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 - Rear-End Collision"),
        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 - Rear-End Collision",
      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

Next Steps

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

• 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
• Rate Limiting - Understand rate limits and how to handle them

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