Quick Start Guide

This guide will help you make your first API call using the Silent Witness SDKs in just a few minutes.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, you'll need:

1. API Key: Contact support to obtain your API key
2. Development Environment: Go 1.21+ or Node.js 18+ depending on your chosen SDK

Go

1. Install the Go SDK

go get github.com/silentwitness/go-sdk

2. Create your first client

package main

import (
    "context"
    "fmt"
    "log"

    "github.com/silentwitness/go-sdk"
)

func main() {
    // Initialize the API client
    client := silentwitness.NewClient(silentwitness.Config{
        APIKey: "your-api-key",
    })

    // Create a new case
    ctx := context.Background()
    caseResp, err := client.Cases.Create(ctx, &silentwitness.CreateCaseRequest{
        Name:       silentwitness.String("Smith v. Johnson"),
        ClientName: silentwitness.String("Jane Smith"),
    })
    if err != nil {
        log.Fatalf("Failed to create case: %v", err)
    }

    fmt.Printf("Case created successfully\n")
    fmt.Printf("Case ID: %s\n", caseResp.CaseId)
    fmt.Printf("Status: %s\n", caseResp.Status)
}

3. Run your application

go run main.go

TypeScript

1. Install the TypeScript SDK

npm install @silentwitness/typescript-sdk

2. Create your first client

import { SilentWitnessClient } from "@silentwitness/typescript-sdk";

// Initialize the API client
const client = new SilentWitnessClient({
  apiKey: "your-api-key",
});

// Create a new case
async function createCase() {
  try {
    const response = await client.cases.createCase({
      name: "Smith v. Johnson",
      clientName: "Jane Smith"
    });

    console.log("Case created successfully");
    console.log("Case ID:", response.case?.id);
    console.log("Status:", response.case?.status);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error("Failed to create case:", error);
  }
}

createCase();

3. Run your application

npx tsx index.ts

Expected Response

When you run either example, you should see output similar to:

Case created successfully
Case ID: case_1234567890abcdef
Status: active

Complete Analysis in One Call

For most use cases, use StartAnalysis() which handles the entire process automatically:

Go

import (
    "context"
    "fmt"
    "log"
    "os"
    "time"

    silentwitness "github.com/silentwitness/go-sdk"
)

func main() {
    silentwitness.Key = "your-api-key"
    ctx := context.Background()

    // Load vehicle images
    img1, _ := os.ReadFile("plaintiff-front.jpg")
    img2, _ := os.ReadFile("plaintiff-rear.jpg")

    // Start analysis
    poller, err := silentwitness.StartAnalysis(ctx, &silentwitness.AnalyzeCaseRequest{
        AnalysisType: silentwitness.AnalysisTypeTechnicalReport,
        CaseName:     silentwitness.String("Smith v. Jones"),
        Plaintiff: &silentwitness.VehicleAnalysisData{
            Images:       [][]byte{img1, img2},
            VehicleMake:  silentwitness.String("Toyota"),
            VehicleModel: silentwitness.String("Camry"),
            VehicleYear:  silentwitness.String("2020"),
        },
    })
    if err != nil {
        log.Fatal(err)
    }

    // Monitor progress
    for !poller.Done() {
        fmt.Printf("Status: %s\n", poller.Status())
        time.Sleep(5 * time.Second)
    }

    // Get result
    result, err := poller.Result()
    if err != nil {
        log.Fatal(err)
    }

    fmt.Printf("Case ID: %s\n", result.CaseID)
    fmt.Printf("Report URL: %s\n", result.ReportURL)
}

TypeScript

import { SilentWitnessClient, startAnalysis } from "@silentwitness/typescript-sdk";
import fs from "fs";

const client = new SilentWitnessClient({ apiKey: "your-api-key" });

// Load vehicle images
const img1 = fs.readFileSync("plaintiff-front.jpg");
const img2 = fs.readFileSync("plaintiff-rear.jpg");

// Start analysis
const poller = startAnalysis(client, {
  analysisType: "technical_report",
  caseName: "Smith v. Jones",
  plaintiff: {
    images: [new Uint8Array(img1), new Uint8Array(img2)],
    vehicleMake: "Toyota",
    vehicleModel: "Camry",
    vehicleYear: "2020",
  },
});

// Monitor progress
while (!poller.isDone()) {
  console.log(`Status: ${poller.getStatus()}`);
  await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 5000));
}

// Get result
const result = await poller.wait();
console.log(`Case ID: ${result.caseId}`);
console.log(`Report URL: ${result.reportUrl}`);

See the Complete Case Analysis Guide for more examples.

Next Steps

Now that you've made your first API call, here's what you can explore next:

• Complete Case Analysis - Full analysis with progress tracking
• Authentication Guide - Learn about securing your API requests
• API Reference - Explore all available endpoints and their parameters
• Error Handling - Learn how to handle errors gracefully in your applications

Common Issues

Connection Errors

If you're getting connection errors, check:

1. Network Access: Ensure your environment can reach core.silentwitness.ai
2. Firewall Rules: Check if your network allows HTTPS connections
3. DNS Resolution: Verify that the API domain resolves correctly

Authentication Errors

If you're getting authentication errors:

1. API Key Format: Ensure your API key starts with sk-
2. API Key Validity: Check that your API key hasn't been revoked
3. Client Configuration: Verify the API key is correctly set in your client

Rate Limiting

If you're hitting rate limits:

1. Implement Backoff: Add exponential backoff when receiving rate limit errors
2. Monitor Usage: Track your API usage to stay within limits
3. Request Increase: Contact support if you need higher rate limits

Getting Help

• Documentation - Browse the complete documentation
• Examples - See more code examples
• Support - Contact our support team