Deepgram Reference Architecture

Contents

• Overview

• Prerequisites

• Instructions

• Output

• Error Handling

• Examples

• Resources

Overview

Reference architectures for scalable transcription systems: synchronous API for short files, async queue (BullMQ) for batch processing, WebSocket streaming for real-time, and hybrid routing with enterprise multi-region deployment.

Prerequisites

• Deepgram API access

• Redis for queue-based patterns

• WebSocket support for streaming

• Monitoring infrastructure

Instructions

Step 1: Choose Architecture Pattern

Select based on use case: Sync API for files under 60s, Async Queue for batch/long files, Streaming for real-time transcription, or Hybrid for mixed workloads.

Step 2: Implement Synchronous Pattern

Direct API calls via Express endpoint. Store results in database. Best for low-latency, short audio requirements.

Step 3: Implement Async Queue Pattern

Use BullMQ with Redis for job queuing. Configure workers with concurrency (10), retry (3 attempts, exponential backoff). Notify clients on completion.

Step 4: Implement Streaming Pattern

Create WebSocket server that proxies audio between client and Deepgram Live API. Forward transcripts back to client in real-time with interim results.

Step 5: Build Hybrid Router

Auto-select pattern based on audio duration: sync for <60s, async for >300s. Allow explicit mode override via request parameter.

Step 6: Scale to Enterprise

Deploy multi-region with load balancing. Use Redis cluster for cross-region coordination. Configure per-region worker pools with 20 concurrency and 5 retries.

See detailed implementation for advanced patterns.

Output

• Synchronous transcription endpoint

• Queue-based async processing pipeline

• Real-time WebSocket streaming server

• Hybrid router with auto-selection

• Enterprise multi-region architecture

• Prometheus monitoring integration

Error Handling

Issue Cause Solution

Timeout on large files Sync pattern Switch to async queue

WebSocket disconnect Network issue Auto-reconnect with backoff

Queue backlog Worker overload Scale workers, increase concurrency

Region failover Regional outage Route to healthy region

Examples

Architecture Selection Guide

Pattern Best For Latency Throughput

Sync API Short files (<60s) Low Low

Async Queue Batch processing Medium High

Streaming Live transcription Real-time Medium

Hybrid Mixed workloads Varies High

Resources

• Deepgram Architecture Guide

• High Availability Patterns

• Scaling Best Practices