Getting Started

Launch PrivateAV biometric age verification on your site in minutes. This quick start focuses on the JavaScript SDK. A production integration still needs server-side session validation or authenticated webhook processing before granting access.

:::tip Need Server-Side Control? This guide covers the JavaScript SDK. For API-based integration with server-side session creation and validation, see the Server Integration Guide. :::

:::info Using PHP or WordPress? If your backend is PHP (including WordPress), start with the Server Integration Guide and follow the WordPress Integration Guide for WordPress-specific patterns. :::

Prerequisites

PrivateAV account (sign up)
Access to the PrivateAV Dashboard to copy keys
A web page where you will launch verification (camera access required)

Frontend Quick Start (SDK)

Step 1 — Copy your publishable key

Log in to the PrivateAV Dashboard
Click API Keys in the sidebar
Copy your publishable key (pk_…)

Step 2 — Install the SDK

Option A: CDN

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@privateav/sdk@3.5.6/sdk.min.js"></script>

Option B: npm

npm install @privateav/sdk@3.5.6

Step 3 — Launch verification

:::warning Local Server Required You must serve this page from a web server (http://localhost:...). Opening the HTML file directly (file://) won't work because the verification redirect cannot return to local files. Use any of these:

npx serve .
python3 -m http.server 8000
Your framework's dev server (npm run dev) :::

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <title>Age Verification</title>
    <script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@privateav/sdk@3.5.6/sdk.min.js"></script>
  </head>
  <body>
    <h1>Age Restricted Content</h1>
    <button id="verify-btn">Verify Your Age</button>

    <script>
      // Check if running from a local file (won't work - need a server)
      if (window.location.protocol === 'file:') {
        document.getElementById('verify-btn').disabled = true;
        document.getElementById('verify-btn').textContent = 'Requires local server';
        document.body.insertAdjacentHTML('beforeend',
          '<p style="color: red;">This page must be served from http://localhost. ' +
          'Run: npx serve . or python3 -m http.server 8000</p>');
      } else {
        // Initialize with your publishable key (pk_...)
        const sdk = new PrivateAV({
          apiKey: 'pk_your_key_here',
          returnUrl: window.location.origin + window.location.pathname
        });

        document.getElementById('verify-btn').onclick = () => {
          // Creates the verification session and opens the PrivateAV flow
          sdk.verify();

          // Optional: tie the session to your own user ID
          // sdk.verify({ externalUserId: currentUserId });
        };
      }

      // Check the status parameter that PrivateAV adds on redirect
      const params = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);
      const status = params.get('status');
      const sessionId = params.get('sessionId');

      if (status === 'verified') {
        // Convenience signal only. Send sessionId to your server and grant
        // access only after private-key validation or an authenticated webhook.
        console.log('Verification callback received:', sessionId);
      } else if (status === 'failed') {
        document.body.insertAdjacentHTML('beforeend', '<p>Verification failed.</p>');
      }
    </script>
  </body>
</html>

Step 4 — Understand the user flow

The SDK creates a session with your publishable key
The user grants camera access and captures a selfie
Depending on your verification mode, an ID scan may be requested
PrivateAV redirects back to your returnUrl with non-authoritative status and sessionId notifications
Your server validates sessionId with a secret key, or consumes the authenticated webhook, before changing access

What's Next?

Resource	Description
JavaScript SDK	Full SDK reference with all options
Server Integration	API-based integration with validation
Sessions API	API endpoint reference
Verification Modes	L1 vs L2 comparison
Code Examples	Ask support for ready-to-run examples

Need Help?

Email: support@privateav.com

Prerequisites​

Frontend Quick Start (SDK)​

Step 1 — Copy your publishable key​

Step 2 — Install the SDK​

Step 3 — Launch verification​

Step 4 — Understand the user flow​

What's Next?​

Need Help?​