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This page covers everything you need to add the SW Combine SDK to your project: package installation, Node.js and TypeScript version requirements, environment variable setup, and how to import the SDK in ESM and CommonJS projects.

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Requirements

Before installing, confirm your environment meets these requirements:
  • Node.js 18 or higher — the SDK uses native fetch-compatible APIs and async iteration
  • TypeScript 5.5 or higher — required if you use TypeScript; the SDK ships with strict type definitions
  • axios is the only production dependency and is installed automatically

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Install the package

npm install swcombine-sdk

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Import styles

The SDK ships as both ES Modules and CommonJS, so it works in any Node.js project regardless of whether you use import or require. Use named imports in .ts, .mts, .mjs, or any project with "type": "module" in package.json: 
import { SWCombine, AccessType, SWCError } from 'swcombine-sdk';
import type { Character, Page } from 'swcombine-sdk';

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CommonJS

Use require in .js or .cjs files, or any project without "type": "module": 
const { SWCombine, AccessType, SWCError } = require('swcombine-sdk');
TypeScript users: the SDK’s type declarations are automatically resolved regardless of which module format you use. No extra @types package is needed.

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Set up environment variables

Store your SW Combine API credentials in environment variables rather than hardcoding them. Create a .env file at your project root: 
# .env
SWC_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id
SWC_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret
SWC_ACCESS_TOKEN=your_access_token
SWC_REFRESH_TOKEN=your_refresh_token   # Only needed for offline access / token refresh
Then load the file before initializing the client. If you use dotenv: 
import { config } from 'dotenv';
config(); // Load .env into process.env

import { SWCombine } from 'swcombine-sdk';

const client = new SWCombine({
  token: process.env.SWC_ACCESS_TOKEN!,
});
Never commit your .env file or credentials to source control. Add .env to your .gitignore.
You only need SWC_CLIENT_ID and SWC_CLIENT_SECRET if you are running the full OAuth flow (generating authorization URLs, handling callbacks, or refreshing tokens). For simple authenticated API calls, SWC_ACCESS_TOKEN alone is sufficient.

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TypeScript configuration

The SDK uses modern TypeScript features. Your tsconfig.json should target at least ES2020 and enable strict mode: 
{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "target": "ES2020",
    "module": "NodeNext",
    "moduleResolution": "NodeNext",
    "strict": true,
    "esModuleInterop": true
  }
}
If your project uses "module": "CommonJS", the SDK’s CJS build is picked up automatically via the exports field in its package.json. No extra configuration is needed.

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Verify the installation

After installing, confirm the SDK is working with a quick public API call that requires no credentials: 
import { SWCombine } from 'swcombine-sdk';

const client = new SWCombine(); // Public mode — no token needed

const { uid, handle } = await client.character.getByHandle({
  handle: 'your-character-handle',
});

console.log(uid);    // "1:12345"
console.log(handle); // "your-character-handle"
If this runs without error, the SDK is installed correctly and can reach the SW Combine API.

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Next steps

Quickstart

Step-by-step guide to making your first authenticated API call.

Authentication

Set up OAuth 2.0 and get an access token to use authenticated endpoints.