Getting Started with Tork

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• A Tork account (we'll create one in Step 1)
• Python 3.10+ or Node.js 18+ installed
• A terminal or command prompt

Sign up for a free Tork account to get started. The free tier includes 1,000 API calls per month—plenty to explore and test the platform.

After signing up, you'll be automatically redirected to your dashboard where your first API key is ready. You can also create additional keys from the API Keys page.

This installs tork-governance, the on-device package, whose entry class is Tork. It governs on your machine and returns a local result; the API key from step 2 is not used by it, and its decisions do not appear in your dashboard. Step 4 shows both paths side by side.

pip install tork-governance

Now let's make your first governance check. There are two ways to do it, and they differ in where the decision is made and whether it leaves evidence.

Python — on-device (tork-governance)

from tork_governance import Tork

# No API key: the decision is made on this machine and nothing
# is sent anywhere. This is free and unlimited.
tork = Tork()

result = tork.govern("Check this text for PII: john@example.com")

print(result.action)              # GovernanceAction.REDACT
print(result.output)              # "Check this text for PII: [EMAIL_REDACTED]"
print(result.receipt.receipt_id)  # "rcpt_..." — a LOCAL receipt, not in your dashboard

JavaScript — on-device (tork-governance)

import { Tork } from 'tork-governance';

// No API key: the decision is made on this machine and nothing
// is sent anywhere. This is free and unlimited.
const tork = new Tork();

// govern() is synchronous — there is no network call to await.
const result = tork.govern('Check this text for PII: john@example.com');

console.log(result.action);            // "redact"
console.log(result.output);            // "Check this text for PII: [EMAIL_REDACTED]"
console.log(result.receipt.receiptId); // "rcpt_..." — a LOCAL receipt, not in your dashboard

cURL — server-governed (Tork decides)

curl -X POST https://tork.network/api/v1/govern \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer your_api_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "content": "Check this text for PII: john@example.com"
  }'

The /v1/govern REST endpoint — the cURL path above — returns a JSON response with the governance decision and details about any detected PII:

{
  "action": "redact",
  "redacted": "Check this text for PII: [EMAIL]",
  "original": "Check this text for PII: john@example.com",
  "pii_detected": [
    {
      "type": "email",
      "value": "john@example.com",
      "position": { "start": 27, "end": 43 },
      "confidence": 0.99
    }
  ],
  "policy_applied": "default",
  "processing_time_ms": 45,
  "request_id": "req_abc123"
}

Response Fields

These are the REST response fields. The on-device SDK returns a different shape: action, output, pii, receipt and report, with the governed text in output rather than a redacted field. In Python that result is a dataclass, so read it with result.action, not result['action'].

Using Environment Variables

For production use, store your API key in an environment variable instead of hardcoding it. Note what the key does and does not change here: the on-device SDK still makes every decision locally with or without one. A key only governs whether a metadata-only attestation is reported.

import os
from tork_governance import Tork

# No key: local governance only, nothing reported.
tork = Tork()

# With a key: the decision is still made locally; an attestation
# of it is reported. Reads TORK_API_KEY from the environment.
tork = Tork(api_key=os.environ.get('TORK_API_KEY'))

A decision reported by an on-device SDK is recorded as a client attestation (capture_mode=edge, attested_by=client): a claim Tork recorded but did not execute and cannot independently verify. A decision made by @torknetwork/sdk is recorded as capture_mode=cloud, attested_by=tork — Tork made that call itself. Both are equally immutable once anchored; they differ in what is immutable. A client attestation freezes your claim. A server-governed receipt freezes Tork's own decision.

Next Steps

Now that you've made your first API call, explore these resources to learn more:

Common Issues