stackexchange.users_search

stable Advanced

Search users by name on a site.

GET /v1/stackexchange/users_search

What you get#

A list of Stack Exchange results in Onekey's unified shape, in data (an array). An empty array is a normal, successful answer and is charged like any other; a source that reports "nothing found" as an error returns a free 404 not_found instead.

What it costs#

Advanced · 5 credits for a fresh fetch, charged only when it succeeds.
Free when served from cache (0.2 credit for a cached response over 100 KB).
Free if the request is invalid (never charged) or the source fails or reports not found (refunded).

Parameters#

Name	Type	Required	Default	What it is	Constraints
`q`	string	yes	(required)	Search query	max 200 chars; trimmed, repeated spaces collapsed
`site`	string	no	-	Stack Exchange site, default stackoverflow	max 41 chars; must match `[a-z][a-z.]{1,40}`; trimmed, lowercased

Request#

curl "https://api.onekey.dev/v1/stackexchange/users_search?q=skeet" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Try it

Add your key to run this call right here. No key? Get one free. The key stays in this tab.

Recorded response#

A real Stack Exchange response, recorded and returned in Onekey's shape. Fields the platform does not provide are null.

json

{
  "success": true,
  "data": [
    {
      "author": {
        "id": "22656",
        "username": "Jon Skeet",
        "url": "https://stackoverflow.com/users/22656/jon-skeet",
        "avatarUrl": "https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/6d8ebb117e8d83d74ea95fbdd0f87e13?s=256&d=identicon&r=PG",
        "reputation": 1529880,
        "location": "Reading, United Kingdom"
      },
      "content": {
        "createdAt": "2008-09-26T12:05:05Z"
      },
      "ext": {
        "posts": null,
        "goldBadges": 895
      },
      "engagement": {
        "comments": null
      }
    },
    {
      "author": {
        "id": "518201",
        "username": "JOE SKEET",
        "url": "https://stackoverflow.com/users/518201/joe-skeet",
        "avatarUrl": "https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/89bb5872d14411ef21b5d5ae760c6bfb?s=256&d=identicon&r=PG",
        "reputation": 8128,
        "location": null
      },
      "content": {
        "createdAt": "2010-11-24T00:35:47Z"
      },
      "ext": {
        "posts": null,
        "goldBadges": 16
      },
      "engagement": {
        "comments": null
      }
    }
  ],
  "metadata": {
    "platform": "stackexchange",
    "endpoint": "users_search",
    "cached": false,
    "stale": false,
    "age_s": 0,
    "fetched_at": "2026-01-01T12:00:00+00:00",
    "credits_charged": 5,
    "request_id": "7f3a9c2e5b1d4c8fa2e6d0b9c4f18e37"
  },
  "error": null
}

Field mapping#

How this endpoint's source fields become Onekey's unified schema. Fields the source lacks come back as null.

Source path	Onekey field	Transform
`user_id`	`author.id`	`toString`
`display_name`	`author.username`	`htmlUnescape`
`link`	`author.url`	`safeUrl`
`profile_image`	`author.avatarUrl`	`safeUrl`
`reputation`	`author.reputation`	`toNumber`
`location`	`author.location`	-
`creation_date`	`content.createdAt`	`toIsoDate`
`question_count`	`ext.posts`	`toNumber`
`answer_count`	`engagement.comments`	`toNumber`
`badge_counts.gold`	`ext.goldBadges`	`toNumber`

Caching and freshness#

Fresh for about 2 minutes. Repeat calls in that window are served from cache and are free.
Between 2 minutes and 15 minutes the cached copy is still served instantly and marked stale: true while Onekey refreshes it in the background.
If the source is down when a refresh is needed, the last copy can be served for up to 1 hour more (marked stale).
A "not found" is remembered for 1 minute and is free.
The cache is shared across all customers, which is what keeps repeat calls cheap.

What can go wrong#

Status	Code	What to do
401	`unauthorized`	Check the `x-api-key` header.
402	`insufficient_credits`	Add credits; your balance must cover the price.
404	`not_found`	Unknown endpoint path.
422	`invalid_params`	Fix the parameters using the table above. Free.
429	`rate_limited`	Wait `Retry-After` seconds, then retry.
502	`upstream_error`	The source failed. Refunded; retry with backoff.

See Errors for the full list and retry guidance.

Status: stable (verified against the live source).