Authentication

This guide explains how to authenticate when running a Substreams package (.spkg) with a provider, specifically using The Graph Market.

Overview

Substreams require authentication to ensure secure and controlled access to providers. This guide focuses on obtaining and using a JWT token from The Graph Market to authenticate your Substreams execution.

Prerequisites

• A Substreams package (.spkg) ready to deploy.

• An account with The Graph Market.

Step 1: Obtain a JWT Token

To authenticate with The Graph Market, you need to generate a JWT token. Follow these steps:

1. Log in to The Graph Market:

   • Visit https://thegraph.market.

   • Log in to your existing account or create a new one if you don't have an account.

2. Access the Dashboard:

   • Click on Dashboard in the navigation menu or go directly to https://thegraph.market/dashboard.

   

   Dashboard
3. Create a New API Key:

   • In the dashboard, click on Create New Key.

   • Input a recognizable name for future reference.

   • This is not the authentication token, but a key to generate tokens.

4. Generate an API Token:

   • Click the ... beside your new key.

   • Click Generate token

   • The system will generate a JWT token. Copy and save this token securely, as it will be required for authentication.

Step 2: Set the JWT Token as an Environment Variable

To authenticate Substreams on your local machine, you need to set the JWT token as an environment variable.

Unix-like Systems (macOS, Linux)

1. Open a terminal on your machine.

2. Set the environment variable using the following command:

   export SUBSTREAMS_API_TOKEN="<YOUR-JWT-TOKEN>"

   Replace <YOUR-JWT-TOKEN> with the JWT token you obtained earlier.

Step 3: Verify Authentication

To ensure that your authentication is set up correctly, you can run a test Substreams. Here's how:

1. Run the following command in your terminal to execute the ERC20 Balance Changes Substreams on the Ethereum Mainnet:

   substreams gui \
     https://spkg.io/streamingfast/erc20-balance-changes-v1.2.0.spkg \
     map_valid_balance_changes \
     -e mainnet.eth.streamingfast.io:443 \
     --start-block 10397553 \
     --stop-block +10

2. Verify that the Substreams runs without errors, confirming that your authentication is successful.

Need Help?

If you encounter any issues or have questions, the StreamingFast team is available on Discord to assist you.