Overview The Image Analysis API provides two endpoints for working with images:
Upload : Upload images to a temporary CDN (ImgBB)Analyze : Extract EXIF metadata from uploaded images
Images are uploaded to ImgBB with a configurable expiration time (default: 10 minutes). Ensure you analyze images before they expire.
Upload Image Upload an image file to temporary storage and receive a URL for analysis.
Endpoint Request Content-Type : multipart/form-data
Body Parameters Image file to upload. Supports common formats: JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF. Max size : 32MB (configurable via MAX_IMAGE_SIZE env variable)Example : File from input field or blob
Request Example curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/image/upload \ -F "image=@/path/to/photo.jpg"
Response Always true on successful upload
Direct URL to the uploaded image (suitable for analysis)
Alternative display URL (may be different for some CDN configurations)
URL to delete the image before expiration
Time in seconds until the image expires (default: 600)
Success Response { "success" : true , "url" : "https://i.ibb.co/abc123/image.jpg" , "displayUrl" : "https://ibb.co/xyz789" , "deleteUrl" : "https://ibb.co/abc123/delete_token" , "expiration" : 600 }
Error Responses { "error" : "No image file provided" }
{ "error" : "File too large. Maximum size is 32000KB" }
{ "error" : "ImgBB API key not configured" }
{ "error" : "Upload failed" }
Analyze Image Extract EXIF metadata from an image URL.
Endpoint Request Content-Type : application/json
Body Parameters URL of the image to analyze. Must be a valid, accessible URL. Typically the url returned from the upload endpoint. Example : "https://i.ibb.co/abc123/image.jpg"
Request Example curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/image/analyze \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "imageUrl": "https://i.ibb.co/abc123/image.jpg" }'
Response Indicates if analysis was successful
The URL of the analyzed image
Extracted EXIF metadata from the image Show ImageMetadata properties
ISO 8601 formatted date when the photo was taken
ISO 8601 formatted date when the photo was last modified
Camera/device information Show CameraInfo properties
Camera manufacturer (e.g., “Canon”, “Apple”)
Camera model (e.g., “iPhone 13 Pro”, “EOS 5D”)
Software used to process the image
Camera exposure settings Show ExposureInfo properties
Aperture value (e.g., “f/2.8”)
Shutter speed (e.g., “1/250s”)
Focal length (e.g., “50mm”)
Flash status (“Fired” or “Not fired”)
GPS location data if available Show GpsCoordinates properties
Latitude in decimal degrees
Longitude in decimal degrees
Altitude in meters (if available)
EXIF orientation value (1-8)
Color space (“sRGB” or “Adobe RGB”)
Success Response { "success" : true , "imageUrl" : "https://i.ibb.co/abc123/image.jpg" , "metadata" : { "width" : 4032 , "height" : 3024 , "dateTaken" : "2024-01-15T14:30:00Z" , "dateModified" : "2024-01-15T14:30:05Z" , "camera" : { "make" : "Apple" , "model" : "iPhone 13 Pro" , "software" : "16.3" }, "exposure" : { "aperture" : "f/1.5" , "shutterSpeed" : "1/120s" , "iso" : 100 , "focalLength" : "5.7mm" , "flash" : "Not fired" }, "gps" : { "latitude" : 37.7749 , "longitude" : -122.4194 , "altitude" : 16.2 }, "orientation" : 1 , "colorSpace" : "sRGB" } }
If the image has no EXIF data:
{ "success" : true , "imageUrl" : "https://i.ibb.co/abc123/image.jpg" , "metadata" : {} }
Error Responses { "error" : "Invalid image URL" }
{ "error" : "Invalid URL format" }
{ "success" : false , "error" : "Failed to analyze image" }
Configuration Set these environment variables for image upload:
# Required: ImgBB API key IMGBB_API_KEY = your_imgbb_api_key # Optional: Max file size in KB (default: 32000) MAX_IMAGE_SIZE = 32000 # Optional: Image expiration in seconds (default: 600) IMAGE_EXPIRY = 600
Source Code Reference
Upload Route: source/app/api/image/upload/route.ts:9
Analyze Route: source/app/api/image/analyze/route.ts:7
Metadata Extraction: source/lib/image/metadata.ts:8
Type Definitions: source/lib/image/types.ts
Best Practices Privacy : EXIF data can contain sensitive information like GPS coordinates. Handle with care and inform users.
Recommendations
Strip metadata : Consider offering an option to remove EXIF dataValidate URLs : Ensure image URLs are from trusted sourcesHandle missing data : Not all images contain EXIF metadataGPS accuracy : GPS coordinates may not be exactExpiration handling : Download or cache analysis results before expiration
Complete Workflow Example interface ImageMetadata { width ?: number ; height ?: number ; dateTaken ?: string ; camera ?: { make ?: string ; model ?: string ; }; gps ?: { latitude : number ; longitude : number ; altitude ?: number ; }; } async function analyzeImage ( file : File ) : Promise < ImageMetadata > { // Step 1: Upload the image const formData = new FormData (); formData . append ( 'image' , file ); const uploadResponse = await fetch ( '/api/image/upload' , { method: 'POST' , body: formData }); const { url } = await uploadResponse . json (); // Step 2: Analyze the uploaded image const analyzeResponse = await fetch ( '/api/image/analyze' , { method: 'POST' , headers: { 'Content-Type' : 'application/json' }, body: JSON . stringify ({ imageUrl: url }) }); const { metadata } = await analyzeResponse . json (); return metadata ; } // Usage const fileInput = document . querySelector ( 'input[type="file"]' ); const metadata = await analyzeImage ( fileInput . files [ 0 ]); if ( metadata . gps ) { console . log ( `Location: ${ metadata . gps . latitude } , ${ metadata . gps . longitude } ` ); } if ( metadata . camera ) { console . log ( `Camera: ${ metadata . camera . make } ${ metadata . camera . model } ` ); }