Apify Install & Auth Skill

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.

Agent Skills: Apify Install & Auth

Install this agent skill to your local

Skill Files