# Source: https://docs.pipecat.ai/server/services/tts/cartesia.md

# Source: https://docs.pipecat.ai/server/services/stt/cartesia.md

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.pipecat.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Cartesia

> Speech-to-text service implementation using Cartesia's real-time transcription API

## Overview

`CartesiaSTTService` provides real-time speech recognition using Cartesia's WebSocket API with the `ink-whisper` model, supporting streaming transcription with both interim and final results for low-latency applications.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Cartesia STT API Reference" icon="code" href="https://reference-server.pipecat.ai/en/latest/api/pipecat.services.cartesia.stt.html">
    Pipecat's API methods for Cartesia STT integration
  </Card>

  <Card title="Example Implementation" icon="play" href="https://github.com/pipecat-ai/pipecat/blob/main/examples/foundational/13f-cartesia-transcription.py">
    Complete example with transcription logging
  </Card>

  <Card title="Cartesia Documentation" icon="book" href="https://docs.cartesia.ai/api-reference/stt/stt">
    Official Cartesia STT documentation and features
  </Card>

  <Card title="Cartesia Platform" icon="microphone" href="https://cartesia.ai/">
    Access API keys and transcription models
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Installation

To use Cartesia services, install the required dependency:

```bash  theme={null}
pip install "pipecat-ai[cartesia]"
```

## Prerequisites

### Cartesia Account Setup

Before using Cartesia STT services, you need:

1. **Cartesia Account**: Sign up at [Cartesia](https://cartesia.ai/)
2. **API Key**: Generate an API key from your account dashboard
3. **Model Access**: Ensure access to the ink-whisper transcription model

### Required Environment Variables

* `CARTESIA_API_KEY`: Your Cartesia API key for authentication