API Keys Setup

Overview

The AI Video Presentation Generator requires three API keys to function:

GEMINI_API_KEY - For AI content and script generation
SARVAM_API_KEY - For multi-language voice synthesis
UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY - For high-quality presentation images

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for obtaining each API key.

Gemini API Key

What It’s Used For

The Gemini API key powers the core AI features:

Content Generation: Creates structured presentation content based on your topic
Script Generation: Generates natural narration scripts for each slide
Smart Visuals: Determines which slides need animations or images

Used by: ContentGenerator (content_generator.py) and ScriptGenerator (script_generator.py)

How to Get Your Key

Visit Google AI Studio

Go to Google AI StudioSign in with your Google account.

Create API Key

Click “Get API Key” or “Create API Key”Select or create a Google Cloud project.

Copy Your Key

Copy the generated API key (format: AIza...)Store it securely - you won’t be able to see it again.

Add to .env File

Add to your backend/.env file:

GEMINI_API_KEY=AIzaSyC...

Model Configuration

The system uses the Gemini 2.5 Flash model by default, configured in config.py:29:

GEMINI_MODEL = "gemini-2.5-flash"

This model provides the best balance of speed and quality for content generation.

Pricing & Limits

Gemini API offers a free tier with generous limits:

15 requests per minute
1 million tokens per minute
1,500 requests per day

Perfect for development and small-scale usage.

Monitor your usage in Google Cloud Console to avoid unexpected charges if you exceed the free tier.

Sarvam API Key

What It’s Used For

The Sarvam AI API key enables multi-language voice generation:

Text-to-Speech: Converts narration scripts to natural-sounding audio
Multi-Language Support: Supports 11+ Indian languages
Voice Customization: Different speakers and voice characteristics

Used by: VoiceGenerator (voice_generator.py)

How to Get Your Key

Visit Sarvam AI

Go to Sarvam AI PlatformClick “Get Started” or “Sign Up”

Create Account

Access Developer Dashboard

Navigate to the API Dashboard or Developer ConsoleFind the “API Keys” section

Generate API Key

Click “Create New API Key”Copy your API subscription key

Add to .env File

Add to your backend/.env file:

SARVAM_API_KEY=your_sarvam_key_here
SARVAM_TTS_URL=https://api.sarvam.ai/text-to-speech
SARVAM_MODEL=bulbul:v2

Available Models

Sarvam AI offers two TTS model versions:

SARVAM_MODEL=bulbul:v2

Recommendation: Use bulbul:v2 for production. The v3-beta model may have breaking changes.

Supported Speakers

The system maps languages to appropriate voice speakers:

Language	Speaker	Voice Description
English	anushka	Indian English Female
Hindi	manisha	Hindi Female
Kannada	vidya	Kannada Female
Telugu	arya	Telugu Female

Configured in config.py:40-45. See Language Options for all supported languages.

API Request Format

The system sends requests with these parameters (from voice_generator.py:26-36):

{
  "inputs": ["narration text"],
  "target_language_code": "en-IN",
  "speaker": "anushka",
  "pitch": 0,
  "pace": 1.0,
  "loudness": 1.5,
  "speech_sample_rate": 22050,
  "enable_preprocessing": true,
  "model": "bulbul:v2"
}

Pricing & Limits

Check Sarvam AI Pricing for current rates and limits.Most plans include a free tier for testing and development.

Unsplash Access Key

What It’s Used For

The Unsplash API key provides access to high-quality images:

Image Fetching: Downloads relevant images based on slide content
Visual Enhancement: Adds professional photography to presentations
Smart Selection: AI-determined image keywords for relevance

Used by: ImageFetcher (image_fetcher.py)

How to Get Your Key

Visit Unsplash Developers

Go to Unsplash DevelopersSign in or create an Unsplash account

Create New Application

Click “Register as a Developer” (if first time)Then click “New Application”

Accept Terms

Read and accept the API Terms and GuidelinesAgree to follow Unsplash’s usage policies

Fill Application Details

Provide application information:

Application name: “AI Video Presentation Generator”
Description: Describe your use case
Accept terms of service

Copy Access Key

After creation, copy your Access KeyNote: There’s also a Secret Key - you only need the Access Key

Add to .env File

Add to your backend/.env file:

UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY=your_unsplash_access_key_here

Usage Guidelines

Important: When using Unsplash images, you must:

Credit photographers when required
Follow Unsplash’s API Guidelines
Respect rate limits (50 requests/hour for demo apps)

Rate Limits

Plan	Requests per Hour
Demo	50
Production	5,000

For development, the Demo plan is sufficient. Apply for Production access for deployed applications.

Security Best Practices

Protecting Your API Keys

Never Commit .env Files

Critical: Never commit .env files to version control.Add to .gitignore:

.env
.env.local
.env.*.local

✅ Commit: .env.example (with placeholder values) ❌ Never commit: .env (with actual keys)

Use Environment Variables

Always load keys from environment variables, never hardcode:❌ Bad:

api_key = "AIzaSyC_actual_key_here"

✅ Good:

api_key = os.getenv("GEMINI_API_KEY")

Restrict API Key Permissions

Gemini: Restrict to specific APIs in Google Cloud Console
Sarvam: Set usage limits if available
Unsplash: Regenerate keys if exposed

Review permissions regularly and use least-privilege principle.

Rotate Keys Regularly

Best practices:

Rotate keys every 90 days
Immediately rotate if exposed
Keep backup keys during rotation
Update all environments after rotation

Monitor Usage

Regularly check API usage dashboards:

Detect unusual activity
Track costs and limits
Identify optimization opportunities
Set up alerts for threshold breaches

What to Do If Keys Are Exposed

If you accidentally commit API keys to a public repository:

Immediately revoke the exposed keys
Generate new keys from respective platforms
Update your .env file with new keys
Remove sensitive data from Git history using tools like BFG Repo-Cleaner
Notify the API provider if required

Verification

Test Your Configuration

Verify all API keys are correctly configured:

cd backend
python -c "
from config import Config
print('Gemini API Key:', 'Configured ✓' if Config.GEMINI_API_KEY else 'Missing ✗')
print('Sarvam API Key:', 'Configured ✓' if Config.SARVAM_API_KEY else 'Missing ✗')
print('Unsplash Key:', 'Configured ✓' if Config.UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY else 'Missing ✗')
"

Expected output:

Gemini API Key: Configured ✓
Sarvam API Key: Configured ✓
Unsplash Key: Configured ✓

Test API Connectivity

Start the backend server and check the health endpoint:

cd backend
python app.py

In another terminal:

curl http://localhost:8000/health

Should return: {"status":"healthy"}

Troubleshooting

Invalid API Key Error

Problem: “Invalid API key” or “Unauthorized” errorsSolutions:

Verify the key is copied correctly (no extra spaces)
Check the key hasn’t expired or been revoked
Ensure the key has proper permissions enabled
Try regenerating the key

Rate Limit Exceeded

Problem: “Rate limit exceeded” or “429 Too Many Requests”Solutions:

Wait for the rate limit window to reset
Reduce the frequency of requests
Upgrade to a higher-tier plan
Implement request caching

Environment Variables Not Loading

Problem: Config shows None for API keysSolutions:

Verify .env file is in the backend/ directory
Check file is named exactly .env (not .env.txt)
Ensure no spaces around = in .env file
Restart the backend server after changes
Check file encoding (should be UTF-8)

API Service Unavailable

Problem: “Service unavailable” or timeout errorsSolutions:

Check your internet connection
Verify the API service status page
Check if your region is supported
Try again after a few minutes

Next Steps

Environment Setup

Configure the complete development environment

Language Options

Explore multi-language voice generation options

Get Started

Core Features

User Guides

Configuration

Overview

Gemini API Key

What It’s Used For

How to Get Your Key

Model Configuration

Pricing & Limits

Sarvam API Key

What It’s Used For

How to Get Your Key

Available Models

Supported Speakers

API Request Format

Pricing & Limits

Unsplash Access Key

What It’s Used For

How to Get Your Key

Usage Guidelines

Rate Limits

Security Best Practices

Protecting Your API Keys

What to Do If Keys Are Exposed

Verification

Test Your Configuration

Test API Connectivity

Troubleshooting

Next Steps

Environment Setup

Language Options

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Core Features

User Guides

Configuration

​Overview

​Gemini API Key

​What It’s Used For

​How to Get Your Key

​Model Configuration

​Pricing & Limits

​Sarvam API Key

​What It’s Used For

​How to Get Your Key

​Available Models

​Supported Speakers

​API Request Format

​Pricing & Limits

​Unsplash Access Key

​What It’s Used For

​How to Get Your Key

​Usage Guidelines

​Rate Limits

​Security Best Practices

​Protecting Your API Keys

​What to Do If Keys Are Exposed

​Verification

​Test Your Configuration

​Test API Connectivity

​Troubleshooting

​Next Steps

Environment Setup

Language Options

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Gemini API Key

What It’s Used For

How to Get Your Key

Model Configuration

Pricing & Limits

Sarvam API Key

What It’s Used For

How to Get Your Key

Available Models

Supported Speakers

API Request Format

Pricing & Limits

Unsplash Access Key

What It’s Used For

How to Get Your Key

Usage Guidelines

Rate Limits

Security Best Practices

Protecting Your API Keys

What to Do If Keys Are Exposed

Verification

Test Your Configuration

Test API Connectivity

Troubleshooting

Next Steps