Image hosting API

The simplest image
hosting API.

Register once, then POST a file — get a permanent CDN URL back. No SDK, no dashboard, no egress fees. A free image upload API built for developers and AI agents.

Get your API key Read the docs

The whole flow: two calls

Register to get an API key, then upload a file. The response is a permanent CDN URL — the same two calls work from curl, Node, Python, a CI job, or an AI agent.

# 1. Register — returns your API key

curl -X POST https://api.pixelvault.dev/v1/auth/register \

  -d '{"email":"you@example.com","password":"secure-pass"}'

# 2. Upload — returns a permanent CDN URL

curl -X POST https://api.pixelvault.dev/v1/images \

  -H "Authorization: Bearer pv_live_xxx" \

  -F "file=@photo.jpg"

# { "id": "img_xyz", "url": "https://img.pixelvault.dev/proj_abc/img_xyz.jpg" }

What a good image hosting API needs

Before you pick one — or build your own on top of S3 — check for these.

Real authentication

Per-project API keys, not a single shared token. imgbb-style anonymous uploads don't cut it for production.

Zero egress fees

Serving is where naive S3 setups get expensive. A global CDN with zero egress (via Cloudflare R2) means bandwidth doesn't bill you by surprise.

Idempotent uploads

Networks fail; a retried upload shouldn't create duplicates or error out. Retry-safe by design.

Management, not just upload

List, fetch, and delete images by ID — the operations you need once real data accumulates.

An OpenAPI spec

A machine-readable contract means predictable error codes and easy client generation — and lets AI agents consume the API directly.

Broad format support

JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP, AVIF, and SVG in, correct Content-Type out.

Predictable errors

A good API fails clearly: 401 for a bad key, 413 when a file exceeds your plan's limit, 415 for an unsupported type. No guessing, no HTML error pages — just JSON your code (or your agent) can branch on. PixelVault publishes the full contract as an OpenAPI 3.1 spec.

Wiring it into a coding agent? See image hosting for AI agents. Want to try it without code first? Use the free image-to-URL tool. Comparing options? Here are the best Cloudinary alternatives and how PixelVault stacks up against ImgBB.

Image hosting API FAQ

Is there a free image hosting API?

Yes. PixelVault's free tier includes 200 MB storage, 500 uploads/month, and 1 GB bandwidth — no credit card and no trial expiry. You get a real API key, not an anonymous upload endpoint, so it works for production apps.

What's the simplest way to upload an image and get a URL?

Register once to get an API key, then POST the file to /v1/images. The response is a permanent CDN URL you can use immediately — two calls, no SDK required.

What image formats does the upload API support?

JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP, AVIF, and SVG. Each is served back with the correct Content-Type header from a global CDN.

How is this different from Cloudinary or imgbb?

imgbb is a single anonymous upload endpoint with no real auth; Cloudinary is a full media-processing platform with SDKs and an $89/month floor. PixelVault sits in the middle: a clean image upload API with per-project keys, zero egress fees, and a free tier — without the enterprise complexity.

Can AI agents use the API without a human?

Yes. Registration is a single API call, and the service is discoverable via llms.txt, an OpenAPI 3.1 spec, and a remote MCP server — so an agent can find and use it with no browser at all.