This section describes the requirements for using your own Custom UI for your Digital Hero’s conversational experiences.
NOTE: A core assumption for this section is that you already have familiarity with building a UI and/or backend orchestration server for your experience. It also assumed that you have integrated our Web SDK into your website. If not, please refer to your technical kickoff documentation. There are two options to connect your project to your custom UI, using web API keys or using a Token Server. The easier and least complex option is using the web API keys method.
Soul Machines uses an SSK to grant your UI access to our session servers. By signing a JSON Web Token (JWT) with the SSK, our servers will grant you access.
What is a Shared Secret Key
A Shared Secret Key (SSK) is a cryptographic key or data that is only known to the parties involved in a secured communication. The shared secret can be anything from passwords or passphrases to a random number or an array of randomly chosen data.
Why would I use a Shared Secret Key
Soul Machines uses an SSK to grant your UI access to our session servers. By signing a JSON Web Token with the SSK, our servers will grant you access. By accessing these?
By accessing our servers, you will effectively be able to host our Digital Hero Person conversational experiences on your website and optionally connect the Digital Hero Person to a custom backend.
The DDNA Digital DNA Studio provides you with the three pieces of information that you need to connect:
privateKey
Digital Person Server domain name is also called the Token Server or Session Server.
Key Name; this is called the “issuer” within the JWT
Private Key
The private key must be used to sign the JWT using the HMAC-SHA256 signing standard. See the , as shown in the following architecture diagram below for more information.
Figure 5: Architecture Diagram
How would I use a Shared Secret Key
When deploying an experience through the Digital DNA Studio, be sure to:
Select the “I HAVE MY OWN” option from the Deployment Configuration screen. You will be provided with a privateKey and the keyName under the “Session Server” category.
Sign your JWT. Use these three values when you are signing your JSON Web Token (JWT) to authorize a connection to the Digital Hero.
NOTE: This is a token sent along with the connection request from a UI you are hosting yourself (your website) and tells our server to grant you access.
Sample Code
You can use our sample code forSample Toker Server Code
We have created a sample Token Server code (express-token-server) for use with local development testing and as the basis of a production deployment if you wish. Please reach out to our Support team (support@soulmachines.com) to request a copy of the sample code.
Express Token Server
The express-token-server sample code generates signed JWTs. To use the values provided by DDNA Studio, copy the .env.template file to .env, then within that copied file:
Assign the SESSION_SERVER variable to the Session Server name provided by Studio.
Assign the JWT_PUBLIC_KEY variable to the Key Name provided by Studio.
Assign the JWT_PRIVATE_KEY variable to the Private Key provided by Studio.
React and Angular Templates
UI sample code such as react-in the form of React template can now be pointed at be used in conjunction with the express-token-server to use it code for JWT generation, which in turn enables the UI to connect to the video and audio streams associated with the Digital Hero running on Soul Machines' servers.
Connect to a Custom Back-end
If you wish When utilizing a Token Server, if you intend to connect your Digital Person to a custom backend Orchestration Server to direct your Digital Hero, then , you must include the address of this server must be included in your signed JWT using the sm-control field.
Refer to the Soul Machines Web Development Kit Reference Guide Using Token Server for more information on configuring your JWT.