How can I fetch data from Garmin Connect via HTTP when the login requires JavaScript?

Below is an explanation of what’s happening and some suggestions to move forward.

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What’s Happening

When you try to connect to connect.garmin.com, you’re seeing an HTML snippet containing a <noscript> tag with the message:

HTMLCopied
<noscript>To <mark>sign in</mark> to your Garmin account, please enable JavaScript in your web browser.</noscript>

This shows that the Garmin login page is designed for use in browsers where JavaScript is enabled. In other words, the endpoint expects client-side execution of JavaScript. When you try to log in or scrape data using a tool that does not process JavaScript (or isn’t emulating a full browser), you get this message instead of a proper login response.

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Why This Can Be a Problem

• JavaScript-Dependent Authentication: Garmin Connect likely uses JavaScript to handle the login process. Without executing JS, you’re not getting the full page or the required tokens/cookies generated by the client-side scripts.
• Browser-Like Behavior: Some authentication flows and dashboards (like those used in Grafana or tools like n8n) expect an API endpoint to return JSON. Instead, you’re getting HTML meant for a browser environment.

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Suggestions to Address the Issue

1. Use a Headless Browser:

   • Tools like Puppeteer, Selenium, or Playwright can simulate a full browser environment and execute JavaScript. You could create a flow that programmatically logs into Garmin Connect and retrieves the data.
   • This means your n8n workflow would call an external script or service that uses one of these tools to obtain the data.

2. Check for an Official API:

   • Some services provide official (or unofficial) APIs for accessing user data. Look for any Garmin Connect API or third-party API wrappers that support authentication.
   • Using an official API often means you won’t have to resort to web scraping or headless browser automation.

3. Client-Side Emulation:

   • If you are using n8n or a similar system, consider a workflow node that supports executing JavaScript (or choose a tool/node that wraps a browser context) so that you correctly send and process all required JS and HTTP cookies.

4. Review Terms of Service:

   • Keep in mind that scraping or automating login flows might violate the service’s terms. It’s worthwhile to review Garmin Connect’s policies before proceeding.

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Summary

Your error isn’t a bug in your tool (n8n or Docker setup) but rather a result of Garmin Connect’s design. It requires a JavaScript-enabled client for logging in, and your current approach ends up fetching the HTML meant for browsers without JS processing. The suggested solutions involve either using a headless browser or finding a dedicated API (if available) to interact with Garmin Connect data properly.

Feel free to ask if you need further guidance on how to implement any of these solutions.