Test Mode (Coming Soon)

Bota provides test and live API keys to help you develop and test your integration safely. Both key types use the same API endpoint.

API Keys

Each project has separate API keys for test and live modes:

# Test mode - development and testing
curl https://api.bota.dev/v1/end-users \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_test_abc123..."

# Live mode - production
curl https://api.bota.dev/v1/end-users \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_live_xyz789..."

Key Types by Mode

Key Type	Test Mode	Live Mode
Secret key	`sk_test_*`	`sk_live_*`
Device token	`dtok_*`	`dtok_*`
Upload token	`up_*`	`up_*`

Test and live modes are completely isolated. EndUsers, devices, and recordings created with test keys do not exist in live mode and vice versa.

Test Mode Behavior

What’s the Same

Same API endpoint (https://api.bota.dev/v1)
All API endpoints work identically
Request/response formats are identical
Webhooks are delivered normally
Error codes and messages match production

What’s Different

Feature	Test Mode	Live Mode
Billing	Not charged	Usage is metered
Transcription	Real ASR processing	Real ASR processing
Data persistence	Permanent	Permanent
Rate limits	Same as live	100 req/sec
Webhooks	Delivered normally	Delivered normally

Test mode uses real ASR processing, so transcription quality and timing match production. This ensures your integration behaves identically when you go live.

Multiple Projects for Environments

For more robust environment separation, create multiple projects within your organization:

Project	Purpose	API Keys
Production	Live customer data	`sk_live_*`
Staging	Pre-release testing	`sk_live_` or `sk_test_`
Development	Local development	`sk_test_*`

This approach provides:

Complete data isolation between environments
Separate webhook configurations per environment
Independent rate limits and quotas
Clear audit trails per environment

Testing Webhooks

Webhooks in test mode work exactly like production. Events are delivered to your configured endpoints with valid signatures.

Testing Locally

Use a tunneling service like ngrok to receive webhooks during local development:

# Start ngrok tunnel
ngrok http 3000

# Use the ngrok URL when creating webhook endpoints
curl -X POST https://api.bota.dev/v1/webhooks \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_test_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "url": "https://abc123.ngrok.io/webhooks/bota",
    "events": ["transcription.completed"]
  }'

Trigger Test Events

Create resources with test keys to trigger webhook events:

# Create a recording (triggers recording.created)
curl -X POST https://api.bota.dev/v1/recordings \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_test_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "end_user_id": "eu_abc123",
    "device_id": "dev_xyz789"
  }'

# Start transcription (triggers transcription.completed when done)
curl -X POST https://api.bota.dev/v1/transcriptions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_test_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "recording_id": "rec_abc123"
  }'

Going Live Checklist

Before switching from test mode to production:

Update API keys

Replace sk_test_* keys with sk_live_* keys in your production environment

Verify webhook endpoints

Ensure your production webhook URLs are configured and accessible

Test with real devices

Verify Bluetooth pairing and upload flows work with actual hardware

Monitor initial requests

Watch for errors in your first production API calls

Environment Variables

We recommend using environment variables to manage your API configuration:

BOTA_API_KEY=sk_test_abc123...
BOTA_WEBHOOK_SECRET=whsec_test_xyz789...

BOTA_API_KEY=sk_live_abc123...
BOTA_WEBHOOK_SECRET=whsec_live_xyz789...

// Your code uses the same logic regardless of environment
const bota = new BotaClient({
  apiKey: process.env.BOTA_API_KEY,
});

Cleaning Up Test Data

To clean up test data, delete the resources directly:

# Delete a test end user (also deletes associated recordings, transcriptions, summaries)
curl -X DELETE https://api.bota.dev/v1/end-users/eu_abc123 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_test_..."

Deleting an EndUser also deletes all associated recordings, transcriptions, and summaries.

​API Keys

​Key Types by Mode

​Test Mode Behavior

​What’s the Same

​What’s Different

​Multiple Projects for Environments

​Testing Webhooks

​Testing Locally

​Trigger Test Events

​Going Live Checklist

​Environment Variables

​Cleaning Up Test Data

API Keys

Key Types by Mode

Test Mode Behavior

What’s the Same

What’s Different

Multiple Projects for Environments

Testing Webhooks

Testing Locally

Trigger Test Events

Going Live Checklist

Environment Variables

Cleaning Up Test Data