Developer Docs

Example Flow

An end-to-end walkthrough of a standard Trint API flow — upload a file, then poll the export API until the transcript is ready.

This page walks through the calls made for a standard Trint API use case: a synchronous upload followed by polling the export API until the transcript is ready. Each step is shown as a cURL request alongside JavaScript and Python equivalents, though other formats are available — see the individual API Reference pages for details.

Authentication

Every request is authenticated with Basic Authentication using your API key ID and secret. The samples below show AK-12345ABCDE and a placeholder secret — replace them with your own key. Never commit secrets to source control.

1. List your transcripts

Start by listing the transcripts on your account. Before you upload anything, this returns an empty array.

cURL
curl --request GET \
  --url 'https://api.trint.com/transcripts/?limit=10&skip=0' \
  -u "AK-12345ABCDE:this15SECRET_CXJK3ctglt6LOpYxRmZ" \
  --header 'accept: application/json'

Response:

json
[]

2. Upload a file

Upload your media file with a POST to the upload endpoint, passing the file name as the filename query parameter and the file itself as the request body. See the Upload & Transcribe reference for the full set of options.

cURL
curl --request POST \
  --url 'https://upload.trint.com/?filename=TestFile' \
  -u "AK-12345ABCDE:this15SECRET_CXJK3ctglt6LOpYxRmZ" \
  --header 'content-type: video/mp4' \
  --data-binary @MediaFile.mp4

The response returns the new transcript's ID. Keep it — you'll use it to export the transcript in the next steps.

json
{ "trintId": "[TRINT_ID]" }

3. Export the transcript

Transcription happens asynchronously, so the transcript will not be available the instant the upload finishes. Request an export — here as WebVTT — using the trintId from the previous step.

cURL
curl --request GET \
  --url 'https://api.trint.com/export/webvtt/[TRINT_ID]' \
  -u "AK-12345ABCDE:this15SECRET_CXJK3ctglt6LOpYxRmZ" \
  --header 'accept: application/json'

While the transcript is still processing, the export returns a 404 Not Found:

text
"Not Found" (404 status, transcription not available yet)

Poll, don't busy-wait

A 404 here simply means the transcript is not ready yet. Retry the same export request on an interval (for example, every few seconds) until it succeeds. To avoid polling altogether, register a webhook and Trint will notify you the moment the transcript is ready.

Once transcription is complete, the same request succeeds and returns the title and a signed URL you can use to download the exported file:

json
{ "title": "TestFile", "url": "[signed URL to download TestFile.vtt file]" }

4. List your transcripts again

List your transcripts once more to confirm the new file is on your account.

cURL
curl --request GET \
  --url 'https://api.trint.com/transcripts/?limit=10&skip=0' \
  -u "AK-12345ABCDE:this15SECRET_CXJK3ctglt6LOpYxRmZ" \
  --header 'accept: application/json'

The newly transcribed file now appears in the list:

json
[
  {
    "id": "[TRINT_ID]",
    "title": "TestFile",
    "metadata": "",
    "excerpt": "",
    "fileType": "TRANSCRIPT",
    "workspaceId": null,
    "folderId": null,
    "language": "en-US",
    "duration": 3600144,
    "timecode": "00:00:00.000",
    "timecodeOffsetEnabled": false,
    "notes": "",
    "updated": "2026-05-06T13:52:36.742Z",
    "created": "2026-05-06T13:44:29.416Z"
  }
]

Next steps