Browser setup

The browser examples use the Deepgram JavaScript SDK loaded from a CDN, pointed at the SubQ API. Before running either the pre-recorded or live recording example, complete the setup below.

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18 or later and npm
• OpenSSL (for generating HTTPS certificates)
• A SubQ API key - if you don't have one yet, follow Step 1: Get your API key in the quickstart

Install dependencies

Navigate to the js/ directory in the SDK samples repository and install packages:

cd js/
npm install

This installs two packages:

Generate HTTPS certificates

The browser's getUserMedia API (used for microphone access in the live recording example) requires a secure context — meaning the page must be served over HTTPS, even on localhost. Generate a self-signed certificate:

npm run generate-certs

This runs openssl and creates two files in the js/ directory:

• cert.pem — the self-signed certificate
• key.pem — the private key

When you open the example pages, your browser will show a certificate warning. Accept it to proceed — this is expected with self-signed certificates.

API key handling

The browser examples pass the API key via the URL query string:

https://localhost:3001?key=org_YOUR_API_KEY

The JavaScript on the page reads the key from the query string and passes it to the Deepgram SDK client, which is configured to point at the SubQ API:

const urlParams = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);
const apiKey = urlParams.get("key");

const client = deepgram.createClient(apiKey, {
  global: { url: "https://stt-api.subq.ai" }
});

Next steps

• Pre-recorded upload — transcribe an audio file with a single request (simplest way to verify your setup)
• Live recording — stream microphone audio for real-time transcription