How can I know an app id

[SelaOZ]

Select Topic Area

Question

Body

Some apps like these for example:

https://github.com/marketplace/phi-network-login
https://github.com/marketplace/proven-cloud-login

return 404 when I try to call the api to get their ids: GET https://api.github.com/apps/proven-cloud-login

How can I find their actual github app id and how can I verify it's an actual id?

[divyanshsood22]

You’re getting a 404 because you’re calling the wrong GitHub API endpoint.

The URL
https://api.github.com/apps/proven-cloud-login
does not work with Marketplace URLs or app names. GitHub only accepts the internal app slug, which is different and not public. So a 404 here is expected, even if the app exists.

GitHub Apps have a numeric App ID, and that’s the only real identifier that works with the API. Unfortunately, GitHub does not provide any public API to convert a Marketplace URL or app name into an App ID.

To find the real GitHub App ID, open the app’s GitHub Marketplace page, and search for app_id.

Another way is to install the app on a repo or organization you control and check the installation webhook payload.
That payload includes something like "app_id": <number>.
If the app is installed on an org you own, calling GET /orgs/{org}/installations will also show the app_id.

[SelaOZ]

To find the real GitHub App ID, open the app’s GitHub Marketplace page, and search for app_id.

what does this mean? if you mean to search the html I don't see that there.

Also how can I verify if a number I have is the actual app id?

Also when I click the install, sometimes it just doesn't work, sometimes I get a redirect with id like this:

https://phi.network/?marketplace_listing_plan_id=8335

Is this the github id? 8335

[divyanshsood22]

If you want to verify a number to check whether it is an app ID or not then, just copy the number you think might be the app ID, then try to look up the app using GitHub’s Apps API with the app’s real internal slug (not the Marketplace URL name). If GitHub returns app details and shows that number as the id, the number is valid.

If you have access to the app’s private key, generate a JWT using that ID and call the GitHub Apps API as the app. If GitHub accepts the JWT and returns app metadata, that confirms the ID is real. If GitHub returns a 404 or rejects the request, then the number is not a valid GitHub App ID.

Now, for the second part,
when you click Install, GitHub sometimes redirects you to the app’s own website instead of staying on GitHub, which is normal for apps that use an external onboarding flow. The value you see in the URL, such as marketplace_listing_plan_id=8335, is generated by GitHub Marketplace. It identifies a Marketplace plan, not the GitHub App itself, and it cannot be used with the GitHub Apps API. Because of that, 8335 is not a GitHub App ID and cannot be treated or verified as one.

[Zeeshan-py]

When calling the REST API endpoint like:

GET https://api.github.com/apps/proven-cloud-login

and similar (e.g., the PHI Network login app), getting a 404 is expected in many cases. The reason is:

404 doesn’t always mean the app doesn’t exist. GitHub returns 404 when the app isn’t publicly exposing its GitHub App metadata via the API or your token doesn’t have permission to view it.

Not all Marketplace listings expose the GitHub App via the public REST response for /apps/{slug}, even if the app exists and is installable. The slug in the marketplace URL (like proven-cloud-login) is not guaranteed to return a public API object for all apps.

How to find the real GitHub App ID

A GitHub App actually has three identifiers:

Numeric App ID – the canonical internal ID used by the API

Slug – the human-readable URL part (what you see in the Marketplace)

Client ID/Client Secret – for OAuth use if the app supports OAuth

To reliably get the actual numeric App ID, do one of the following:

✅ If the app is installed on your org or user account:
Use the installations API. For example:

GET /users/{username}/installation

or

GET /orgs/{org}/installation

If the app is installed, this will return an installation object and include the App ID.

Alternatively, the installation listings page URL (/settings/installations) will show the installation ID in the browser, which maps back to the app.

✅ If you own or manage the GitHub App:
Go to Settings → Developer settings → GitHub Apps, open the app, and you’ll see the numeric App ID on the details page.

Why /apps/{slug} returns 404

The public API for:

GET https://api.github.com/apps/{slug}

only works if the app has allowed public access to its metadata. Some Marketplace listings do not expose that info, so the API returns 404 instead of returning the app details.

[SelaOZ]

I need to list the ids of all apps in the marketplace, I don't think it's realistic to install everything on my user or org...
Also installation on the third part site isn't always straight forward.

So there's no other more reliable way to do it?

[rinas21]

Marketplace URL ≠ App slug – The human-readable URL (like proven-cloud-login) often doesn’t map to a public API slug. Many apps deliberately hide their metadata.

No bulk listing endpoint – There’s no API to list all apps and their numeric App IDs. You can only see apps installed on your user/org, or ones you own.

Marketplace plan IDs ≠ App IDs – URLs like marketplace_listing_plan_id=8335 are Marketplace-specific plans. They are not GitHub App IDs.

Workarounds:

Installed apps only: Use GET /orgs/{org}/installations or GET /users/{username}/installations to get App IDs for apps installed on your account/org.

Developer access: If you own the app, the numeric App ID is in Developer Settings → GitHub Apps.

Scraping HTML is unreliable: You could try inspecting Marketplace pages, but there’s no guaranteed numeric App ID exposed publicly.