kokorojs – minimal text-to-speech api model you can run in your browser

Did you know AI models now run in your browser? One of the most useful examples is Kokoro.js, a lightweight text-to-speech API that makes it super easy to generate spoken audio from text. Whether you’re a developer building an interactive web app or just experimenting with text-to-speech, Kokoro.js offers a simple and efficient way to bring voice functionality to your projects.

What is Kokoro.js?

Kokoro.js is a minimalistic JavaScript library that enables text-to-speech synthesis directly in the browser. Unlike many other TTS solutions that require server-side processing, Kokoro.js runs entirely on the client side, making it faster and more accessible for various applications.

Why Use Kokoro.js?

Here are some great reasons to use Kokoro.js in your projects:

• Easy to Use: The API is straightforward and requires minimal setup.
• Browser-Based: No need for server-side infrastructure; everything runs on the client.
• Fast Performance: Generate real-time audio with minimal latency.
• Customizable Voices: Select different voice styles and modulations.
• Open Source: Modify and extend it based on your needs.

Getting Started

Installation

To install Kokoro.js, simply run:

npm install kokoro-js

Basic Usage

Here’s a simple example to convert text to speech using Kokoro.js:

import { KokoroTTS } from "kokoro-js";

const tts = await KokoroTTS.from_pretrained(
  "onnx-community/Kokoro-82M-ONNX",
  { dtype: "q8" } // Data type options: fp32, fp16, q8, q4, q4f16
);

const text = "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.";
const audio = await tts.generate(text, { voice: "af_sky" });
audio.save("audio.wav");

Try It Online

You can test Kokoro.js without installing anything by trying it online at Hugging Face’s space. Just enter some text and listen to the generated speech.

How It Works

Kokoro.js operates with a simple four-step process:

1. Input Text: Provide the text you want to convert.
2. Select a Voice: Choose from multiple voices (tts.list_voices() lists available options).
3. Generate Audio: The TTS model processes the text into speech.
4. Output: Play or save the generated audio file.

Potential Use Cases

Kokoro.js can be useful for many applications, such as:

• Accessibility Features: Assisting visually impaired users with spoken content.
• E-Learning Platforms: Enhancing educational tools with voice support.
• Storytelling & Audiobooks: Adding narration to text-based content.
• Voice Assistants: Building interactive AI-driven assistants.

Final Thoughts

With audio content becoming more prevalent, Kokoro.js is a great tool for integrating text-to-speech functionality into your web applications. It’s simple, efficient, and open-source—perfect for developers looking for a hassle-free TTS solution.

Give it a try and see how it fits into your projects! You might be surprised at the creative ways you can use it. For more details, check out the Kokoro.js project page. Happy coding!