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Bota provides separate test and live environments to help you develop and test your integration safely.

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Environments

EnvironmentBase URLAPI Key PrefixPurpose
Livehttps://api.bota.dev/v1sk_live_Production data and billing
Testhttps://api.sandbox.bota.dev/v1sk_test_Development and testing
Test mode data is completely isolated from live mode. EndUsers, devices, and recordings created in test mode do not exist in live mode and vice versa.

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API Keys

Each project has separate API keys for test and live environments: 
# Test mode
curl https://api.sandbox.bota.dev/v1/end-users \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_test_abc123..."

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

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Key Types by Environment

Key TypeTest ModeLive Mode
Secret keysk_test_*sk_live_*
Restricted keyrk_test_*rk_live_*
Device tokendtok_test_*dtok_live_*
Upload tokenup_test_*up_live_*

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Test Mode Behavior

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What’s the Same

  • All API endpoints work identically
  • Request/response formats are identical
  • Rate limits apply (but are more lenient)
  • Webhooks are delivered normally
  • Error codes and messages match production

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What’s Different

FeatureTest ModeLive Mode
Data persistenceCleared periodicallyPermanent
TranscriptionSimulated (instant)Real ASR processing
BillingNot chargedUsage is metered
Rate limits1000 req/sec100 req/sec
WebhooksDelivered normallyDelivered normally
Device tokensValid indefinitelyExpire per policy
Test mode transcriptions return simulated results instantly. This is useful for testing your integration flow without waiting for real processing.

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Simulated Responses

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Transcription

Test mode transcriptions complete immediately with simulated content: 
{
  "id": "txn_test_abc123",
  "recording_id": "rec_test_xyz789",
  "status": "completed",
  "text": "[Test mode] This is a simulated transcription for testing purposes.",
  "segments": [
    {
      "start": 0.0,
      "end": 5.0,
      "text": "[Test mode] This is a simulated transcription for testing purposes.",
      "speaker": "SPEAKER_00"
    }
  ],
  "duration_seconds": 5.0,
  "created_at": "2025-01-15T10:00:00Z"
}

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Summary

Test mode summaries are also simulated: 
{
  "id": "sum_test_abc123",
  "transcription_id": "txn_test_xyz789",
  "status": "completed",
  "text": "[Test mode] This is a simulated summary for testing purposes.",
  "created_at": "2025-01-15T10:00:00Z"
}

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Testing Webhooks

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

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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.sandbox.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"]
  }'

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Test Event Triggers

You can trigger test webhook events manually: 
# Create a recording (triggers recording.created)
curl -X POST https://api.sandbox.bota.dev/v1/recordings \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_test_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "end_user_id": "eu_test_abc123",
    "device_id": "dev_test_xyz789"
  }'

# Trigger transcription (completes instantly, triggers transcription.completed)
curl -X POST https://api.sandbox.bota.dev/v1/transcriptions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_test_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "recording_id": "rec_test_abc123"
  }'

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Going Live Checklist

Before switching from test mode to production:
1

Update API keys

Replace sk_test_* keys with sk_live_* keys in your production environment
2

Update base URL

Change from api.sandbox.bota.dev to api.bota.dev
3

Verify webhook endpoints

Ensure your production webhook URLs are configured and accessible
4

Test with real devices

Verify BLE pairing and upload flows work with actual hardware
5

Monitor initial requests

Watch for errors in your first production API calls

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Environment Variables

We recommend using environment variables to manage your API configuration: 
BOTA_API_KEY=sk_test_abc123...
BOTA_API_URL=https://api.sandbox.bota.dev/v1
BOTA_WEBHOOK_SECRET=whsec_test_xyz789...

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

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Data Cleanup

Test mode data may be cleared periodically. Do not rely on test mode for persistent storage. If you need to manually clean up test data: 
# Delete all test recordings for a user
curl -X DELETE https://api.sandbox.bota.dev/v1/end-users/eu_test_abc123 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_test_..."
Deleting an EndUser also deletes all associated recordings, transcriptions, and summaries.