Client side file upload

You can upload files to the ImageKit.io media library directly from the client-side in Javascript, or Android or iPhone app using signature-based authentication. You will need to implement authenticationEndpoint endpoint on your backend server as shown here.
You can use ImageKit client-side SDKs to get started quickly. See example usage.
File size limit
The maximum upload file size is limited to 25MB.
Endpoint
Method
Endpoint
POST
​https://upload.imagekit.io/api/v1/files/upload​
Request structure (multipart/form-data)
Parameter
Description
file
required

This field accepts three kinds of values:
binary - You can send the content of the file as binary. This is used when a file is being uploaded from the browser.
base64 - Base64 encoded string of file content.
url - URL of the file from where to download the content before uploading. For example - https://www.example.com/rest-of-the-image-path.jpg.
Note: When passing a URL in the file parameter, please ensure that our servers can access the URL. In case ImageKit is unable to download the file from the specified URL, a 400 error response is returned. In addition to this, the file download request is aborted if response headers are not received in 8 seconds. This will also result in a 400 error.
publicKey
required

Your public API key. 

Note: This field is only required when uploading the file from the client-side. The only purpose of this is to identify your account.
signature
required

HMAC-SHA1 digest of the token+expire using your ImageKit.io private API key as a key. Learn how to create a signature below on the page. This should be in lowercase.

​⚠
 Warning: Signature must be calculated on the server-side. This field is required for authentication when uploading a file from the client-side.
expire
required
The time until your signature is valid. It must be a Unix time in less than 1 hour into the future. It should be in seconds.
token
required
A unique value generated by the client, which will be used by the ImageKit.io server to recognize and prevent subsequent retries for the same request. We suggest using V4 UUIDs, or another random string with enough entropy to avoid collisions.

Note: Sending a value that has been used in the past will result in a validation error. Even if your previous request resulted in an error, you should always send a new value for this field.
fileName
required
The name with which the file has to be uploaded.

The file name can contain:

- Alphanumeric Characters: a-z , A-Z , 0-9 (including unicode letters, marks, and numerals in other languages)
- Special Characters: . and -
Any other character including space will be replaced by
useUniqueFileName
optional
Whether to use a unique filename for this file or not.
Accepts true or false.
If set true, ImageKit.io will add a unique suffix to the filename parameter to get a unique filename.
If set false, then the image is uploaded with the provided filename parameter, and any existing file with the same name is replaced.
Default value - true
tags
optional

Set the tags while uploading the file.
A comma-separated value of tags in the format tag1,tag2,tag3. For example - t-shirt,round-neck,men
The maximum length of all characters should not exceed 500.
% is not allowed.
If this field is not specified and the file is overwritten, then the tags will be removed.
folder
optional

The folder path (e.g. /images/folder/) in which the image has to be uploaded. If the folder(s) didn't exist before, a new folder(s) is created.

The folder name can contain:

- Alphanumeric Characters: a-z , A-Z , 0-9 (including unicode letters, marks, and numerals in other languages)
- Special Characters: / _ and -
- Using multiple / creates a nested folder.

Default value - /
isPrivateFile
optional

Whether to mark the file as private or not. This is only relevant for image type files
Accepts true or false.
If set true, the file is marked as private which restricts access to the original image URL and unnamed image transformations without signed URLs. Without the signed URL, only named transformations work on private images
Default value - false
customCoordinates
optional

Define an important area in the image. This is only relevant for image type files.

To be passed as a string with the x and y coordinates of the top-left corner, and width and height of the area of interest in the format x,y,width,height. For example - 10,10,100,100
Can be used with fo-customtransformation.
If this field is not specified and the file is overwritten, then customCoordinates will be removed.
responseFields
optional

Comma-separated values of the fields that you want the API to return in the response. For example, set the value of this field to tags,customCoordinates,isPrivateFile to get the value of tags, customCoordinates, and isPrivateFile in the response. Accepts combination of tags, customCoordinates, isPrivateFile, embeddedMetadata, and customMetadata.
extensions
optional
Stringified JSON object with array of extensions to be processed on the image.
For reference about extensions read here.
webhookUrl
optional
Final status of pending extensions will be sent to this URL. To learn more about how ImageKit uses webhooks, refer here.
overwriteFile
optional
Default is true. If overwriteFile is set to false and useUniqueFileName is also false, and a file already exists at the exact location, upload API will return an error immediately.
overwriteAITags
optional
Default is true. If set to true and a file already exists at the exact location, its AITags will be removed. Set overwriteAITags to false to preserve AITags.
overwriteTags
optional
Default is true. If the request does not have tags , overwriteTags is set to true and a file already exists at the exact location, exiting tags will be removed. In case the request body has tags, setting overwriteTags to false has no effect and request's tags are set on the asset.
overwriteCustomMetadata
optional
Default is true. If the request does not have customMetadata , overwriteCustomMetadata is set to true and a file already exists at the exact location, exiting customMetadata will be removed. In case the request body has customMetadata, setting overwriteCustomMetadata to false has no effect and request's customMetadata is set on the asset.
customMetadata
optional
Stringified JSON key-value data to be associated with the asset. Checkout overwriteCustomMetadata parameter to understand default behaviour. Before setting any custom metadata on an asset you have to create the field using custom metadata fields API.
Response code and structure (JSON)
In case of an error, you will get an error code along with the error message. On successful upload, you will receive a 200 status code with uploaded file details in a JSON-encoded response body.
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{
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    "fileId": "598821f949c0a938d57563bd",
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    "name": "file1.jpg",
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    "url": "https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id/images/products/file1.jpg",
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    "thumbnailUrl": "https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id/tr:n-media_library_thumbnail/images/products/file1.jpg",
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    "height": 300,
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    "width": 200,
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    "size": 83622,
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    "filePath": "/images/products/file1.jpg",
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    "tags": ["t-shirt", "round-neck", "sale2019"],
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    "AITags": [
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        {
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            "name": "Shirt",
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            "confidence": 90.12,
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            "source": "google-auto-tagging"
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        },
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        /* ... more googleVision tags ... */
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    ],
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    "isPrivateFile": false,
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    "customCoordinates": null,
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    "customMetadata": {
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        brand: "Nike",
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        color: "red"
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    },
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    "embeddedMetadata": {
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        Title: "The Title (ref2019.1)",
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        Description: "The description aka caption (ref2019.1)",
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        State: "Province/State(Core)(ref2019.1)",
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        Copyright: "Copyright (Notice) 2019.1 IPTC - www.iptc.org  (ref2019.1)"
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    },
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    "extensionStatus": {
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        "google-auto-tagging": "success",
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        "aws-auto-tagging": "pending"
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    },
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    "fileType": "image"
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}
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Understanding response
The JSON-encoded response contains details of the file which can have the following properties:
Property name
Description
fileId
Unique fileId. Store this fileld in your database, as this will be used to perform update action on this file
type
Type of item. It can be either file or folder.
name
Name of the file or folder.
filePath
The relative path of the file. In the case of an image, you can use this path to construct different transformations.
tags
The array of tags associated with the image. If no tags are set, it will be null.
AITags
Array of AITags associated with the image. If no AITags are set, it will be null. These tags can be added using the google-auto-tagging or aws-auto-tagging extensions.
isPrivateFile
Is the file marked as private. It can be either true or false.
customCoordinates
Value of custom coordinates associated with the image in the format x,y,width,height. If customCoordinates are not defined, then it is null.

url
A publicly accessible URL of the file.
thumbnail
In the case of an image, a small thumbnail URL.
fileType
The type of file could be either image or non-image.
mime
MIME Type of the file. For example - image/jpeg
height
Height of the image in pixels (Only for images)
width
Width of the image in pixels (Only for Images)
size
Size of the image file in Bytes
hasAlpha
A boolean indicating if the image has an alpha layer or not.
customMetadata
A key-value data associated with the asset. Use responseField in API request to get customMetadata in the upload API response. Before setting any custom metadata on an asset, you have to create the field using custom metadata fields API.
embeddedMetadata
Consolidated embedded metadata associated with the file. It includes exif, iptc, and xmp data. Use responseField in API request to get embeddedMetadata in the upload API response.
createdAt
The date and time when the file was first uploaded. The format is YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ss.sssZ
updatedAt
The date and time when the file was last updated. The format is YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ss.sssZ
extensionStatus
Extension names with their processing status at the time of completion of the request. It could have one of the following status values:
success: The extension has been successfully applied.
failed: The extension has failed and will not be retried.
pending: The extension will finish processing in some time. On completion, the final status (success / failed) will be sent to the webhookUrl provided.
If no extension was requested, then this parameter is not returned.
Signature generation for client-side file upload
signature is a string sent along with your upload request for authentication when using upload API from the client-side. Generating it requires your ImageKit.io private API key, and hence this should be generated on your backend. Your backend should ideally implement an API that should provide signature.
The signature is HMAC-SHA1 digest of the string token+expire using your ImageKit.io private API key as a key. The signature should be in lowercase.
Never publish your private key on client-side
The Private API key should be kept confidential and only stored on your own servers.
If you are using ImageKit.io client-end SDK for file upload, it requires an authenticationEndpoint endpoint for getting authentication parameters required in the upload API.
How to implement authenticationEndpoint endpoint?
This endpoint is specified by authenticationEndpoint parameter during initialization. The SDK makes an HTTP GET request to this endpoint and expects a JSON response with three fields i.e. signature, token and expire.
Example response:
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{
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    token: "1bab386f-45ea-49e1-9f0d-6afe49a5b250",
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    expire: 1580372696,
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    signature: "0f9d5a45e97c24fa9200a9d5543c9af1e2c45a54"
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}
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Since calculating these parameters requires your ImageKit.io private API key, hence this endpoint has to be implemented on your server-side. You can use utility functions provided in all server-side SDKs to implement this endpoint as shown below.
Pseudo code
Node.js
Python
PHP
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var token = req.query.token || uuid.v4();
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var expire = req.query.expire || parseInt(Date.now()/1000)+2400;
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var privateAPIKey = "your_private_key";
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var signature = crypto.createHmac('sha1', privateAPIKey).update(token+expire).digest('hex');
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res.set({
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    "Access-Control-Allow-Origin" : "*"
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})
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res.status(200);
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res.send({
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    token : token,
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    expire : expire,
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    signature : signature
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})
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var ImageKit = require("imagekit");
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var fs = require('fs');
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​
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var imagekit = new ImageKit({
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    publicKey : "your_public_api_key",
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    privateKey : "your_private_api_key",
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    urlEndpoint : "https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id/"
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});
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​
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var authenticationParameters = imagekit.getAuthenticationParameters();
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console.log(authenticationParameters);
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import base64
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import os
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import sys
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from imagekitio import ImageKit
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​
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imagekit = ImageKit(
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    public_key='your public_key',
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    private_key='your private_key',
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    url_endpoint = 'your url_endpoint'
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)
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​
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auth_params = imagekit.get_authentication_parameters()
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​
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print("Auth params-", auth_params)
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use ImageKit\ImageKit;
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​
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$public_key = "your_public_key";
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$your_private_key = "your_private_key";
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$url_end_point = "https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id";
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$sample_file_path = "/sample.jpg";
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​
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$imageKit = new ImageKit(
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    $public_key,
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    $your_private_key,
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    $url_end_point
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);
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​
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$authenticationParameters = $imageKit->getAuthenticationParameters();
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​
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echo("Auth params : " . json_encode($authenticationParameters));
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Never publish your private key on client-side
The Private API key should be kept confidential and only stored on your own servers.
Examples
The example below demonstrates only basic usage. Refer to these examples in the server-side upload section to learn about different use-cases. The only difference between client-side and server-side upload is how API authentication works.
Make sure you have implemented authenticationEndpoint endpoint on your server as shown here before using the below examples.
JavaScipt SDK
jQuery (without SDK)
React SDK
Vue.js SDK
index.html
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<form action="#" onsubmit="upload()">
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	<input type="file" id="file1" />
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	<input type="submit" />
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</form>
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<script type="text/javascript" src="../dist/imagekit.js"></script>
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​
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<script>
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    /* 
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        SDK initilization
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        authenticationEndpoint should be implemented on your server 
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        as shown above 
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    */
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    var imagekit = new ImageKit({
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        publicKey : "your_public_api_key",
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        urlEndpoint : "https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id",
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        authenticationEndpoint : "https://www.yourserver.com/auth"
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    });
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    // Upload function internally uses the ImageKit.io javascript SDK
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    function upload(data) {
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        var file = document.getElementById("file1");
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        imagekit.upload({
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            file : file.files[0],
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            fileName : "abc.jpg",
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            tags : ["tag1"]
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        }, function(err, result) {
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            console.log(arguments);
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            console.log(imagekit.url({
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                src: result.url,
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                transformation : [{ height: 300, width: 400}]
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            }));
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        })
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    }
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</script>
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<form action="#" onsubmit="upload()">
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	<input type="file" id="file1" />
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	<input type="submit" />
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</form>
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<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/jquery/3.4.1/jquery.min.js" integrity="sha256-CSXorXvZcTkaix6Yvo6HppcZGetbYMGWSFlBw8HfCJo=" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>
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​
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<script>
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	// This endpoint should be implemented on your server as shown above 
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	var authenticationEndpoint = "https://www.yourserver.com/auth";
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	function upload() {
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	  var file = document.getElementById("file1");
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		var formData = new FormData();
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		formData.append("file", file.files[0]);
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		formData.append("fileName", "abc.jpg");
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		formData.append("publicKey", "your_public_api_key");
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		// Let's get the signature, token and expire from server side
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		$.ajax({
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		    url : authenticationEndpoint,
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		    method : "GET",
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		    dataType : "json",
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		    success : function(body) {
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		        formData.append("signature", body.signature || "");
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		        formData.append("expire", body.expire || 0);
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		        formData.append("token", body.token);
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						// Now call ImageKit.io upload API
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		        $.ajax({
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		            url : "https://upload.imagekit.io/api/v1/files/upload",
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		            method : "POST",
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		            mimeType : "multipart/form-data",
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		            dataType : "json",
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		            data : formData,
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		            processData : false,
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		            contentType : false,
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		            error : function(jqxhr, text, error) {
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		                console.log(error)
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		            },
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		            success : function(body) {
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		                console.log(body)
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		            }
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		        });
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		    },
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		    error : function(jqxhr, text, error) {
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		        console.log(arguments);
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		    }
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		});
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	}
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</script>
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import React from 'react';
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import { IKImage, IKContext, IKUpload } from 'imagekitio-react'
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​
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function App() {
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  const publicKey = "your_public_api_key";
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  let urlEndpoint = "https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id";
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  const authenticationEndpoint = "https://www.yourserver.com/auth";
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​
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  return (
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    <div className="App">
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      <p>To use this funtionality please remember to setup the server</p>
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      <IKContext publicKey={publicKey} urlEndpoint={urlEndpoint} authenticationEndpoint={authenticationEndpoint} >
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        <IKUpload fileName="abc.jpg" tags={["tag1"]} useUniqueFileName={true} isPrivateFile= {false} />
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      </IKContext>   
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    </div>
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  );
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}
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​
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export default App;
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<template>
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  <div class="sample-app">
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    <p>Upload</p>
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    <IKContext
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      :publicKey="publicKey"
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      :urlEndpoint="urlEndpoint"
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      :authenticationEndpoint="authenticationEndpoint"
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    >
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      <IKUpload fileName="abc.jpg" v-bind:tags="['tag1']" v-bind:responseFields="['tags']"/>
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    </IKContext>
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    <p>To use this funtionality please remember to setup the server</p>
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  </div>
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</template>
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​
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<script>
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import { IKImage, IKContext, IKUpload } from "imagekitio-vue";
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let urlEndpoint= "https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id";
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​
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export default {
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  name: "app",
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  components: {
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    IKImage,
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    IKContext,
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    IKUpload
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  },
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  data() {
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    return {
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      urlEndpoint: "https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id",
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      publicKey: "your_public_api_key",
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      authenticationEndpoint: "https://www.yourserver.com/auth"
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    };
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  }
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};
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</script>
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Server side file upload
Next - 📙API Reference
Media API
Last modified 2mo ago
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Contents
Endpoint
Request structure (multipart/form-data)
Response code and structure (JSON)
Understanding response
Signature generation for client-side file upload
How to implement authenticationEndpoint endpoint?
Examples