Get Started

This tutorial walks you through setting up a Node.js project, authenticating with the Legalesign API, and making your first GraphQL request.

tip

Using Cursor, Claude, or another AI coding tool? Connect it to the Legalesign docs for context-aware help as you follow this tutorial.

Prerequisites

Node.js 18 or later is required. Check your version:

node --version

If not installed, go to https://nodejs.org.

Create a project

mkdir legalesign-example
cd legalesign-example
npm init -y

No additional packages are needed — Node.js 18+ includes fetch natively.

Get your credentials

Contact Legalesign support to obtain your Client ID, username, and password. See the authentication guide for details.

Get an access token

Create an index.js file:

index.js

const LEGALESIGN_AUTH_ENDPOINT = 'https://cognito-idp.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com';
const CLIENT_ID = '<your-client-id>';
const USERNAME = '<your-username>';
const PASSWORD = '<your-password>';

async function getToken() {
    const response = await fetch(LEGALESIGN_AUTH_ENDPOINT, {
        method: 'POST',
        headers: {
            'Content-Type': 'application/x-amz-json-1.1',
            'X-Amz-Target': 'AWSCognitoIdentityProviderService.InitiateAuth'
        },
        body: JSON.stringify({
            AuthFlow: 'USER_PASSWORD_AUTH',
            ClientId: CLIENT_ID,
            AuthParameters: {
                USERNAME,
                PASSWORD
            }
        })
    });

    const data = await response.json();

    if (data.__type) {
        throw new Error(`Authentication failed: ${data.message}`);
    }

    return data.AuthenticationResult.AccessToken;
}

note

In production, store your credentials in environment variables or a secret manager — never hardcode them.

Test the token

index.js

async function main() {
    const token = await getToken();
    console.log('Token obtained:', token.substring(0, 20) + '...');
}

main().catch(console.error);

node index.js

You should see:

Token obtained: eyJraWQiOiJhYmNkZW...

Make a GraphQL request

Add a helper function and query your user info:

index.js

const GRAPHQL_ENDPOINT = 'https://graphql.uk.legalesign.com/graphql';

async function graphql(token, query, variables = {}) {
    const response = await fetch(GRAPHQL_ENDPOINT, {
        method: 'POST',
        headers: {
            'Content-Type': 'application/json',
            'Authorization': `Bearer ${token}`
        },
        body: JSON.stringify({ query, variables })
    });

    const result = await response.json();

    if (result.errors) {
        console.error('GraphQL errors:', result.errors);
    }

    return result;
}

async function main() {
    const token = await getToken();

    const result = await graphql(token, `
        query {
            user {
                id
                firstName
                lastName
                email
            }
        }
    `);

    console.log(JSON.stringify(result, null, 2));
}

main().catch(console.error);

Expected output:

{
  "data": {
    "user": {
      "id": "dXNyNjBkNWNkODktMDg3NS00ZXC67mItZjI3ODA5NjgwMDdl",
      "firstName": "Your",
      "lastName": "Name",
      "email": "<your-email>"
    }
  }
}