---
title: "API guide: How to locate unknown users in your data"
canonical: "https://support.appfire.com/space/FD/1802567788/API%20guide%3A%20How%20to%20locate%20unknown%20users%20in%20your%20data"
format: markdown
---
> Macro (aura-html)

Flow ingests any user associated with an imported repo, PR project, or ticket project. Because Flow ingests users associated with repos and projects in multiple ways, you may not recognize every ingested user. This article shows you how to use the API to locate where a user was ingested from.

> ℹ️ In these examples, we call the API using the interactive documentation found via the **API keys** page in Flow. You can follow similar steps to call the API in your preferred client as needed.

## Permissions

You need the **Manage my API keys** and **API access** permissions to locate unknown users in your data. You also need an active API key, especially if you use a third-party client to call the API. 

## Locate the user ID

First, identify the name or email of the user you want to locate. This information will be used to find the unknown user's `user_id`.

1. In the interactive documentation, navigate to the **Users** endpoint and click to expand the first `GET` operation for `/users`. Click **Try it out**.
2. A list of available parameters appears. Type in the `name` or `email` of the unknown user.
3. Click **Execute** at the bottom of the parameter list.
4. If you typed in the `name` or `email` correctly, you'll see a result set for the unknown user with the `user_id` listed at the top of the results next to the parameter `id`. Copy this number to your clipboard. We'll use this in subsequent steps.

Now that you have the `user_id`, we can locate any work that has been imported for this user.

## Commits

Check to see if the unknown user has any commits recorded across any of your imported repos.

1. In the interactive documentation, navigate to the **Commits** endpoint and click to expand the first `GET` operation for `/commits`. Click **Try it out**.
2. Locate the parameter `apex_user_id` toward the bottom of your parameter list. Paste in the `user_id` you copied in the last section and click **Execute** to run the query.
3. If any results appear, identify what commits the unknown User authored by locating the `external_commit_url` in the response. Use this link to go to your Git host to review the work further.

> ✅ There are a few other response fields that might be useful. `count` is the total number of commits found for the user. `hexsha` is the commit sha from the Git host.

If no commits were located for the user, your response will be empty.

If no records are returned for the user, look for the unknown user via Pull requests.

## Pull requests

If the Commits endpoint didn't return any result, check the Pull requests endpoint. Follow the same steps as above but use the Pull requests endpoint. If no results are found, continue to the Tickets endpoint.

## Tickets

If you have a ticket integration or use your Git host tickets and issues, look for your unknown user in the tickets endpoints. Ticket endpoints require a `user_alias_id`. These are the aliases merged under the `apex_user`. You should try the `apex_user_id` and any `user_alias_ids` to locate tickets, ticket events and/or ticket comments this unknown user may have made.

1. Under the `user_alias` endpoint, locate the `apex_user` field and paste the `user_id` you've been using in the previous steps. Click **Execute**.
2. The results show you all the aliases found for this `apex_user`. `count` is the total number of aliases found for the user. Copy and save all `id`s for later use. Id is the same as `user_alias_id`.
3. Now that we have all `user_alias_ids` for our unknown user, locate any tickets. Open the **Tickets** endpoint, click **Try it out** and locate the `created_by_id` field.
4. Copy one of the `user_alias_ids` you saved from before and execute the query to see if any records are found. Swap out each `user_alias_id` and try the `apex_user_id` as well as the original ID you copied at the beginning of this guide. If records are not found, continue on to the next endpoint.

## Ticket events

Locate and click the **ticket_events** endpoint. Find the `user_alias_id` field and paste in one of your `user_alias_ids`. You can also utilize the `user_alias_id__in` field and paste in all your `user_alias_id`s separated by a comma. This will look for any record across any of the IDs you input. Click **Execute** to see the results.

## Next endpoints

If you couldn't locate any data in the above endpoints, continue searching across the remaining endpoints listed below.

- ticket_comments
- pull_request_events
- pull_request_comments

## I did not find any data for the user

If you didn't find any data in your account for this user, the data may have been deleted or removed from your account. This can happen if the repo or project was removed from your Flow account. Remove this user from Flow if desired.