How to Get Medium List Info

(Using Medium API Javascript Package)

When working with Medium, developers often need insights into specific lists curated on the platform. A list on Medium can represent a collection of stories grouped by themes, authors, or topics.

This tutorial explains how to use the medium-api-js package to fetch details of a specific Medium list, including its metadata like name, author, claps, and more. By the end, you'll understand how to retrieve this information programmatically and its potential applications.

Prerequisites

Before diving into the code, ensure you have the following set up:

• Ensure Node.js is installed on your machine.
• Install the medium-api-js package for interfacing with Medium’s API:

   npm install medium-api-js dotenv

• RapidAPI Key: Obtain a RapidAPI key to authenticate requests. Store this key in an .env file:

   RAPIDAPI_KEY=your_rapidapi_key

• dotenv Configuration: Use the dotenv package to load environment variables securely.

Code Explanation

Step 1: Import Required Packages

import Medium from 'medium-api-js';
import dotenv from 'dotenv';
dotenv.config();

Medium: Imported from medium-api-js, this is the API wrapper for interacting with Medium.

dotenv: Allows you to securely manage environment variables from an .env file.

Step 2: Initialize the Medium Client

 const medium = new Medium(process.env.RAPIDAPI_KEY);

process.env.RAPIDAPI_KEY: Reads the RapidAPI key stored in the .env file.

Medium(): Initializes the API client with the key for authentication.

Step 3: Fetch List Details

 medium.getListInfo('3d8f744f5370').then(data => {
   console.log('List Info:', data);
});

getListInfo(): A method provided by the medium-api-js package to retrieve details of a Medium list using its ID ('3d8f744f5370').

console.log(): Outputs the fetched list information to the console for inspection.

Running the Code

Save the script as getListInfo.js and execute it using the following command:

node getListInfo.js

Output Explanation

Here’s the output from the script:

Key properties include:

• id: Unique identifier of the list.
• name: Title of the list (e.g., "Startup").
• claps and voters: Total claps and users who clapped.
• author: Author ID who created the list.
• count: Total number of stories in the list.
• description: Description of the list.
• created_at and last_item_inserted_at: Timestamps for creation and updates.
• thumbnail: URL of the list’s thumbnail image.

Potential Use Cases

• Content Analytics: Analyze list performance based on claps, votes, and response counts.
• Personalized Recommendations: Fetch details of thematic lists for user-specific recommendations.
• Marketing Insights: Monitor popular lists for trends in content creation and audience engagement.

Conclusion

This script demonstrates how to retrieve detailed information about a Medium list using the medium-api-js package. Whether you're a developer, marketer, or content strategist, this approach is invaluable for harnessing Medium's data effectively.

For further assistance, feel free to contact nishu@mediumapi.com. Happy coding!