> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://assemblyai.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What types of audio URLs can I use with the API?

Your audio URL must:

* Be accessible by our servers
* Point directly to an audio/video file

You can upload your file directly to AssemblyAI's servers using our upload endpoint - [check out our transcription guide to get started](/pre-recorded-audio/getting-started/transcribe-an-audio-file).

Alternatively, you can host your files elsewhere. Common approaches are to:

* AWS presigned URLs ([cookbook](/pre-recorded-audio/guides/transcribe_from_s3))
* Google Drive ([cookbook](/pre-recorded-audio/guides/transcribing-google-drive-file)) - for files smaller than 100MB
* GitHub ([cookbook](/pre-recorded-audio/guides/transcribing-github-files)) - for files smaller than 100MB
* Cloud storage services (GCP/Azure/AWS)
* Any direct download URL that serves audio/video content

<Note>
  **Time-limited URLs must be fresh at submission time.** If you use presigned URLs (AWS S3, GCP, Azure SAS tokens) or CDN URLs from platforms like TikTok or Instagram, generate the URL immediately before submitting your request to `/v2/transcript`. If the URL expires before AssemblyAI downloads the file, the transcription will fail with a download error. For more details, see the [Troubleshoot Common Errors](/pre-recorded-audio/guides/common_errors_and_solutions) guide.
</Note>

API Reference: [Upload endpoint](/api-reference/files/upload)