How to Save a Medium Article as HTML

Using Medium API JS Package

Prerequisites

Before diving into the steps, make sure you have the following:

• Node.js Installed: Ensure you have Node.js installed on your computer.
• Medium API Key: Sign up for a Medium API key through RapidAPI. Store it safely as it will be used to authenticate your requests.
How to Subscribe to Medium API and Get Your API Key from RapidAPI Platform
• medium-api-js Package: Install the medium-api-js package by running:

  npm install medium-api-js dotenv

• dotenv Package: This package is used to manage environment variables for storing sensitive keys securely.

Code Explanation

This code uses the medium-api-js library to fetch the HTML content of a specific Medium article.

Here is a step-by-step breakdown:

Step 1: Import Dependencies

import Medium from 'medium-api-js';
import dotenv from 'dotenv';

dotenv.config();

• Medium: This is the main class from the medium-api-js library, which provides various methods to interact with the Medium API.
• dotenv: Enables the use of .env files for storing sensitive data like the API key. The dotenv.config() method loads the environment variables.

Step 2: Initialize the Medium API Client

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

• process.env.RAPIDAPI_KEY: Fetches the API key from the .env file. This ensures sensitive information is not hardcoded into the script.

Step 3: Define Parameters for the Request

const articleId = '67fa62fc1971';

const fullPage = true;  // Set to true if you want the full page
const styleFile = "dark.css"; // Set the css file name if you want to include the style file

• articleId: The unique identifier for the article you want to fetch. Replace this with the ID of the desired Medium article.
• fullPage: A boolean flag indicating whether to fetch the full page or just the article body.
• styleFile: Optional parameter to include a CSS file for styling the HTML content.

Step 4: Fetch and Log the Article HTML

medium.getArticleHTML(articleId, fullPage, styleFile)
    .then(data => {
        console.log('Article HTML:', data);
    });

• medium.getArticleHTML: Fetches the HTML content for the specified article ID.
• .then(data => {...}): Handles the successful response from the API. The HTML content is logged to the console.

Command to Run the Script

Save the script as getArticleHTML.js and run the following command in your terminal:

node getArticleHTML.js

Output Explanation

If the request is successful, the script logs the HTML content of the specified article:

• id: Confirms the ID of the fetched article.
• html: Contains the HTML content of the article, including any CSS specified.

Potential Use Cases

• Content Archiving: Save Medium articles locally for offline access or backups.
• Embedding Content: Integrate Medium articles into your personal website or application.
• Custom Styling: Fetch the HTML and apply custom styles for a unique presentation.
• Analytics and Processing: Extract and analyze specific parts of the article for insights or data processing.

Summary

With medium-api-js, fetching and saving Medium articles as HTML becomes a straightforward task. This script demonstrates how to retrieve an article's HTML content with customizable options for the full page and styling. Whether you’re building an archive or enhancing content presentation, this technique can be incredibly beneficial.

For questions or further assistance with the Medium API, feel free to reach out at nishu@mediumapi.com. Happy coding!