GraphQL Proxy

Bounty Lab provides a transparent proxy to the GraphQL API, allowing you to query data in real-time without worrying about rate limits, token management, or API complexity.

Why Use the GraphQL Proxy?

Benefits

• No Token Required: Use your Bounty Lab API key instead
• Rate Limit Protection: We handle rate limiting for you
• Real-Time Data: Get the latest data directly from the source
• Full GraphQL Access: Use any GraphQL query (read-only)
• Simplified Authentication: Single authentication method across all services

When to Use It

Use the GraphQL proxy when you need:

• Real-time data (Bounty Lab’s cached data can be up to 48 hours old)
• Data not available in our RAW or SEARCH endpoints
• Custom GraphQL queries for specific use cases

Cost: 50 credits per query. For cost optimization, prefer RAW (1 credit) or SEARCH (1 credit) endpoints when possible.

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Quick Comparison

Using the GraphQL API Directly

Without Bounty Lab, you need to:

1. Create a personal access token
2. Manage rate limits yourself (5,000 points per hour)
3. Handle authentication headers
4. Deal with rate limit errors and implement backoff logic

# Direct GraphQL API call
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -X POST \
  -d '{"query":"{ viewer { login name } }"}' \
  https://api.github.com/graphql

Using Bounty Lab’s GraphQL Proxy

With Bounty Lab:

1. Use your Bounty Lab API key
2. We handle rate limiting automatically
3. Simple authentication
4. No token management needed

# Bounty Lab GraphQL Proxy
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_BOUNTYLAB_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -X POST \
  -d '{"query":"{ viewer { login name } }"}' \
  https://api.bountylab.io/api/github/graphql

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Getting Started

Prerequisites

• A Bounty Lab account
• An API key with GITHUB_GRAPHQL service enabled
• Sufficient credits (50 credits per query)

Basic Usage

The endpoint accepts standard GraphQL queries using POST requests:

Endpoint: https://api.bountylab.io/api/github/graphql

Method: POST

Headers:

• Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY
• Content-Type: application/json (Required)

Important: The Content-Type: application/json header is required for all requests. Without it, the API will not be able to parse your request body and will return an error.

Body:

{
  "query": "YOUR_GRAPHQL_QUERY",
  "variables": {}
}

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Examples

Example 1: Get User Information

Fetch detailed information about a user.

Bounty Lab Proxy:

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer bl_YourBountyLabKey456..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -X POST \
  -d '{
    "query": "query($login: String!) { user(login: $login) { login name bio company location followers { totalCount } repositories { totalCount } } }",
    "variables": {"login": "torvalds"}
  }' \
  https://api.bountylab.io/api/github/graphql

Response:

{
  "data": {
    "user": {
      "login": "torvalds",
      "name": "Linus Torvalds",
      "bio": "Creator of Linux",
      "company": "Linux Foundation",
      "location": "Portland, OR",
      "followers": {
        "totalCount": 182500
      },
      "repositories": {
        "totalCount": 8
      }
    }
  }
}

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Example 2: Get Repository Details

Fetch information about a specific repository including stars, forks, and languages.

Bounty Lab Proxy:

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer bl_YourBountyLabKey456..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -X POST \
  -d '{
    "query": "query($owner: String!, $name: String!) { repository(owner: $owner, name: $name) { name description stargazerCount forkCount languages(first: 5) { nodes { name } } primaryLanguage { name } } }",
    "variables": {"owner": "facebook", "name": "react"}
  }' \
  https://api.bountylab.io/api/github/graphql

Response:

{
  "data": {
    "repository": {
      "name": "react",
      "description": "The library for web and native user interfaces",
      "stargazerCount": 228000,
      "forkCount": 46500,
      "languages": {
        "nodes": [
          { "name": "JavaScript" },
          { "name": "HTML" },
          { "name": "CSS" }
        ]
      },
      "primaryLanguage": {
        "name": "JavaScript"
      }
    }
  }
}

---

Example 3: Search Repositories

Search for repositories matching specific criteria.

Bounty Lab Proxy:

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer bl_YourBountyLabKey456..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -X POST \
  -d '{
    "query": "query($query: String!) { search(query: $query, type: REPOSITORY, first: 10) { nodes { ... on Repository { name owner { login } stargazerCount description } } } }",
    "variables": {"query": "language:rust stars:>1000"}
  }' \
  https://api.bountylab.io/api/github/graphql

---

Example 4: Get User’s Recent Contributions

Fetch a user’s recent contribution activity.

Bounty Lab Proxy:

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer bl_YourBountyLabKey456..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -X POST \
  -d '{
    "query": "query($login: String!) { user(login: $login) { contributionsCollection { totalCommitContributions totalIssueContributions totalPullRequestContributions totalPullRequestReviewContributions } } }",
    "variables": {"login": "tj"}
  }' \
  https://api.bountylab.io/api/github/graphql

Response:

{
  "data": {
    "user": {
      "contributionsCollection": {
        "totalCommitContributions": 1250,
        "totalIssueContributions": 89,
        "totalPullRequestContributions": 234,
        "totalPullRequestReviewContributions": 156
      }
    }
  }
}

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JavaScript/Node.js Example

Here’s how to use the proxy in a Node.js application:

const fetchGraphQL = async (query, variables = {}) => {
  const response = await fetch("https://api.bountylab.io/api/github/graphql", {
    method: "POST",
    headers: {
      Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.BOUNTYLAB_API_KEY}`,
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({ query, variables }),
  });

  const data = await response.json();

  if (data.errors) {
    throw new Error(`GraphQL Error: ${JSON.stringify(data.errors)}`);
  }

  return data.data;
};

// Usage
const getUserInfo = async (username) => {
  const query = `
    query($login: String!) {
      user(login: $login) {
        login
        name
        bio
        followers {
          totalCount
        }
      }
    }
  `;

  return await fetchGraphQL(query, { login: username });
};

// Call it
getUserInfo("torvalds").then(console.log);

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Python Example

Using the proxy in Python:

import requests
import os

def fetch_graphql(query, variables=None):
    """Fetch data via Bounty Lab's GraphQL proxy."""
    response = requests.post(
        'https://api.bountylab.io/api/github/graphql',
        json={'query': query, 'variables': variables or {}},
        headers={
            'Authorization': f'Bearer {os.environ["BOUNTYLAB_API_KEY"]}',
            'Content-Type': 'application/json'
        }
    )

    data = response.json()

    if 'errors' in data:
        raise Exception(f"GraphQL Error: {data['errors']}")

    return data['data']

# Usage
query = """
query($login: String!) {
  user(login: $login) {
    login
    name
    bio
    followers {
      totalCount
    }
  }
}
"""

result = fetch_graphql(query, {'login': 'torvalds'})
print(result)

---

Best Practices

1. Use Variables

Always use GraphQL variables instead of string interpolation:

Good:

query($login: String!) {
  user(login: $login) { ... }
}

Bad:

query {
  user(login: "hardcoded") { ... }
}

2. Request Only What You Need

GraphQL allows you to specify exactly which fields you need:

Good (only get what you need):

{
  user(login: "torvalds") {
    login
    name
  }
}

Bad (requesting unnecessary data):

{
  user(login: "torvalds") {
    login
    name
    bio
    company
    location
    email
    websiteUrl
    ... # lots of fields you don't use
  }
}

3. Prefer RAW/SEARCH When Possible

The GraphQL proxy costs 50 credits per query. Use our RAW or SEARCH endpoints (1 credit each) when they provide the data you need.

Example:

• Need user profile data? Use /api/raw/user/:username (1 credit)
• Need to search repositories? Use /api/search/repos (1 credit)
• Need real-time data or custom query? Use GraphQL proxy (50 credits)

4. Handle Errors Gracefully

Always check for errors in the response:

const data = await response.json();

if (data.errors) {
  console.error("GraphQL errors:", data.errors);
  // Handle errors appropriately
}

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Rate Limits & Costs

Credits

• Cost: 50 credits per query
• This is significantly higher than RAW (1 credit) or SEARCH (1 credit) endpoints
• Use GraphQL proxy only when necessary

Rate Limiting

• We handle rate limiting for you
• You’re only limited by your Bounty Lab credit balance
• No need to track rate limit points

Optimization Tips

1. Batch multiple queries into one when possible
2. Use pagination efficiently
3. Cache responses on your end when appropriate
4. Consider using RAW/SEARCH endpoints for common queries

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Limitations

Read-Only Access

The proxy provides read-only access. You cannot:

• Create, update, or delete repositories
• Create issues or pull requests
• Modify user settings
• Perform any mutations

Query Complexity

Very complex queries may be rejected due to complexity limits.

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Need Help?

• Explore the GraphQL Explorer
• Review our Authentication Guide
• Contact support through your dashboard

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Next Steps

• Learn about API authentication
• Explore RAW endpoints for cached data