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SDK Standard

The Loom recordSDK brings Loom’s recording capabilities directly to your site—no user install (or even user account!) is required for your users to create video content.

Practically, the recordSDK is a pre-compiled JavaScript package that enables third parties like you to add video, audio, and screen recording capabilities to your site or app.

Implementation requires you to sign up for an API key and write about 20 lines of code. The recordSDK works in whatever JavaScript framework you’re already using, or even works as vanilla JS imported as a script module in an HTML page.

Camera bubble recording and screen sharing require a significant investment of engineering resources to manage at scale, with particular challenges with performance, infrastructure, and observability. The recordSDK enables you to abstract over that challenge, utilizing async video communication as a feature which richly enables your own app functionality.

The recordSDK prioritizes ease of integration. Only two method calls are necessary to attach the SDK to a button element in a your app. SDK integration is handled entirely with client-side code.

Features​

Recording screen and video​

As with all Loom recorders, the recordSDK provides three modes of recording:

  • Screen and camera bubble
  • Screen only
  • Camera only

Screen recording allows a user to choose different modes of sharing: an entire window, an application, or a single browser tab. Anything visible within the selected container will be captured in the recorded video.

For screen and camera recording, a user’s selected camera stream is overlaid as a “bubble” over the screen background. This bubble is resizable and movable via click and drag (it’s also movable programatically via an API call). It’s also possible to have an “audio-only” screen and camera recording if the user disables their camera input.

Camera recordings display the same bubble UI as screen and camera recording, but the entire camera frame is captured for playback. When a camera-only recording is played back, it will display as the typical widescreen video experience.

Recording controls are consistent across all of these modes. A pause button enables pausing and resuming recording mid-stream, and restart allows the user to start over.

Unlike other Loom recorders, the recordSDK displays a preview modal window after the completion of recording. This preview modal enables the user to complete the insert experience without ever leaving your app or site. Users can delete their recording on the preview modal, or trigger a restart for a new recording. They can also insert the recording (which triggers an event callback) or dismiss the modal and copy the URL to their clipboard.

Guest recording​

A unique benefit of the recordSDK is that it does not require users to sign up in order to record. Every API key managed via the Loom developer portal is associated with its own collection of Guest recordings. Users who do not have a Loom account (or who are not signed in to their Loom account) can record up to five times without being presented with a signup wall.

Recordings from Guest users are stored in the special workspace associated with the API key. Guest recordings are only accessible within the record and insert flow. If the URL of the recording is not captured as part of this flow, the recording will be inaccessible in the future.

Guest users who wish to delete their anonymous recording will need to reach out to Loom support in order to request to delete the recording.

After completing five free recordings, Guests will be prompted to sign up to Loom before creating an additional recording. The initial Loom account tier is free, so users can continue recording on your site or app for free even after signing up.

Signup and authentication​

The recordSDK manages the entire Loom user signup and authentication flow. No work is required for you to manage Loom user sessions. The signup and signin flow happens entirely within the recordSDK UI in your app or site. Users are never required to leave your site in order to record with the recordSDK.

Power features​

In addition to the recording capabilities described above, videos captured with the recordSDK receive all the benefits of “regular” recordings created by Loom users with other recorders (Chrome Extension and Desktop App). Depending on the Loom plan the user is on, these features include:

  • Instant editing of a Loom (all plans)
  • Custom descriptions with timestamps (all plans)
  • Video and GIF embedding (all plans)
  • Transcripts (Business and Enterprise)
  • Custom CTA buttons (Business and Enterprise)
  • ...and all other current and future Loom functionality

Usage and technical limitations​

The recordSDK enforces a limited set of restrictions associated with Loom user accounts.

  • Guests and Starter Loom users are restricted to a recording duration of five minutes
  • Guests are restricted to five recordings before being required to sign up
  • Recording limits (25 videos per person and 5-minute recording length) are enforced for authenticated Loom users

Beyond user capability limitations, the recordSDK has the following technical limitations:

  • Only supported on desktop and by a limited set of browsers (see browser compatibility)
  • Resolution is currently capped at 720p
  • The camera bubble is currently only visible on the source tab of the recording and cannot follow the user across tabs or windows

Changelog​

To keep up with the latest updates for the recordSDK, visit our developer changelog

Co-marketing opportunities​

We’d love to promote what you’ve built on our social channels. To inquire, please reach out to partners@loom.com.