Question 1

What is an avatar API?

Accepted Answer

An avatar API is a service that retrieves user avatars programmatically. Instead of integrating with each social platform individually, an avatar API like unavatar lets you fetch avatars from GitHub, X, Instagram, Gravatar, and 40+ other providers through a single HTTP endpoint.

Question 2

Is unavatar free to use?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The avatar API is free for low-volume usage with 50 requests per day. Paid usage is metered — there are no minimums or subscriptions, you only pay for non-cached requests you actually make.

Question 3

How do I get an avatar from an email address?

Accepted Answer

Make a GET request to unavatar.io/your@email.com (email as the path). The API tries Gravatar first, then GitHub when the address matches public GitHub data. You can also call /gravatar or /github explicitly. See unavatar.io/email. No API key is needed for the free tier.

Question 4

Do I need an API key?

Accepted Answer

Not for the free tier. Once you sign up for a paid plan, you get an API key that removes rate limits and unlocks extra features like custom TTL.

Question 5

What happens if an avatar can't be found?

Accepted Answer

A default fallback image is returned automatically. You can customize it by passing a fallback URL as a query parameter to match your app's style.

Question 6

How fast are avatar API responses?

Accepted Answer

Cached avatars are served from the edge in under 50ms worldwide. Fresh lookups depend on the upstream provider but are typically resolved in under 300ms. All responses are cached on a global CDN.

Question 7

Can I use this avatar API in production?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. unavatar serves millions of requests per month with 99.6%+ uptime. Paid plans include an SLA guarantee and priority support.

Question 8

Which avatar providers are supported?

Accepted Answer

Over 40 providers including GitHub, X (Twitter), Instagram, Gravatar, Google, Bluesky, Spotify, LinkedIn, YouTube, Telegram, and more. You can also resolve avatars by email address or domain name.

Question 9

How is unavatar different from Gravatar?

Accepted Answer

Gravatar only works with email addresses registered on its platform. unavatar is a universal avatar API that checks 40+ providers including Gravatar, so you get much higher coverage. For email lookups, if Gravatar has no result, unavatar tries GitHub next. You can also resolve avatars by username or domain across many other providers.