Every integration starts with the right id

Medium URLs look simple until you automate them. Handles change format, redirects hide ids, and scrapers break when markup shifts. The durable pattern is: resolve once, store `user_id`, and never parse HTML again.

1 min read No scrapers required Updated Jul 10, 2026

Why ids beat URLs

Your database should store user_id, not "whatever was in the link." Every list-articles, top-stories, and profile call keys off that id. Zenndra exposes id_for username and get user as first-class endpoints.

Common workflows

Portfolio sync — resolve your handle, list articles, fetch markdown nightly.
CRM enrichment — sales pastes a Medium URL, you store id + follower count.
Aggregator onboarding — CSV of @writers → batch resolve before first ingest.

Production tips

Cache resolutions forever unless the user changes handle (rare). Log 404s separately from rate limits. Retry with backoff, not hammering.

Endpoints

GET /user/id_for/{username}
GET /user/{user_id}

Starter code

javascript

const handle = 'johndoe';
const idRes = await fetch(`https://api.zenndra.com/user/id_for/${handle}`, {
  headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.ZENNDRA_API_KEY}` },
});
const { user_id } = await idRes.json();
const profile = await fetch(`https://api.zenndra.com/user/${user_id}`, {
  headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.ZENNDRA_API_KEY}` },
}).then(r => r.json());