azure-speech-to-text-rest-py

Azure Speech to Text REST API for Short Audio

Simple REST API for speech-to-text transcription of short audio files (up to 60 seconds). No SDK required - just HTTP requests.

Prerequisites

1. Azure subscription - Create one free
2. Speech resource - Create in Azure Portal
3. Get credentials - After deployment, go to resource > Keys and Endpoint

Environment Variables

# Required
AZURE_SPEECH_KEY=<your-speech-resource-key>
AZURE_SPEECH_REGION=<region>  # e.g., eastus, westus2, westeurope

# Alternative: Use endpoint directly
AZURE_SPEECH_ENDPOINT=https://<region>.stt.speech.microsoft.com

Installation

pip install requests

Quick Start

import os
import requests

def transcribe_audio(audio_file_path: str, language: str = "en-US") -> dict:
    """Transcribe short audio file (max 60 seconds) using REST API."""
    region = os.environ["AZURE_SPEECH_REGION"]
    api_key = os.environ["AZURE_SPEECH_KEY"]
    
    url = f"https://{region}.stt.speech.microsoft.com/speech/recognition/conversation/cognitiveservices/v1"
    
    headers = {
        "Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key": api_key,
        "Content-Type": "audio/wav; codecs=audio/pcm; samplerate=16000",
        "Accept": "application/json"
    }
    
    params