Comprehensive Guide to GitHub Search Syntax and Techniques

GitHub's search functionality goes beyond simple keyword matching and supports a rich set of qualifiers and sorting options.

The information below is based on the official GitHub documentation (https://docs.github.com/en).

2. Sorting Search Results

2.1. Sort by Interactions

Syntax

Example org:github sort:interactions Match issues in GitHub-owned repositories and sort by the highest combined number of reactions and comments. org:github sort:interactions-asc Match issues in GitHub-owned repositories and sort by the lowest combined number of reactions and comments.

2.2. Sort by Reactions

Syntax

Example org:github sort:reactions Match issues in GitHub-owned repositories and sort by the highest number of reactions. org:github sort:reactions-asc Sort by reaction count in ascending order (fewest to most). org:github sort:reactions-+1 Sort by the most +1 (👍) reactions. org:github sort:reactions--1 Sort by the most -1 (👎) reactions. org:github sort:reactions-smile Sort by the most smile (😄) reactions. org:github sort:reactions-tada Sort by the most celebration (🎉) reactions. org:github sort:reactions-heart Sort by the most heart (❤️) reactions.

2.3. Sort by Author Date

Syntax

Example org:github sort:author-date feature Match commits containing the word "feature" and sort by author date descending. org:github sort:author-date-asc feature Match commits containing the word "feature" and sort by author date ascending.

2.4. Sort by Committer Date

Syntax

Example org:github sort:committer-date Match commits containing the word "feature" and sort by committer date descending. org:github sort:committer-date-asc Match commits containing the word "feature" and sort by committer date ascending.

2.5. Sort by Updated Date

Syntax

Example sort:updated feature Match repositories containing "feature" and sort by most recent update. sort:updated-asc feature Match repositories containing "feature" and sort by oldest update first.

3. Search Scope

3.1. Search Repositories

3.1.1. By Repository Name, Description, or README

Syntax

Example in:name jquery Match repositories with "jquery" in the name. in:description jquery Match repositories with "jquery" in the description. in:readme jquery Match repositories whose README mentions "jquery".

3.1.2. Within a User or Organization's Repositories

Syntax

Example user:defunkt forks:>100 Match repositories owned by user "defunkt" with more than 100 forks.

3.1.3. By Repository Size

Syntax

Example size:1000 Match repositories of exactly 1 MB. size:>=30000 Match repositories of at least 30 MB. size:<50 Match repositories smaller than 50 KB. size:50…120 Match repositories between 50 KB and 120 KB.

3.1.4. By Fork Count

Syntax

Example forks:5 Match repositories with exactly five forks. forks:>=205 Match repositories with at least 205 forks. forks:<90 Match repositories with fewer than 90 forks. forks:10…20 Match repositories with 10 to 20 forks.

3.1.5. By Star Count

Syntax

Example stars:500 Match repositories with exactly 500 stars. stars:10…20 Match repositories with 10 to 20 stars. stars:>=500 fork:true language:php Match repositories with at least 500 stars, that are forks, and written in PHP.

3.1.6. By Creation or Last Update Time

Syntax

Example webos created:<2011-01-01 Match repositories containing "webos" created before 2011. css push:>2013-02-01 Match repositories containing "css" pushed after February 1 2013. case push:>=2013-03-06 fork:only Match repositories containing "case" pushed on or after March 6 2013 that are forks.

3.1.7. By Language

Syntax

Example rails language:javascript Match repositories with the word "rails" written in JavaScript.

3.1.8. By Topic

Syntax

Example topic:jekyll Match repositories classified under the topic "jekyll".

3.1.9. By Number of Topics

Syntax

Example topic:5 Match repositories with exactly five topics. topic:>3 Match repositories with more than three topics.

3.1.10. By License

Syntax

Example license:apache-2.0 Match repositories licensed under Apache 2.0.

3.1.11. By Repository Visibility

Syntax

Example is:public org:github Match public repositories owned by GitHub. is:internal test Match internal repositories you can access that contain the word "test". is:private pages Match private repositories you can access that contain the word "pages".

3.1.12. By Mirror Status

Syntax

Example mirror:true GNOME Match repositories that are mirrors and contain "GNOME". mirror:false GNOME Match repositories that are not mirrors but contain "GNOME".

3.2. Search Topics

3.2.1. Narrow Search with Topic Qualifiers

Syntax

Example is:curated javascript Match curated topics that contain "javascript". is:featured javascript Match featured topics on https://github.com/topics/ that contain "javascript". is:not-curated javascript Match topics without extra info (e.g., description or logo) that contain "javascript". is:not-featured javascript Match topics that are not featured and contain "javascript". repositories:>5000 Match topics with more than 5 000 repositories.

3.3. Search Code

3.3.1. By File Content or Path

Syntax

Example octocat in:file Match code where the file content contains "octocat". octocat in:path Match code where the file path contains "octocat".

3.3.2. In a User or Organization's Repositories

Syntax

Example user:defunkt extension:rb Match Ruby files (.rb) in repositories owned by @defunkt. org:github extension:js Match JavaScript files (.js) in repositories owned by GitHub. repo:mozilla/shumway extension:as Match ActionScript files (.as) in the Mozilla/Shumway project.

3.3.3. By Language

Syntax

Example element language:xml size:100 Match XML files of exactly 100 bytes containing the word "element". display language:scss Match SCSS code containing the word "display". org:mozilla language:markdown Match Markdown code in any Mozilla repository.

3.3.4. By File Size

Syntax

Example function size:>10000 language:python Match Python files larger than 10 KB that contain the word "function".

3.3.5. By Filename

Syntax

Example filename:linguist Match files named "linguist". filename:.vimrc commands Match .vimrc files that contain the word "commands".

3.4. Search Users

3.4.1. By Account Name, Full Name, or Public Email

Syntax

Example user:octocat Match a user with the username "octocat". org:electron type:users Match accounts belonging to the Electron organization. kenya in:login Match users whose login contains "kenya". bolton in:name Match users whose real name contains "bolton". fullname:Nat Friedman Match a user with the full name "Nat Friedman" (space‑sensitive). data in:email Match users whose public email contains "data".

3.4.2. By Number of Repositories Owned

Syntax

Example repos:>9000 Match users with more than 9 000 repositories. bert repos:10…30 Match users whose name or real name contains "bert" and who own 10 to 30 repositories.

3.4.3. By Account Creation Date

Syntax

Example created:<2011-01-01 Match users who joined before 2011. created:>=2013-05-11 Match users who joined on or after May 11 2013. created:2013-03-06 location:london Match users who joined on March 6 2013 and list London as their location. created:2010-01-01…2011-01-01 john in:login Match users who joined between 2010 and 2011 and have "john" in their username.

3.4.4. By Follower Count

Syntax

Example followers:>=1000 Match users with 1 000 or more followers. sparkle follower:1…10 Match users with 1 to 10 followers whose name contains "sparkle".

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