GitHub API Custom Portal

Overview

A custom GitHub API portal is a DIY approach to building a simplified, customer-facing frontend for GitHub issues and discussions. It uses the GitHub API to fetch data and a frontend framework (React, Vue, Next.js) to display issues in a simplified interface without GitHub’s complexity.

Why Build a Custom Portal?

Advantages

Total control over UI/UX
Simplified interface for non-technical users
Brand customization (your colors, logo)
Customer-facing without GitHub account requirement
Cost-free (GitHub API is free for public data)
No vendor lock-in
Faster loading/responsiveness possible
Dark mode, mobile optimization, custom search

Disadvantages

Development effort (4-20 hours depending on features)
Maintenance overhead (API changes, bugs)
Hosting/infrastructure costs
Authentication complexity
Rate limiting considerations

Architecture Overview

Customer Browser  
      ↓  
   Your Portal (React/Vue)  
      ↓  
   GitHub API  
      ↓  
   GitHub Issues/Discussions

Components:

Frontend (React/Vue/Next.js) - Display layer
Backend (optional - Node/Python) - Proxy for auth
GitHub API - Data source
Hosting (Vercel/Netlify) - Where portal lives

GitHub API Basics

Key Endpoints for Issues & Discussions

GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues  
GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/discussions  
GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues/{issue_number}  
POST /repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues (create issue)  
PATCH /repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues/{issue_number} (update)  
GET /repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues/{issue_number}/comments  
POST /repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues/{issue_number}/comments (comment)

Authentication

Public data: No auth needed
User actions (create/comment): OAuth required
Rate limits: 60 req/hour unauthenticated, 5,000 authenticated

Tech Stack Options

Beginner-Friendly

HTML + JavaScript + Fetch API

Simplest approach
~2-3 hours
Works for read-only portals
Limited interactivity
Best for: Static display of issues

fetch('https://api.github.com/repos/owner/repo/issues')  
  .then(r => r.json())  
  .then(issues => {  
    issues.forEach(issue => {  
      console.log(issue.title)  
    })  
  })

Intermediate

React + GitHub API

Modern, component-based
~4-8 hours
Good interactivity
Mobile-friendly
Best for: Feature-complete portals

import { useState, useEffect } from 'react'  
  
export default function IssueList() {  
  const [issues, setIssues] = useState([])  
    
  useEffect(() => {  
    fetch('https://api.github.com/repos/owner/repo/issues')  
      .then(r => r.json())  
      .then(setIssues)  
  }, [])  
    
  return (  
    <div>  
      {issues.map(issue => (  
        <div key={issue.id}>  
          <h3>{issue.title}</h3>  
          <p>{issue.body}</p>  
        </div>  
      ))}  
    </div>  
  )  
}

Advanced

Next.js + Backend Auth

Full-stack solution
~8-20 hours
Support for user interactions
Server-side rendering
Best for: Production portals with authentication

Feature Scope by Effort

Minimal (2-3 hours) - Read-Only Display

List all issues
Filter by label/status
Search by title
Link to GitHub

Basic (4-6 hours) - Interactive

Issue details page
Comments display
Sort/filter options
Responsive design
Mobile friendly

Full-Featured (8-20 hours) - Complete Portal

User authentication (OAuth)
Create new issues
Comment on issues
Real-time updates
Vote/reaction system
Search with advanced filters
Responsive + dark mode

Implementation Steps

Step 1: Choose Frontend Framework

Recommendation: Start with Next.js + TypeScript

Easy setup
Built-in hosting option (Vercel)
Good for this use case
Scales well

npx create-next-app@latest github-portal --typescript  
cd github-portal

Step 2: Create Issue Display Component

// components/IssueList.jsx  
import { useEffect, useState } from 'react'  
  
export default function IssueList({ owner, repo }) {  
  const [issues, setIssues] = useState([])  
  const [loading, setLoading] = useState(true)  
  
  useEffect(() => {  
    const fetchIssues = async () => {  
      const url = `https://api.github.com/repos/${owner}/${repo}/issues`  
      const response = await fetch(url)  
      const data = await response.json()  
      setIssues(data)  
      setLoading(false)  
    }  
      
    fetchIssues()  
  }, [owner, repo])  
  
  if (loading) return <p>Loading...</p>  
  
  return (  
    <div className="issues-list">  
      {issues.map(issue => (  
        <div key={issue.id} className="issue-card">  
          <h3>{issue.title}</h3>  
          <p>{issue.body}</p>  
          <span className="status">{issue.state}</span>  
          <a href={issue.html_url} target="_blank">  
            View on GitHub  
          </a>  
        </div>  
      ))}  
    </div>  
  )  
}

Step 3: Add Filtering & Search

// components/IssueFilter.jsx  
import { useState } from 'react'  
  
export default function IssueFilter({ onFilter }) {  
  const [status, setStatus] = useState('open')  
  const [search, setSearch] = useState('')  
  
  const handleFilter = () => {  
    onFilter({ status, search })  
  }  
  
  return (  
    <div className="filters">  
      <input   
        type="text"   
        placeholder="Search issues..."  
        value={search}  
        onChange={(e) => {  
          setSearch(e.target.value)  
          handleFilter()  
        }}  
      />  
      <select value={status} onChange={(e) => {  
        setStatus(e.target.value)  
        handleFilter()  
      }}>  
        <option value="open">Open</option>  
        <option value="closed">Closed</option>  
        <option value="all">All</option>  
      </select>  
    </div>  
  )  
}

Step 4: Style & Customize

.issues-list {  
  display: grid;  
  gap: 1rem;  
}  
  
.issue-card {  
  border: 1px solid #ddd;  
  border-radius: 8px;  
  padding: 1rem;  
  background: #fff;  
}  
  
.issue-card h3 {  
  margin: 0 0 0.5rem;  
  color: #333;  
}  
  
.issue-card .status {  
  display: inline-block;  
  padding: 0.25rem 0.5rem;  
  background: #f0f0f0;  
  border-radius: 4px;  
  font-size: 0.85rem;  
}  
  
.issue-card a {  
  color: #0070f3;  
  text-decoration: none;  
}

Step 5: Deploy

Option 1: Vercel (Easiest for Next.js)

npm i -g vercel  
vercel

Option 2: Netlify

npm run build  
# Connect repository to Netlify

Option 3: Self-Hosted (Docker)

FROM node:18-alpine  
WORKDIR /app  
COPY package*.json ./  
RUN npm ci  
COPY . .  
RUN npm run build  
CMD ["npm", "start"]

Advanced Features

Add Authentication (OAuth)

// Use github-auth library or NextAuth.js  
import { signIn } from 'next-auth/react'  
  
// Allow users to create issues  
const createIssue = async (title, body) => {  
  const response = await fetch(  
    `https://api.github.com/repos/${owner}/${repo}/issues`,  
    {  
      method: 'POST',  
      headers: {  
        Authorization: `token ${accessToken}`,  
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'  
      },  
      body: JSON.stringify({ title, body })  
    }  
  )  
  return response.json()  
}

Real-Time Updates

Use GitHub webhooks for notifications
Poll API every 30 seconds
WebSocket connection to custom backend

Voting/Reactions

// Add reaction to issue  
const addReaction = async (issueNumber, reaction) => {  
  fetch(`https://api.github.com/repos/${owner}/${repo}/issues/${issueNumber}/reactions`, {  
    method: 'POST',  
    headers: {  
      Authorization: `token ${accessToken}`,  
      Accept: 'application/vnd.github.squirrel-girl-preview+json',  
      'Content-Type': 'application/json'  
    },  
    body: JSON.stringify({ content: reaction })  
  })  
}

Common Pitfalls & Solutions

Rate Limiting

Problem: GitHub limits API calls
Solution: Implement caching (Redis), use GitHub GraphQL (more efficient)
Prevention: Display cache timestamps to users

Slow Loading

Problem: API calls take time
Solution: Server-side rendering (Next.js), caching, pagination
Prevention: Load only recent 20 issues, lazy-load details

OAuth Complexity

Problem: User authentication is hard
Solution: Use NextAuth.js or Octokit/rest.js
Prevention: Start without auth, add later if needed

Stale Data

Problem: Portal shows old information
Solution: Refresh every 5-10 minutes, show last-updated timestamp
Prevention: Cache with TTL, webhook updates

Comparison with No-Code Alternatives

Feature	Custom Portal	Fider	GitHub Discussions
Development	4-20 hours	0 hours	5 min setup
Cost	Hosting only (~$5-50/mo)	Free cloud/$self-host	Free
Customization	100%	Limited	Limited
Voting	DIY	Built-in	None
GitHub Integration	Direct API	Limited	Native
Multi-repo	Easy	Not typical	Per-repo
Auth	DIY	Built-in	GitHub login

Best For

Build custom portal if:

You need specific UI/UX
Brand customization critical
You want learning opportunity
You have developer resources
Single repository focus
You need complete control

Use alternatives if:

Quick launch needed (GitHub Discussions)
Feature voting important (Fider)
No development capacity
Multi-repo support needed

Maintenance Considerations

Ongoing Tasks

Monitor API changes (GitHub announces 30 days before)
Update dependencies monthly
Monitor error rates and logs
Respond to user feedback
Performance optimization

Annual Effort: ~10-20 hours

Tools & Libraries

Popular GitHub API Libraries

octokit/rest.js - JavaScript/Node
PyGithub - Python
go-github - Go
github/rest-api - Curated endpoints

React UI Libraries

Material-UI
Chakra UI
Tailwind CSS
Bootstrap React

Hosting Options

Vercel (best for Next.js)
Netlify (good for React SPA)
GitHub Pages (static sites)
AWS/GCP/Azure (full control)

Example Project Structure

github-portal/  
├── pages/  
│   ├── index.jsx          # Home  
│   ├── issues/  
│   │   └── [id].jsx       # Issue detail  
│   └── api/  
│       └── issues.js      # API proxy  
├── components/  
│   ├── IssueList.jsx  
│   ├── IssueDetail.jsx  
│   └── IssueFilter.jsx  
├── styles/  
│   └── globals.css  
├── public/  
│   └── logo.png  
└── package.json

Getting Started Checklist

Success Metrics

Page load time < 2 seconds
Mobile responsiveness
Search relevance
User session length
Return visitor rate
Support ticket reduction

Explorer