sdk-js

@portixone/sdk

JavaScript SDK for printing from a web app to the local Portix Runtime.

Compatibility

Environment	connect() / print() / etc.	on() real-time events
Modern browsers	✅	✅
Node.js 20+	✅ (needs global fetch and crypto.randomUUID)	⚠️ Node 22+ only — see below
Node.js < 20	❌ Not supported	❌ Not supported

on() opens a WebSocket to the runtime, which needs a global WebSocket — available in every browser and in Node 22+. On Node 20–21, on() logs a warning and simply doesn't fire; poll getJobs() instead to track job status there.

Quickstart

npm install @portixone/sdk

import { Portix } from "@portixone/sdk";

const portix = new Portix({ appId: "my-app", tenant: "default" });

await portix.connect();

await portix.print({
    content: "Hello PortixOne!"
});

The printer prints. That's it. appId/tenant are your integration's identity — the first connect() pairs automatically (instant from localhost/your own LAN, otherwise it waits for a human to approve it from the PortixOne tray's "Pairing Requests" menu), and every connect() after that reuses the same approval.

connect() uses the local-dev defaults (localhost, the runtime's default port) unless you override them, or pass an explicit apiKey to skip pairing entirely (e.g. the runtime's own admin key from runtime/.env.example):

const portix = new Portix({ apiKey: "...", host: "127.0.0.1", port: 17321 });

printerName and copies are optional on print() — they're there for when a developer needs to pick a specific printer or multiple copies, without breaking the basic call.

Mock mode — no runtime, no printer

Don't have a Portix Runtime or a thermal printer nearby? Pass mode: "mock" and try the exact same API — print() renders a text preview of the receipt instead of sending it anywhere:

import { Portix } from "@portixone/sdk";

const portix = new Portix({ mode: "mock" });

await portix.connect();

await portix.print({
    content: "Hello PortixOne!"
});

┌────────────────────────────────┐
│ PORTIX MOCK PRINT PREVIEW      │
├────────────────────────────────┤
│ Hello PortixOne!               │
├────────────────────────────────┤
│ copies: 1                      │
└────────────────────────────────┘

Going to production is a one-word change: mode: "runtime" (or just remove the option — that's the default).

Pairing — for multi-tenant SaaS integrations

Don't share the runtime's admin key with your app — pass tenant/appId instead, and connect() handles pairing on its own the first time:

const portix = new Portix({ tenant: "acme-cafe", appId: "kubia" });
await portix.connect();
// Resolves once paired — instant from localhost/your own LAN, otherwise it
// waits for a human to approve "kubia" from the PortixOne tray's
// "Pairing Requests" menu. From here on, print()/getJobs()/cancel() are
// scoped to this tenant/app, and later connect() calls skip pairing again.

If you're building a product other people's businesses install PortixOne for (like Kubia) and want to show the pairing code yourself instead of just waiting on connect() — e.g. to display it in your own UI — call pair() directly:

const { code } = await portix.pair();
// Show `code` (e.g. "M8K4-LPQ9") to whoever is at the machine yourself,
// however fits your product, instead of blocking on connect().

portix.on("paired", ({ deviceId, permissions }) => {
  // From here on, print()/getJobs()/cancel() are scoped to this tenant/app —
  // no repeated authorization, ever.
});

tenant and appId are required for both paths — they're how the runtime tells your integration apart from every other app paired to the same machine.

No approval needed from localhost, 127.0.0.1, or ::1 — pairing resolves immediately with no human involved, since only code already running on this exact machine can produce that Origin. This does not extend to LAN/private-IP origins (192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x, etc.) — Origin is a plain HTTP header on this endpoint, not something only a browser can set, so anything else always goes through the normal tray approval, same as a real public domain. Note this is Origin-header-based: a plain Node.js script (no browser) won't send one, so it always needs that one-time tray approval regardless.

API reference

new Portix(options?)

Option	Type	Default	Description
mode	"runtime" | "mock"	"runtime"	"mock" needs no runtime and no printer
apiKey	string	—	Skips pairing entirely — must match the runtime's PORTIX_LOCAL_API_KEY (or a previously-issued token)
host	string	"127.0.0.1"	Runtime host
port	number	17321	Runtime port
appId	string	—	Your integration's identity. Required for connect() to pair automatically, and for pair()
tenant	string	—	The specific business/customer this connection is for. Required for connect() to pair automatically, and for pair()

portix.connect(): Promise<void>

Verifies the runtime is reachable (skipped entirely in mock mode) — throws a RuntimeUnreachableError if it isn't installed or isn't running (message includes the download link; in a browser, also best-effort opens portix.one/download itself via window.open() — a no-op if connect() wasn't called from inside a user gesture like a click handler, since popup blockers require that). Then, unless you passed an explicit apiKey: if the current credential doesn't work yet, pairs automatically using appId/tenant (instant from localhost/your own LAN, otherwise blocks until a human approves it from the PortixOne tray's "Pairing Requests" menu, throwing if that never happens within the pairing code's TTL). A previously-approved pairing is remembered in the browser (localStorage) so this only blocks once per appId/tenant, not on every connect() — Node has no persistence, so a script re-pairs on every run.

portix.disconnect(): Promise<void>

Ends the SDK session: stops any in-flight pairing poll, closes the live-events socket if one was opened, and drops the connection. Doesn't affect the pairing itself — call connect() again later and it's still paired.

portix.print({ content, printerName?, copies? }): Promise<{ jobId, status, message? }>

Sends a print job. status is "pending" right after this call resolves — the job is processed asynchronously. See on() below to follow it to "printing"/"completed"/"failed".

portix.getStatus(): Promise<{ status, version, defaultPrinter? }>

Reads the runtime's health endpoint (or a static mock status in mock mode).

portix.ping(): Promise<{ pong: boolean }>

A cheaper liveness check than getStatus() — no version/printer info, just "is it up".

portix.listPrinters(): Promise<PrinterInfo[]>

Every printer the runtime can see, with { name, driver?, port?, status?, online }. Empty array in mock mode.

portix.getPrinter(name): Promise<PrinterInfo>

Same shape as one entry from listPrinters(). Throws PRINTER_NOT_FOUND if it doesn't exist.

portix.getJobs(): Promise<JobRecord[]>

Every job this connection is allowed to see — all jobs for the admin key, only this tenant/app's own jobs once paired.

portix.cancel(jobId): Promise<{ jobId, status, message? }>

Cancels a job that hasn't started printing yet. Throws JOB_NOT_CANCELLABLE if it's already printing/completed/failed/cancelled, JOB_NOT_FOUND if it isn't yours or doesn't exist.

portix.pair(): Promise<{ code, expiresAt }>

Starts pairing and returns the code immediately instead of waiting for approval — for showing it in your own UI rather than letting connect() block on it (see above). Requires tenant/appId in the constructor options.

portix.getMetrics(): Promise<RuntimeMetrics>

Milestone 4's measurement layer: job counts/durations (jobs.avgDurationMs, jobs.byStatus), pairing duration (pairing.avgPairingDurationMs), and WebSocket disconnects (websocket.totalDisconnects — named honestly: it counts disconnects, not successful reconnections, since there's no reconnect-on-drop logic yet). Requires the admin key — not available to a paired app.

portix.on(event, handler): () => void

Subscribes to real-time events pushed by the runtime — "status", "job:queued", "job:printing", "job:printed", "job:error", "job:cancelled" — plus the SDK-local "paired" event. Returns an unsubscribe function. Opens a WebSocket to the runtime on first use; needs a browser or Node 22+ (older Node logs a warning and falls back to no live events — poll getJobs() there instead).