Medium API: get number of followers for User

mediumUsersFollowedByCount.js

/**
* Example of how to get the number of followers for a Medium.com User.
*
*
* Related  links:
* https://github.com/Medium/medium-api-docs/issues/30#issuecomment-227911763
* https://github.com/Medium/medium-api-docs/issues/73
*/

// LODASH
const _ = require('lodash');

// REQUEST LIBRARY
const request = require('request-promise');

// WHACKY STUFF THEY PUT IN FRONT OF RESPONSE
const JSON_HIJACKING_PREFIX = '])}while(1);</x>';

// BUILD THE URL TO REQUEST FROM
function generateMediumProfileUri(username) {
  return `https://medium.com/@${username}?format=json`;
}

// HANDLE AND PARSE THE RESPONSE FROM MEDIUM
function massageHijackedPreventionResponse(response) {
  return JSON.parse(response.replace(JSON_HIJACKING_PREFIX, ''));
}

// EXTRACT THE COUNT FROM THE PROFILE DATA
function extractFollowedByCount(profileData) {
  const userId = _.get(profileData, 'payload.user.userId');
  return _.get(profileData, `payload.references.SocialStats.${userId}.usersFollowedByCount`, 0);
}


// DO THIS THING - RETURNS A PROMISE
function getFollwersForUser(username) {
  const options = {
    uri: generateMediumProfileUri(username),
    transform: massageHijackedPreventionResponse
  };

  return request(options)
    .then(profileData => {
      let numFollwers = extractFollowedByCount(profileData);
      return Promise.resolve(numFollwers);
    });
}

let username = 'cwnewhouse';
getFollwersForUser(username)
  .then(console.log); // 91 or so.