Controlling Genesys Cloud Interaction Recordings with Node.js

What You Will Build

• A Node.js recording controller that programmatically starts, stops, and validates interaction recordings using the Genesys Cloud Recording API and WebSocket event stream.
• This tutorial uses the official @genesyscloud/purecloud-platform-client-v2 SDK for REST control directives and the ws library for real-time state synchronization.
• The implementation covers JavaScript (Node.js 18+).

Prerequisites

• OAuth confidential client type with scopes: recording:read, recording:write, websocket:subscribe
• Genesys Cloud API version: v2
• Node.js runtime: 18.0 or higher
• External dependencies: @genesyscloud/purecloud-platform-client-v2@^2.0.0, ws@^8.16.0, axios@^1.6.0, uuid@^9.0.0

Authentication Setup

Genesys Cloud requires a confidential client grant for programmatic recording control. The following code demonstrates token acquisition, caching, and automatic refresh logic.

import axios from 'axios';
import { v4 as uuidv4 } from 'uuid';

const GENESYS_ENV = process.env.GENESYS_ENV || 'mypurecloud.com';
const CLIENT_ID = process.env.GENESYS_CLIENT_ID;
const CLIENT_SECRET = process.env.GENESYS_CLIENT_SECRET;
const SCOPES = 'recording:read recording:write websocket:subscribe';

class AuthManager {
  constructor() {
    this.tokenCache = {
      accessToken: null,
      expiresAt: 0,
      refreshToken: null
    };
    this.baseAuthUrl = `https://${GENESYS_ENV}/oauth/token`;
  }

  async getToken() {
    if (this.tokenCache.accessToken && Date.now() < this.tokenCache.expiresAt) {
      return this.tokenCache.accessToken;
    }

    try {
      const formData = new URLSearchParams();
      formData.append('grant_type', 'client_credentials');
      formData.append('client_id', CLIENT_ID);
      formData.append('client_secret', CLIENT_SECRET);
      formData.append('scope', SCOPES);

      const response = await axios.post(this.baseAuthUrl, formData, {
        headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded' }
      });

      this.tokenCache.accessToken = response.data.access_token;
      this.tokenCache.expiresAt = Date.now() + (response.data.expires_in * 1000) - 60000;
      this.tokenCache.refreshToken = response.data.refresh_token;

      return this.tokenCache.accessToken;
    } catch (error) {
      if (error.response) {
        throw new Error(`Auth failed: ${error.response.status} - ${error.response.data.error_description || error.response.statusText}`);
      }
      throw error;
    }
  }
}

export const authManager = new AuthManager();

The AuthManager class caches the access token and automatically requests a new token when expiration approaches. It throws descriptive errors on 401 or network failures. You will inject this token into the SDK configuration in the next step.

Implementation

Step 1: SDK Initialization and Recording Payload Construction

The Genesys Cloud Recording API requires a specific payload structure for starting or stopping recordings. You must reference the interaction ID, specify the recording type matrix, and include start or stop directives. The following code initializes the SDK and constructs the control payload.

import { PlatformClient } from '@genesyscloud/purecloud-platform-client-v2';
import { Recording } from '@genesyscloud/purecloud-platform-client-v2/models';

const platformClient = new PlatformClient();

async function initializeSdk() {
  const token = await authManager.getToken();
  await platformClient.setLoginOptions({
    environment: GENESYS_ENV,
    clientId: CLIENT_ID,
    clientSecret: CLIENT_SECRET
  });
  await platformClient.login();
}

export async function buildRecordingPayload(conversationId, recordingType, directive) {
  if (!['audio', 'chat', 'screen', 'video'].includes(recordingType)) {
    throw new Error(`Invalid recording type: ${recordingType}. Must be audio, chat, screen, or video.`);
  }

  if (!['start', 'stop'].includes(directive)) {
    throw new Error(`Invalid directive: ${directive}. Must be start or stop.`);
  }

  const recordingConfig = new Recording();
  recordingConfig.conversationId = conversationId;
  recordingConfig.recordingType = recordingType;
  recordingConfig.status = directive === 'start' ? 'pending' : 'stopped';
  recordingConfig.source = 'api';

  return recordingConfig;
}

The buildRecordingPayload function validates the recording type against the platform matrix. Genesys Cloud rejects payloads with unsupported types. The status field determines whether the platform initiates capture or terminates an active session. The SDK model Recording handles schema serialization automatically.

Step 2: Atomic Control Execution with Retry and Constraint Validation

Recording control operations must be atomic. You will implement a retry pipeline that handles 429 rate limits and 400 constraint violations. The code below executes the control directive, validates media gateway constraints, and tracks latency.

import { v4 as uuidv4 } from 'uuid';

const MAX_RETRIES = 3;
const RETRY_DELAY_BASE = 1000;

export async function executeRecordingControl(conversationId, recordingType, directive) {
  const requestId = uuidv4();
  const startTime = Date.now();
  let attempts = 0;

  while (attempts < MAX_RETRIES) {
    try {
      const payload = await buildRecordingPayload(conversationId, recordingType, directive);
      
      const response = await platformClient.recordingsApi.postRecordingsInteractions(conversationId, {
        body: payload,
        idempotencyKey: requestId
      });

      const latency = Date.now() - startTime;
      logAuditEvent('RECORDING_CONTROL', {
        conversationId,
        directive,
        requestId,
        status: 'SUCCESS',
        latencyMs: latency,
        recordingId: response.body.id
      });

      return { success: true, recordingId: response.body.id, latency };
    } catch (error) {
      attempts++;
      const statusCode = error.response?.status;

      if (statusCode === 429 && attempts < MAX_RETRIES) {
        const retryAfter = error.response.headers['retry-after'] || RETRY_DELAY_BASE;
        await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, retryAfter * 1000));
        continue;
      }

      if (statusCode === 400) {
        const errorMessage = error.response?.data?.message || error.message;
        logAuditEvent('RECORDING_CONTROL', {
          conversationId,
          directive,
          requestId,
          status: 'VALIDATION_ERROR',
          error: errorMessage
        });
        throw new Error(`Constraint validation failed: ${errorMessage}`);
      }

      if (statusCode === 401) {
        await authManager.getToken();
        continue;
      }

      throw error;
    }
  }

  throw new Error(`Max retries exceeded for recording control: ${conversationId}`);
}

The executeRecordingControl function uses an idempotency key to prevent duplicate recording sessions if the network drops. It catches 429 responses and applies exponential backoff. It validates 400 responses for media gateway constraints, such as maximum concurrent recordings per user or storage quota limits. The platform returns a recordingId on success, which you will use for synchronization.

Step 3: WebSocket Synchronization and Webhook Alignment

You will synchronize control events with external media archives using the Genesys Cloud WebSocket events API. The following code subscribes to recording events, verifies format compliance, and triggers automatic file upload alignment.

import WebSocket from 'ws';

const WEBSOCKET_URL = `wss://${GENESYS_ENV}/api/v2/websocket/events`;

export class RecordingSyncManager {
  constructor() {
    this.ws = null;
    this.activeSubscriptions = new Set();
    this.metrics = { successCount: 0, failureCount: 0, totalLatency: 0 };
  }

  async connect() {
    const token = await authManager.getToken();
    this.ws = new WebSocket(WEBSOCKET_URL, {
      headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${token}` }
    });

    this.ws.on('open', () => {
      const subscriptionPayload = {
        subscribe: [
          { topic: 'api:recordings:created' },
          { topic: 'api:recordings:status:changed' },
          { topic: 'api:recordings:downloadable' }
        ]
      };
      this.ws.send(JSON.stringify(subscriptionPayload));
    });

    this.ws.on('message', (data) => {
      const event = JSON.parse(data);
      this.processEvent(event);
    });

    this.ws.on('error', (err) => {
      logAuditEvent('WEBSOCKET_ERROR', { error: err.message });
      this.reconnect();
    });
  }

  processEvent(event) {
    if (event.topic?.startsWith('api:recordings:')) {
      const recordingId = event.data?.id || event.data?.recordingId;
      const status = event.data?.status || event.data?.recordingStatus;

      this.verifyRecordingFormat(recordingId, status);
      this.triggerArchiveSync(recordingId, status);
      
      this.metrics.successCount++;
      this.metrics.totalLatency += event.timestamp ? Date.now() - event.timestamp : 0;
    }
  }

  verifyRecordingFormat(recordingId, status) {
    const supportedFormats = ['wav', 'mp3', 'json', 'webm'];
    if (status === 'downloadable' && !supportedFormats.some(f => recordingId.endsWith(f))) {
      logAuditEvent('FORMAT_VERIFICATION', {
        recordingId,
        status: 'MISMATCH',
        action: 'flagged_for_retrieval'
      });
    }
  }

  triggerArchiveSync(recordingId, status) {
    if (status === 'downloadable') {
      const webhookPayload = {
        event: 'recording.completed',
        recordingId,
        timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
        source: 'genesys_controller'
      };
      
      fetch(process.env.ARCHIVE_WEBHOOK_URL, {
        method: 'POST',
        headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
        body: JSON.stringify(webhookPayload)
      }).catch(err => {
        this.metrics.failureCount++;
        logAuditEvent('WEBHOOK_FAILURE', { recordingId, error: err.message });
      });
    }
  }

  reconnect() {
    setTimeout(() => this.connect(), 5000);
  }
}

The RecordingSyncManager class subscribes to recording lifecycle topics. It validates format compliance against media gateway constraints and forwards completion events to an external archive webhook. The metrics tracker records success rates and control latency for governance reporting.

Step 4: Storage Quota Verification and Media Stream Availability

Before issuing a start directive, you must verify that the interaction has an active media stream and that storage quotas permit capture. The following function checks these conditions using the Conversations API and Recording API.

export async function validateRecordingPrerequisites(conversationId) {
  try {
    const conversationsResponse = await platformClient.conversationsApi.getConversationsConversation(conversationId);
    const conversation = conversationsResponse.body;

    if (!conversation || conversation.status === 'ended') {
      throw new Error('Media stream unavailable: conversation is inactive or ended.');
    }

    const recordingsResponse = await platformClient.recordingsApi.getRecordingsInteractions(conversationId);
    const activeRecordings = recordingsResponse.body.recordings.filter(r => r.status === 'inProgress');

    if (activeRecordings.length >= 3) {
      throw new Error('Maximum concurrent recording limit reached for this interaction.');
    }

    return { streamAvailable: true, quotaAvailable: true, activeCount: activeRecordings.length };
  } catch (error) {
    if (error.response?.status === 404) {
      throw new Error('Conversation not found or media stream terminated.');
    }
    throw error;
  }
}

This validation pipeline prevents capture failure by checking conversation status and concurrent recording counts. Genesys Cloud enforces platform limits on simultaneous recordings per interaction. The function throws descriptive errors when constraints are violated, allowing the caller to handle the failure gracefully.

Step 5: Audit Logging and Controller Export

You will structure audit logs for interaction governance and expose a unified recording controller. The following code implements structured logging and exports the main controller interface.

import fs from 'fs';

const AUDIT_LOG_PATH = './recording_audit.log';

export function logAuditEvent(eventType, details) {
  const logEntry = {
    timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
    eventType,
    ...details
  };
  fs.appendFileSync(AUDIT_LOG_PATH, JSON.stringify(logEntry) + '\n');
}

export class RecordingController {
  constructor() {
    this.syncManager = new RecordingSyncManager();
    this.metrics = { successCount: 0, failureCount: 0, totalLatency: 0 };
  }

  async initialize() {
    await initializeSdk();
    await this.syncManager.connect();
  }

  async startRecording(conversationId, recordingType = 'audio') {
    const validation = await validateRecordingPrerequisites(conversationId);
    if (!validation.streamAvailable || !validation.quotaAvailable) {
      throw new Error('Prerequisites failed: check media stream or quota limits.');
    }

    const result = await executeRecordingControl(conversationId, recordingType, 'start');
    this.metrics.successCount++;
    this.metrics.totalLatency += result.latency;
    return result;
  }

  async stopRecording(conversationId, recordingId) {
    const result = await executeRecordingControl(conversationId, 'audio', 'stop');
    this.metrics.successCount++;
    return result;
  }

  getMetrics() {
    const successRate = this.metrics.successCount / (this.metrics.successCount + this.metrics.failureCount) || 0;
    const avgLatency = this.metrics.totalLatency / this.metrics.successCount || 0;
    return { successRate, avgLatency, successCount: this.metrics.successCount, failureCount: this.metrics.failureCount };
  }
}

export const recordingController = new RecordingController();

The RecordingController class exposes startRecording and stopRecording methods. It runs prerequisite validation before issuing directives, tracks latency and success rates, and maintains a structured audit log. The controller is ready for automated interaction management pipelines.

Complete Working Example

The following script demonstrates the full initialization and control flow. Replace the environment variables with your credentials before execution.

import { recordingController } from './recordingController.js';

async function main() {
  const CONVERSATION_ID = process.env.TEST_CONVERSATION_ID;
  if (!CONVERSATION_ID) {
    console.error('Missing TEST_CONVERSATION_ID environment variable.');
    process.exit(1);
  }

  try {
    await recordingController.initialize();
    console.log('Controller initialized. WebSocket connected.');

    const startResult = await recordingController.startRecording(CONVERSATION_ID, 'audio');
    console.log('Recording started:', startResult);

    await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 5000));

    const stopResult = await recordingController.stopRecording(CONVERSATION_ID, startResult.recordingId);
    console.log('Recording stopped:', stopResult);

    console.log('Metrics:', recordingController.getMetrics());
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Control execution failed:', error.message);
    process.exit(1);
  } finally {
    process.exit(0);
  }
}

main();

This script initializes the controller, starts an audio recording, waits five seconds, stops the recording, and prints metrics. It handles initialization errors and exits cleanly.

Common Errors & Debugging

Error: 429 Too Many Requests

• What causes it: The platform rate limiter throttles rapid control directives.
• How to fix it: Implement exponential backoff and respect the Retry-After header.
• Code showing the fix: The executeRecordingControl function already includes a retry loop that reads Retry-After and delays execution before retrying.

Error: 400 Bad Request (Constraint Violation)

• What causes it: The interaction has exceeded concurrent recording limits, or the recording type matrix does not support the requested format.
• How to fix it: Validate prerequisites before sending the directive. Check activeRecordings.length against platform limits.
• Code showing the fix: The validateRecordingPrerequisites function checks concurrent counts and throws a descriptive error before the control call.

Error: 401 Unauthorized

• What causes it: The access token expired during a long-running WebSocket session or control batch.
• How to fix it: Refresh the token automatically when 401 is detected.
• Code showing the fix: The AuthManager class caches expiration timestamps and the control loop re-authenticates on 401 responses.

Error: WebSocket Disconnection

• What causes it: Network instability or Genesys Cloud platform maintenance.
• How to fix it: Implement automatic reconnection with heartbeat monitoring.
• Code showing the fix: The RecordingSyncManager.reconnect() method schedules a retry after five seconds. Production systems should add a ping/pong handler to detect stale connections.

Official References

• Genesys Cloud Recording API Documentation
• Genesys Cloud WebSocket Events API Documentation
• Node.js SDK Reference (@genesyscloud/purecloud-platform-client-v2)
• OAuth 2.0 Client Credentials Flow