: 42
})

Response

 Status: 204 No Content

Notes

Release assets

Get a release asset

To download the asset's binary content, set the Accept header of the request to application/octet-stream. The API will either redirect the client to the location, or stream it directly if possible. API clients should handle both a 200 or 302 response.

get /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/assets/{asset_id}

Parameters

NameTypeInDescription
acceptstringheader

Setting toapplication/vnd.github.v3+json is recommended.

ownerstringpath
repostringpath
asset_idintegerpath

asset_id parameter

Code samples

Shell
 curl \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/hello-world/releases/assets/42
JavaScript (@octokit/core.js)
 await octokit.request('GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/assets/{asset_id}', {
  owner: 'octocat',
  repo: 'hello-world',
  asset_id: 42
})

To download the asset's binary content, set the Accept header of the request to application/octet-stream. The API will either redirect the client to the location, or stream it directly if possible. API clients should handle both a 200 or 302 response.

 Status: 200 OK
 {
  "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/assets/1",
  "browser_download_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/releases/download/v1.0.0/example.zip",
  "id": 1,
  "node_id": "MDEyOlJlbGVhc2VBc3NldDE=",
  "name": "example.zip",
  "label": "short description",
  "state": "uploaded",
  "content_type": "application/zip",
  "size": 1024,
  "download_count": 42,
  "created_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
  "updated_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
  "uploader": {
    "login": "octocat",
    "id": 1,
    "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
    "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
    "gravatar_id": "",
    "url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat",
    "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
    "followers_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/followers",
    "following_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
    "gists_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
    "starred_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
    "subscriptions_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/subscriptions",
    "organizations_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/orgs",
    "repos_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/repos",
    "events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
    "received_events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/received_events",
    "type": "User",
    "site_admin": false
  }
}

Found

 Status: 302 Found

Notes

Error Codes

HTTP Status CodeDescription
404

Resource not found

415

Preview header missing

Update a release asset

Users with push access to the repository can edit a release asset.

patch /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/assets/{asset_id}

Parameters

NameTypeInDescription
acceptstringheader

Setting toapplication/vnd.github.v3+json is recommended.

ownerstringpath
repostringpath
asset_idintegerpath

asset_id parameter

namestringbody

The file name of the asset.

labelstringbody

An alternate short description of the asset. Used in place of the filename.

statestringbody

Code samples

Shell
 curl \
  -X PATCH \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/hello-world/releases/assets/42 \
  -d '{"name":"name"}'
JavaScript (@octokit/core.js)
 await octokit.request('PATCH /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/assets/{asset_id}', {
  owner: 'octocat',
  repo: 'hello-world',
  asset_id: 42,
  name: 'name'
})

Response

 Status: 200 OK
 {
  "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/assets/1",
  "browser_download_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/releases/download/v1.0.0/example.zip",
  "id": 1,
  "node_id": "MDEyOlJlbGVhc2VBc3NldDE=",
  "name": "example.zip",
  "label": "short description",
  "state": "uploaded",
  "content_type": "application/zip",
  "size": 1024,
  "download_count": 42,
  "created_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
  "updated_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
  "uploader": {
    "login": "octocat",
    "id": 1,
    "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
    "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
    "gravatar_id": "",
    "url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat",
    "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
    "followers_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/followers",
    "following_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
    "gists_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
    "starred_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
    "subscriptions_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/subscriptions",
    "organizations_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/orgs",
    "repos_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/repos",
    "events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
    "received_events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/received_events",
    "type": "User",
    "site_admin": false
  }
}

Notes

Delete a release asset

delete /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/assets/{asset_id}

Parameters

NameTypeInDescription
acceptstringheader

Setting toapplication/vnd.github.v3+json is recommended.

ownerstringpath
repostringpath
asset_idintegerpath

asset_id parameter

Code samples

Shell
 curl \
  -X DELETE \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/hello-world/releases/assets/42
JavaScript (@octokit/core.js)
 await octokit.request('DELETE /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/assets/{asset_id}', {
  owner: 'octocat',
  repo: 'hello-world',
  asset_id: 42
})

Response

 Status: 204 No Content

Notes

List release assets

get /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/{release_id}/assets

Parameters

NameTypeInDescription
acceptstringheader

Setting toapplication/vnd.github.v3+json is recommended.

ownerstringpath
repostringpath
release_idintegerpath

release_id parameter

per_pageintegerquery

Results per page (max 100)

Default: 30

pageintegerquery

Page number of the results to fetch.

Default: 1

Code samples

Shell
 curl \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/hello-world/releases/42/assets
JavaScript (@octokit/core.js)
 await octokit.request('GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/{release_id}/assets', {
  owner: 'octocat',
  repo: 'hello-world',
  release_id: 42
})

Response

 Status: 200 OK
 [
  {
    "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/assets/1",
    "browser_download_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/releases/download/v1.0.0/example.zip",
    "id": 1,
    "node_id": "MDEyOlJlbGVhc2VBc3NldDE=",
    "name": "example.zip",
    "label": "short description",
    "state": "uploaded",
    "content_type": "application/zip",
    "size": 1024,
    "download_count": 42,
    "created_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
    "updated_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
    "uploader": {
      "login": "octocat",
      "id": 1,
      "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
      "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
      "gravatar_id": "",
      "url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat",
      "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
      "followers_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/followers",
      "following_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
      "gists_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
      "starred_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
      "subscriptions_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/subscriptions",
      "organizations_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/orgs",
      "repos_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/repos",
      "events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
      "received_events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/received_events",
      "type": "User",
      "site_admin": false
    }
  }
]

Notes

Upload a release asset

This endpoint makes use of a Hypermedia relation to determine which URL to access. The endpoint you call to upload release assets is specific to your release. Use the upload_url returned in the response of the Create a release endpoint to upload a release asset.

You need to use an HTTP client which supports SNI to make calls to this endpoint.

Most libraries will set the required Content-Length header automatically. Use the required Content-Type header to provide the media type of the asset. For a list of media types, see Media Types. For example:

application/zip

GitHub expects the asset data in its raw binary form, rather than JSON. You will send the raw binary content of the asset as the request body. Everything else about the endpoint is the same as the rest of the API. For example, you'll still need to pass your authentication to be able to upload an asset.

When an upstream failure occurs, you will receive a 502 Bad Gateway status. This may leave an empty asset with a state of starter. It can be safely deleted.

Notes:

  • GitHub renames asset filenames that have special characters, non-alphanumeric characters, and leading or trailing periods. The "List assets for a release" endpoint lists the renamed filenames. For more information and help, contact GitHub Support.
  • If you upload an asset with the same filename as another uploaded asset, you'll receive an error and must delete the old file before you can re-upload the new asset.
post /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/{release_id}/assets

Parameters

NameTypeInDescription
acceptstringheader

Setting toapplication/vnd.github.v3+json is recommended.

ownerstringpath
repostringpath
release_idintegerpath

release_id parameter

namestringquery
labelstringquery

Code samples

Shell
 curl \
  -X POST \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  https://uploads.github.com/repos/octocat/hello-world/releases/42/assets
JavaScript (@octokit/core.js)
 await octokit.request('POST /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/{release_id}/assets', {
  owner: 'octocat',
  repo: 'hello-world',
  release_id: 42,
  name: 'name'
})

Response for successful upload

 Status: 201 Created
 {
  "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/octocat/Hello-World/releases/assets/1",
  "browser_download_url": "https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World/releases/download/v1.0.0/example.zip",
  "id": 1,
  "node_id": "MDEyOlJlbGVhc2VBc3NldDE=",
  "name": "example.zip",
  "label": "short description",
  "state": "uploaded",
  "content_type": "application/zip",
  "size": 1024,
  "download_count": 42,
  "created_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
  "updated_at": "2013-02-27T19:35:32Z",
  "uploader": {
    "login": "octocat",
    "id": 1,
    "node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
    "avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
    "gravatar_id": "",
    "url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat",
    "html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
    "followers_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/followers",
    "following_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
    "gists_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
    "starred_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
    "subscriptions_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/subscriptions",
    "organizations_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/orgs",
    "repos_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/repos",
    "events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
    "received_events_url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat/received_events",
    "type": "User",
    "site_admin": false
  }
}

Notes

Error Codes

HTTP Status CodeDescription
422

Response if you upload an asset with the same filename as another uploaded asset