Skip to main content

TypeScript SDK Quickstart

Get up and running with the TABStack TypeScript SDK in minutes. This guide will walk you through installation, authentication, and your first API call.

Prerequisites​

  • Node.js >= 20.0.0
  • Package manager: npm, yarn, pnpm, or bun
  • TABStack API key from console.tabstack.ai

Installation​

Install the SDK using your preferred package manager:

npm install @tabstack/sdk

Get Your API Key​

Before you can start using the SDK, you'll need to create an API key:

  1. Visit the TABStack Console
  2. Sign in to your account (or create one if you haven't already)
  3. Navigate to the API Keys section and click "Manage API Keys"
  4. Click "Create New API Key"
  5. Give your key a descriptive name (e.g., "Development", "Production")
  6. Copy the generated API key and store it securely

⚠️ Important: Your API key will only be shown once. Make sure to copy and store it in a secure location.

Set Up Environment Variable​

For security and convenience, store your API key as an environment variable:

macOS/Linux:

# Add to your shell profile (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, or ~/.bash_profile)
export TABSTACK_API_KEY="your_api_key_here"

# Or set it temporarily for the current session
export TABSTACK_API_KEY="your_api_key_here"

# Reload your shell or run:
source ~/.bashrc  # or ~/.zshrc

Windows (Command Prompt):

# Set temporarily for current session
set TABSTACK_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

# Set permanently (requires restart)
setx TABSTACK_API_KEY "your_api_key_here"

Windows (PowerShell):

# Set temporarily for current session
$env:TABSTACK_API_KEY = "your_api_key_here"

# Set permanently for current user
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("TABSTACK_API_KEY", "your_api_key_here", "User")

Your First API Call​

Let's start with a simple markdown extraction to verify your setup:

import { TABStack } from '@tabstack/sdk';

// Initialize the client
const tabs = new TABStack({
  apiKey: process.env.TABSTACK_API_KEY!
});

// Extract markdown from a URL
async function extractMarkdown() {
  try {
    const result = await tabs.extract.markdown('https://example.com');
    console.log(result.content);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error:', error.message);
  }
}

extractMarkdown();

Response:

---
title: Example Domain
description: Example Domain
url: https://example.com
type: website
---

# Example Domain

This domain is for use in illustrative examples in documents. You may use this
domain in literature without prior coordination or asking for permission.

[More information...](https://www.iana.org/domains/example)

Core Features​

The SDK provides three main operators for working with web content:

Extract​

Convert web pages to structured data:

  • Markdown: Convert HTML to clean Markdown format
  • Schema: Auto-generate JSON schemas from web content
  • JSON: Extract structured data matching your schema

Learn more about Extract features →

Generate​

Transform web content using AI:

  • Summarize and analyze content
  • Categorize and tag data
  • Perform sentiment analysis
  • Extract key insights with custom instructions

Learn more about Generate features →

Automate​

Execute browser automation tasks with natural language:

  • Web scraping with real-time updates
  • Form filling and submission
  • Multi-step workflows
  • Streaming progress events

Learn more about Automate features →

Quick Example: Extract Structured Data​

Here's a more advanced example that extracts structured data from a web page:

import { TABStack } from '@tabstack/sdk';

const tabs = new TABStack({
  apiKey: process.env.TABSTACK_API_KEY!
});

// Define the data structure you want
const schema = {
  type: 'object',
  properties: {
    stories: {
      type: 'array',
      items: {
        type: 'object',
        properties: {
          title: { type: 'string' },
          points: { type: 'number' },
          author: { type: 'string' }
        },
        required: ['title', 'points', 'author']
      }
    }
  },
  required: ['stories']
};

// Extract data matching the schema
async function extractStories() {
  try {
    const result = await tabs.extract.json('https://news.ycombinator.com', schema);
    console.log(result.data.stories);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error:', error.message);
  }
}

extractStories();

TypeScript Support​

The SDK is fully type-safe with complete TypeScript definitions:

import { TABStack, JsonResponse } from '@tabstack/sdk';

// Define your data type
interface Story {
  title: string;
  points: number;
  author: string;
}

interface HackerNewsData {
  stories: Story[];
}

// Define the schema
const schema = {
  type: 'object',
  properties: {
    stories: {
      type: 'array',
      items: {
        type: 'object',
        properties: {
          title: { type: 'string' },
          points: { type: 'number' },
          author: { type: 'string' }
        },
        required: ['title', 'points', 'author']
      }
    }
  },
  required: ['stories']
};

// Get type-safe responses
const tabs = new TABStack({ apiKey: process.env.TABSTACK_API_KEY! });

async function getStories() {
  const result: JsonResponse<HackerNewsData> = await tabs.extract.json(
    'https://news.ycombinator.com',
    schema
  );

  // TypeScript knows the structure of result.data
  result.data.stories.forEach(story => {
    console.log(story.title); // Type-safe access
  });
}

getStories();

Next Steps​

Now that you're up and running:

  1. Extract Features: Learn how to extract markdown, generate schemas, and pull structured JSON data
  2. Generate Features: Discover AI-powered content transformation and analysis
  3. Automate Features: Execute complex browser automation tasks with streaming updates
  4. Error Handling: Build robust applications with proper error handling

Need Help?​