Username Search API API
The Username OSINT API checks a username across platforms as clean JSON.
🤖 Using an AI assistant? Copy this link into ChatGPT / Claude / Cursor — it reads every endpoint and parameter instantly and tells you if this API fits your use case.
The primary username endpoint returns per-platform presence (platform, category, status, profile URL) with a summary of where the handle exists. It is built for OSINT, fraud investigation and brand protection that need a fast username footprint. One ReefAPI key, one shared credit pool, the standard envelope.
Real request and response JSON
Captured from the indexed primary action, username, on .
{
"method": "POST",
"url": "https://api.reefapi.com/username-osint/v1/username",
"headers": {
"x-api-key": "$REEF_KEY",
"content-type": "application/json"
},
"body": {
"username": "torvalds",
"top": 30
}
}{
"ok": true,
"meta": {
"api": "digital-footprint",
"endpoint": "username",
"mode": "live",
"latency_ms": 3285.6,
"record_count": 18,
"bytes": 0,
"cache_hit": false,
"platforms_checked": 39,
"found": 18,
"sites_scanned": 39,
"id_type": "username",
"top": 30
},
"data": {
"input_type": "username",
"query": "torvalds",
"results": [
{
"platform": "Bit.ly",
"category": "links",
"status": "found",
"profile_url": "https://bit.ly/torvalds"
},
{
"platform": "Facebook",
"category": "social",
"status": "found",
"profile_url": "https://www.facebook.com/torvalds"
},
{
"platform": "Flickr",
"category": "photo",
"status": "found",
"profile_url": "https://www.flickr.com/photos/torvalds"
}
],
"summary": {
"platforms_checked": 39,
"platforms_found": 18,
"found_platforms": [
"Bit.ly",
"Facebook",
"Flickr"
],
"category_distribution": {
"links": 1,
"social": 2,
"photo": 3,
"coding": 3,
"tech": 1,
"blog": 3,
"video": 1,
"music": 1,
"messaging": 1,
"ru": 1,
"wiki": 1
},
"status_counts": {
"found": 18,
"rate_limited": 3,
"unknown": 3,
"not_found": 15
}
},
"sites_scanned": 39,
"engine": "maigret-0.6.1",
"coverage_note": "Accounts are checked against a curated set of public platforms. Results are based on each site's own public profile pages, so coverage is partial: 'not_found' means no public account was seen on the platforms we check (not proof none exists anywhere); 'unknown' means the platform did not give a clear answer this time. Login-only platforms (Reddit, Instagram, X, TikTok) are not covered and are never reported as a false match."
}
}What the Username Search API API does
| Action | Description | Concrete use case | Key params |
|---|---|---|---|
| username | Find every public account for a username across 3000+ sites (powered by the Maigret OSINT engine) → for each site where the account exists: the platform + the public profile link. Also accepts a Steam numeric ID or profile URL (steamcommunity.com/profiles/...). Scan the top-N most-popular sites (default 300), filter by tag (gaming/social/coding/…), or deep-scan to extract linked identifiers. | Ops teams call username to find every public account for a username across 3000+ sites (powered by the Maigret OSINT eng…. | username, top, tags, sites, deep |
Call username from your stack
curl -X POST https://api.reefapi.com/username-osint/v1/username \
-H "x-api-key: $REEF_KEY" \
-H "content-type: application/json" \
-d '{"username":"torvalds","top":30}'import requests
r = requests.post(
"https://api.reefapi.com/username-osint/v1/username",
headers={"x-api-key": REEF_KEY},
json={
"username": "torvalds",
"top": 30
},
)
print(r.json()["data"])const res = await fetch("https://api.reefapi.com/username-osint/v1/username", {
method: "POST",
headers: {
"x-api-key": process.env.REEF_KEY,
"content-type": "application/json",
},
body: JSON.stringify({
"username": "torvalds",
"top": 30
}),
});
const { ok, data, meta, error } = await res.json();Ask your MCP-connected assistant: call reefapi.username-osint.username with {"username":"torvalds","top":30}.Who uses this API and why
- OSINT investigators call username to map a handle across social and dev platforms.
- Fraud teams check an account's footprint during investigation.
- Brand protection finds impersonator accounts using a brand handle.
Questions developers ask before integrating
What is the Username Search API API?
Username Search API API is a ReefAPI endpoint group for username search api It returns live JSON through POST requests under /username-osint/v1.
Is the Username Search API API free to try?
Yes. ReefAPI starts with 1,000 free credits, no card required. Username Search API calls use the same shared credit balance as every other ReefAPI engine.
Do I need a Username Search API login or account?
No login to Username Search API is needed for the API response. You call ReefAPI with your x-api-key header, and the playground can run live examples before you create a production key.
How fresh is the Username Search API data?
The page example is captured from a live username call, and production requests fetch live data through ReefAPI rather than a static sample.
How many credits does the Username Search API API use?
Username Search API actions currently cost 3 credits per successful call. Failed or blocked calls are free, and all APIs draw from one credit pool.
Can I call Username Search API from an AI assistant or MCP client?
Yes. Connect ReefAPI once through MCP and your assistant can call username-osint actions with the same key, credit pool and JSON envelope used by normal REST requests.
Is the Username Search API API a Username Search API scraper?
It is the managed alternative to a DIY Username Search API scraper. Instead of building and maintaining your own scraper — proxies, headless browsers, captcha and constant breakage — you call one ReefAPI endpoint and get the same username search api back as clean JSON.
Why does my Username Search API scraper keep getting blocked?
Most Username Search API scrapers break on anti-bot defenses, rate limits and IP bans that need rotating residential proxies and browser fingerprinting to clear. ReefAPI handles all of that for you — no proxies, no captchas, no maintenance — and returns live JSON. Blocked or failed calls are free.