Apify Install & Auth

Overview

Set up the Apify ecosystem: the apify-client JS library (for calling Actors remotely), the apify SDK (for building Actors), the Apify CLI (for deploying), and Crawlee (for crawling). Each package serves a different purpose.

Package Map

Package	npm	Purpose
`apify-client`	`npm i apify-client`	Call Actors, manage datasets/KV stores from external apps
`apify`	`npm i apify`	Build Actors (includes `Actor.init()`, `Actor.pushData()`)
`crawlee`	`npm i crawlee`	Crawler framework (Cheerio, Playwright, Puppeteer crawlers)
`apify-cli`	`npm i -g apify-cli`	CLI for `apify login`, `apify run`, `apify push`

Prerequisites

Node.js 18+ (required by SDK v3+)
Apify account at https://console.apify.com
API token from Settings > Integrations in Apify Console

Instructions

Step 1: Install Packages

# For CALLING existing Actors from your app:
npm install apify-client

# For BUILDING your own Actors:
npm install apify crawlee

# For CLI deployment:
npm install -g apify-cli

Step 2: Configure Authentication

# Option A: Environment variable (recommended for apps)
export APIFY_TOKEN="apify_api_YOUR_TOKEN_HERE"

# Option B: .env file (add .env to .gitignore)
echo 'APIFY_TOKEN=apify_api_YOUR_TOKEN_HERE' >> .env

# Option C: CLI login (for interactive development)
apify login
# Paste your token when prompted

Step 3: Verify Connection

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({
  token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN,
});

// List your Actors to confirm auth works
const { items } = await client.actors().list();
console.log(`Authenticated. You have ${items.length} Actors.`);

Step 4: Verify CLI (if installed)

apify login --token YOUR_TOKEN
apify info  # Shows your account info

Auth Token Details

Token format: apify_api_ prefix followed by alphanumeric string
Pass via Authorization: Bearer <token> header (REST API)
Pass via token constructor option (JS client)
The APIFY_TOKEN env var is auto-detected by both apify-client and apify SDK

Environment Variable Reference

Variable	Purpose
`APIFY_TOKEN`	API authentication (primary)
`APIFY_PROXY_PASSWORD`	Proxy access (auto-set on platform)
`APIFY_IS_AT_HOME`	`true` when running on Apify platform
`APIFY_DEFAULT_DATASET_ID`	Default dataset for current run
`APIFY_DEFAULT_KEY_VALUE_STORE_ID`	Default KV store for current run
`APIFY_DEFAULT_REQUEST_QUEUE_ID`	Default request queue for current run

Error Handling

Error	Cause	Solution
`401 Unauthorized`	Invalid or expired token	Regenerate token in Console > Settings > Integrations
`Cannot find module 'apify-client'`	Package not installed	`npm install apify-client`
`APIFY_TOKEN is not set`	Missing env var	Export `APIFY_TOKEN` or pass `token` to constructor
`apify: command not found`	CLI not installed globally	`npm install -g apify-cli`

Examples

TypeScript Project Setup

// src/apify/client.ts
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';
import 'dotenv/config'; // npm install dotenv

let client: ApifyClient | null = null;

export function getClient(): ApifyClient {
  if (!client) {
    if (!process.env.APIFY_TOKEN) {
      throw new Error('APIFY_TOKEN environment variable is required');
    }
    client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
  }
  return client;
}

.env.example Template

# Apify — get your token at https://console.apify.com/account/integrations
APIFY_TOKEN=apify_api_REPLACE_ME

Resources

Next Steps

Proceed to apify-hello-world for your first Actor call.