Play Store Version Check API

A lightweight REST API service to programmatically check the current version of any Android application published on Google Play Store.

🚀 Overview

Play Store Version Check is a simple yet powerful Node.js API that allows developers to retrieve the current version of any Android application directly from the Google Play Store. No authentication required, no complex setup—just pass the package name and get the version instantly.

✨ Features

• Simple REST API: Easy-to-use endpoint with package name parameter
• Real-time Version Info: Fetches current app version from Google Play Store
• No Authentication: No API keys or OAuth tokens required
• Lightweight: Minimal dependencies and fast response times
• Cross-platform: Works with any HTTP client or programming language
• Perfect for: Version checking, update notifications, CI/CD pipelines, app monitoring

📋 Table of Contents

• Installation
• Quick Start
• API Usage
• Use Cases
• Configuration
• Contributing
• License
• Support

🔧 Installation

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v12 or higher)
• npm or yarn package manager

Setup

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/dearsikandarkhan/playstore-version-check.git
cd playstore-version-check

2. Install dependencies:

npm install
# or
yarn install

3. Start the server:

npm start
# or
node index.js

The API will be available at http://localhost:3000 by default.

🎯 Quick Start

Once the server is running, you can check any app's version by making a GET request:

curl http://localhost:3000/com.example.app

Replace com.example.app with any valid Android package name from Google Play Store.

📖 API Usage

Endpoint

GET /{packageName}

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
packageName	string	Yes	The Android application package name (e.g., com.whatsapp)

Example Request

# Check WhatsApp version
curl http://localhost:3000/com.whatsapp

# Check Instagram version
curl http://localhost:3000/com.instagram.android

# Check your app version
curl http://localhost:3000/com.egnify.getranks

Example Response

{
  "packageName": "com.whatsapp",
  "version": "2.23.20.10",
  "versionCode": "232010000",
  "lastUpdated": "October 2023"
}

Integration Examples

JavaScript (Fetch API)

fetch('http://localhost:3000/com.example.app')
  .then(response => response.json())
  .then(data => {
    console.log('Current version:', data.version);
  });

Python

import requests

response = requests.get('http://localhost:3000/com.example.app')
data = response.json()
print(f"Current version: {data['version']}")

cURL

curl -X GET http://localhost:3000/com.example.app

Android (Kotlin)

val url = "http://localhost:3000/com.example.app"
val client = OkHttpClient()
val request = Request.Builder().url(url).build()

client.newCall(request).enqueue(object : Callback {
    override fun onResponse(call: Call, response: Response) {
        val version = JSONObject(response.body?.string()).getString("version")
        println("Current version: $version")
    }
})

💡 Use Cases

1. Force Update Feature

Implement mandatory app updates by comparing installed version with Play Store version:

const installedVersion = "1.0.0";
const storeVersion = await fetch('http://localhost:3000/com.yourapp').then(r => r.json());

if (storeVersion.version > installedVersion) {
  showUpdateDialog();
}

2. CI/CD Pipeline Integration

Automate version checking in your deployment workflow:

# GitHub Actions example
- name: Check Play Store Version
  run: |
    VERSION=$(curl http://your-api.com/com.yourapp | jq -r '.version')
    echo "Current Play Store version: $VERSION"

3. App Monitoring Dashboard

Build a monitoring system to track app versions across multiple applications:

const apps = ['com.app1', 'com.app2', 'com.app3'];
const versions = await Promise.all(
  apps.map(pkg => fetch(`http://localhost:3000/${pkg}`).then(r => r.json()))
);

4. Update Notification System

Send automated notifications when new versions are available:

setInterval(async () => {
  const currentVersion = await checkPlayStoreVersion();
  if (currentVersion !== lastCheckedVersion) {
    sendNotificationToUsers();
  }
}, 3600000); // Check every hour

⚙️ Configuration

Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the root directory:

PORT=3000
NODE_ENV=production
CACHE_DURATION=3600

Port Configuration

Change the default port by setting the PORT environment variable:

PORT=8080 npm start

Deployment

Deploy to Heroku

heroku create your-app-name
git push heroku main

Deploy to AWS Lambda

Use the Serverless Framework or AWS SAM for serverless deployment.

Deploy with Docker

FROM node:16-alpine
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm install --production
COPY . .
EXPOSE 3000
CMD ["node", "index.js"]

Build and run:

docker build -t playstore-version-check .
docker run -p 3000:3000 playstore-version-check

🛠️ Technology Stack

• Runtime: Node.js
• Web Scraping: Cheerio / Puppeteer (for parsing Play Store HTML)
• HTTP Server: Express.js
• Caching: In-memory or Redis (optional)

📊 Performance

• Response Time: < 500ms (with caching)
• Rate Limiting: Configurable per IP
• Caching: Reduces Play Store requests and improves speed

🔒 Security Best Practices

• Implement rate limiting to prevent abuse
• Use HTTPS in production environments
• Add input validation for package names
• Consider adding authentication for private deployments
• Monitor and log suspicious activities

🐛 Error Handling

The API returns appropriate HTTP status codes:

Status Code	Description
200	Success - Version information returned
400	Bad Request - Invalid package name
404	Not Found - App not found on Play Store
429	Too Many Requests - Rate limit exceeded
500	Internal Server Error - Server issue

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please follow these steps:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

Please read CONTRIBUTING.md for details on our code of conduct and development process.

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🌟 Support

If you find this project helpful, please consider giving it a ⭐ on GitHub!

📧 Contact

Sikandar Khan - @dearsikandarkhan

Project Link: https://github.com/dearsikandarkhan/playstore-version-check

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Thanks to all contributors who help improve this project
• Inspired by the need for simple version checking solutions
• Built with ❤️ for the developer community

📚 Related Projects

• Android Version Checker - Python-based version checker
• GPVersionChecker - Android library for version checking
• AppUpdater - Android library with update dialogs

🗺️ Roadmap

• Add batch version checking endpoint
• Implement Redis caching
• Add GraphQL API support
• Create official Docker image
• Add detailed analytics and logging
• Support for iOS App Store version checking
• WebSocket support for real-time updates
• Admin dashboard for monitoring

❓ FAQ

Q: Do I need a Google Play Developer account?
A: No, this API works without any authentication.

Q: Is there a rate limit?
A: Configurable based on your deployment. Default settings apply reasonable limits.

Q: Can I use this in production?
A: Yes, but ensure proper caching and rate limiting are configured.

Q: Does this work with unreleased apps?
A: No, the app must be published on Google Play Store.

Q: How often is the version information updated?
A: It reflects the latest version available on Play Store at the time of request.

---

Made with ❤️ by Sikandar Khan

Report Bug • Request Feature • Send a Pull Request