The Layer SDK provides a unified interface for AI capabilities across multiple providers. Use one SDK to access chat, image generation, embeddings, text-to-speech, video generation, and OCR.
Installation
npm install @layer-ai/sdk
Quick Start
import { Layer } from '@layer-ai/sdk';
const layer = new Layer({
apiKey: process.env.LAYER_API_KEY
});
const response = await layer.chat({
gateId: 'your-gate-id',
data: {
messages: [
{ role: 'user', content: 'Hello!' }
]
}
});
console.log(response.content);
Configuration
Initialize the Client
import { Layer } from '@layer-ai/sdk';
const layer = new Layer({
apiKey: 'your-api-key', // Required
baseUrl: 'https://custom.api' // Optional, defaults to https://api.uselayer.ai
});
Never commit API keys to version control. Use environment variables.
Get Your API Key
- Sign up at uselayer.ai/signup
- Get your API key from the Dashboard
- Store it in an environment variable
LAYER_API_KEY=your-api-key-here
Available Methods
The SDK provides methods for different AI capabilities:
Response Structure
All SDK methods return a LayerResponse object:
interface LayerResponse {
// Common fields
id: string; // Request ID
model: string; // Model used
cost: number; // Request cost in USD
latency: number; // Response time in ms
// Method-specific fields
content?: string; // Chat response text
data?: any[]; // Image/video/embedding data
url?: string; // Audio file URL
text?: string; // OCR extracted text
// Usage statistics
usage?: {
promptTokens: number;
completionTokens: number;
totalTokens: number;
};
}
Error Handling
Wrap SDK calls in try-catch blocks:
try {
const response = await layer.chat({
gateId: 'your-gate-id',
data: {
messages: [{ role: 'user', content: 'Hello!' }]
}
});
console.log(response.content);
} catch (error) {
console.error('Error:', error.message);
}
Common Error Messages
| Error | Cause |
|---|
Invalid token | Check your API key |
Gate not found | Verify gate ID is correct |
Rate limit exceeded | Too many requests, slow down |
Insufficient credits | Add credits to your account |
TypeScript Support
The SDK is fully typed:
import { Layer, ChatRequest, LayerResponse } from '@layer-ai/sdk';
const layer = new Layer({
apiKey: process.env.LAYER_API_KEY!
});
// TypeScript knows the structure
const response: LayerResponse = await layer.chat({
gateId: 'your-gate-id',
data: {
messages: [
{ role: 'user', content: 'Hello!' }
]
}
});
// Autocomplete and type safety
console.log(response.content); // TypeScript knows this exists
console.log(response.cost); // TypeScript knows this is a number
Environment Variables
Best practice for managing credentials:
// Good ✅
const layer = new Layer({
apiKey: process.env.LAYER_API_KEY
});
// Bad ❌
const layer = new Layer({
apiKey: 'lyr_hardcoded_key' // Never do this!
});
Next Steps
Explore specific capabilities:
Or learn about core concepts:
