GitHub User Activity CLI

A Java-based command-line interface (CLI) that fetches and displays the recent activity of a GitHub user in the terminal.

Project URL: https://roadmap.sh/projects/github-user-activity

Overview

This project demonstrates working with APIs, JSON parsing, and building a CLI application. It fetches real-time activity data from the GitHub API and presents it in a readable format.

Features

• ✅ Fetch recent activity of any GitHub user
• ✅ Display activity in a structured, readable format
• ✅ Support for multiple GitHub event types (Push, Pull Request, Issue, Star, Fork, etc.)
• ✅ Graceful error handling for invalid usernames and API failures
• ✅ Built with Java and Maven

Requirements

• Java 11 or higher
• Maven 3.6+
• Internet connection (to access GitHub API)

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/FSXplay/github-activity.git
cd github-activity

2. Build the project:

mvn clean package

This will create an executable JAR file in the target/ directory.

Usage

Run the CLI with a GitHub username as an argument:

java -jar target/github-activity-1.0-SNAPSHOT.jar <username>

Example

java -jar target/github-activity-1.0-SNAPSHOT.jar octocat

Output

octocat activities on GitHub:
PushEvent: Pushed 3 commits to octocat/Hello-World
=============================
IssuesEvent: Opened a new issue in octocat/Hello-World
=============================
WatchEvent: Starred octocat/Hello-World
=============================

Supported Event Types

The CLI recognizes and displays the following GitHub event types:

• PushEvent - Commits pushed to a repository
• PullRequestEvent - Pull request opened/closed/merged
• IssuesEvent - Issue opened/closed/reopened
• WatchEvent - Repository starred
• ForkEvent - Repository forked
• CreateEvent - Branch or tag created
• DeleteEvent - Branch or tag deleted
• ReleaseEvent - Release published
• MemberEvent - Collaborator added
• IssueCommentEvent - Comment added to an issue
• PullRequestReviewEvent - Review added to a pull request
• PullRequestReviewCommentEvent - Review comment on a PR
• CommitCommentEvent - Comment added to a commit
• GollumEvent - Wiki page created/edited
• DiscussionEvent - Discussion created/answered
• PublicEvent - Repository made public

Project Structure

github-activity/
├── src/main/java/
│   ├── Main.java                          # Entry point
│   ├── api/
│   │   ├── GitHubClientAPI.java          # GitHub API client
│   │   └── APItest.java                   # API testing
│   ├── models/
│   │   └── GitHubEvents/                  # Event model classes
│   │       ├── GitHubEvent.java           # Base class
│   │       ├── PushEvent.java
│   │       ├── IssuesEvent.java
│   │       ├── WatchEvent.java
│   │       └── ... (other event types)
│   │       └── enums/                     # Event-specific enums
│   └── services/
│       └── JSONToGitHubEventConverter.java # JSON to Object conversion
├── pom.xml                                # Maven configuration
└── README.md                              # This file

How It Works

1. CLI Entry Point (Main.java) - Accepts GitHub username as command-line argument
2. API Client (GitHubClientAPI.java) - Fetches data from GitHub's public events API endpoint
3. JSON Parsing (JSONToGitHubEventConverter.java) - Converts JSON responses to Java objects
4. Event Models - Type-specific event classes that represent different GitHub activities
5. Display - Prints formatted activity to the console

API Details

The application uses the GitHub public API endpoint:

https://api.github.com/users/<username>/events

This endpoint returns up to 30 recent public events for the specified user. No authentication is required for public data.

Error Handling

The application gracefully handles:

• Invalid usernames - Displays an error message if the user is not found
• Network errors - Handles connection failures gracefully
• API rate limiting - Respects GitHub's rate limits (60 requests/hour for unauthenticated requests)
• Empty activity - Handles users with no public activity

Dependencies

• org.json (v20240303) - For JSON parsing and manipulation
• Maven - Build automation and dependency management

Building and Testing

Compile only:

mvn clean compile

Run all tests:

mvn test

Build entire project:

mvn clean package

Running the Application

After building, run with any GitHub username:

# Single word usernames
java -jar target/github-activity-1.0-SNAPSHOT.jar github

# Usernames with hyphens
java -jar target/github-activity-1.0-SNAPSHOT.jar kamranahmedse

Future Enhancements

• Filter activity by event type
• Display user profile information alongside activity
• Format output as JSON or CSV
• Add caching to improve performance
• Implement pagination for large activity lists
• Add authentication for higher API rate limits

License

This project is part of the roadmap.sh community project initiative.

References

• GitHub API Documentation
• GitHub Events API
• roadmap.sh - GitHub User Activity Project