Question 1

What is unavatar?

Accepted Answer

unavatar is the universal avatars API: one HTTP endpoint for user profile photos from 72+ sources like GitHub, X, Instagram, and Gravatar. The same URL pattern also resolves logos, favicons, app icons, and artwork — pass a username, email, or domain instead of wiring every provider yourself.

Question 2

Is unavatar free to use?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The free tier covers 50 requests per day with no API key. 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 image 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 API responses?

Accepted Answer

Cached responses 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 unavatar 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 providers are supported?

Accepted Answer

Over 72 providers including GitHub, X (Twitter), Instagram, Gravatar, Google, Bluesky, Spotify, LinkedIn, YouTube, Telegram, and more. You can also resolve images by email address or domain name.

Question 9

How is unavatar different from Gravatar?

Accepted Answer

Gravatar only works for email addresses registered on its platform. unavatar checks 72+ providers including Gravatar, so you get much higher coverage for profile photos and related images. For email lookups, if Gravatar has no result, unavatar tries GitHub next. You can also resolve by username or domain across many other providers.