How to scrape developer and API data from TIOBE using the Minexa API

The TIOBE Index is one of the most referenced sources for tracking programming language popularity over time. It aggregates search engine query data across dozens of sources and publishes a ranked list of languages monthly. For developers building tooling dashboards, curriculum platforms, or hiring signal pipelines, having programmatic access to that ranking data is more useful than checking the page manually each month.

This guide walks through how to extract structured ranking data from tiobe.com/tiobe-index/ using the Minexa API. The workflow has two phases: train a scraper once using the Minexa Chrome extension, then call the API to pull fresh data on demand.

What the extracted data looks like

Before setting up anything, it helps to know exactly what fields come back. Here is a sample from a live extraction run:

[
  {
    "language_name": "Python",
    "numeric_value": "1",
    "market_share_percentage": "20.97%",
    "percentage_change": "-2.11%",
    "table_data": "1",
    "image_alt_text": "Python page",
    "image_url": "/wp-content/themes/tiobe/tiobe-index/images/Python.png",
    "image_source": ""
  },
  {
    "language_name": "C",
    "numeric_value": "2",
    "market_share_percentage": "12.34%",
    "percentage_change": "+2.39%",
    "table_data": "3",
    "image_alt_text": "C page",
    "image_url": "/wp-content/themes/tiobe/tiobe-index/images/C.png",
    "image_source": "/wp-content/themes/tiobe/tpci/images/up.png"
  }
]

Key fields to note: numeric_value is the current rank. table_data is the previous rank, which lets you calculate rank movement. percentage_change gives the month-over-month share delta. image_source encodes the trend direction as an image path (up, down, upup, downdown) which you can parse as a signal. Empty image_source means the rank held steady.

View Minexa API plans

Watch the setup first

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAwGqbL5V4Q

Training the scraper step by step

Open the Minexa home page and make sure the Chrome extension is active before navigating anywhere.

Navigate to tiobe.com/tiobe-index/ and wait for the full table to render. The extension detects the page structure automatically once the content is visible.

Click the extension icon. The popup appears with a confirmation prompt. Click I'm on the right page to proceed.

The extension then presents the pagination options it detected. The TIOBE Index table is a single-page list, so confirm the pagination setting and click Continue.

Choose whether to scrape the list only or follow each language link for detail pages. For ranking pipelines, the list is sufficient. Select your preference and continue.

Select Simple scraping for this use case. The extension highlights the data container automatically.

After confirming the container, all extracted columns appear in a preview panel. Use the navigation arrows to review each field before finalising.

Click API request to see the generated JSON config and Python snippet. Note the scraper ID shown here. You will need it for every API call.

Calling the API

Once the scraper is trained, call the Minexa API to extract data programmatically. Here is a ready-to-run Python example:

import requests

response = requests.post(
    "https://api.minexa.ai/data",
    headers={"Content-Type": "application/json"},
    json={
        "scraper_id": 6241,
        "columns": "top_20",
        "urls": ["https://www.tiobe.com/tiobe-index/"]
    }
)

print(response.json())

Set columns to top_20 to return the most relevant fields ranked by the scraper. You can also pass specific column names if you only need a subset. For recurring pulls, set up a cron job on your own infrastructure and pass the URL on each run. The scraper ID stays stable across runs, so the same call works every time.

Read the full API docs

What to build with this data

A monthly snapshot of TIOBE rankings gives you a time-series dataset of language momentum. Pair numeric_value with percentage_change across runs to detect which languages are gaining share consistently versus spiking temporarily. The image_source field encodes direction signals you can parse without any additional logic. This kind of structured feed is directly useful for curriculum prioritisation tools, developer hiring dashboards, or technology radar automation.

For more on building API-based extraction pipelines, see the guide on how to scrape reviews and reputation data from Trustpilot using the Minexa API.