How to Convert Images with an API

Automate image conversion with curl, JavaScript, or Python

Why Use an Image Conversion API

Browser-based converters are great for one-off tasks, but they don't scale. If you need to convert images in a CI/CD pipeline, process uploads in a CMS, or batch-convert a folder of product photos, you need a programmatic solution.

The iLoveAVIF API lets you convert between AVIF, JPG, PNG, and WebP with a single HTTP request. Send a file, get a converted image back. No SDKs, no dependencies, no browser required.

Getting Started

1. Create an Account

Sign up at iloveavif.com/pricing and subscribe to the Pro plan ($4.99/month). Pro includes 1,000 API requests per day plus unlimited browser conversions.

2. Create an API Key

Go to your Dashboard and click "Create API Key". Give it a descriptive name like "CI Pipeline" or "CMS Integration". Copy the key immediately — it's only shown once.

3. Make Your First Request

The conversion endpoint is POST https://iloveavif.com/api/v1/convert. Send your API key in the X-API-Key header, the image as a multipart file upload, and the target format as a form field.

curl -X POST https://iloveavif.com/api/v1/convert \
  -H "X-API-Key: ilav_YOUR_KEY_HERE" \
  -F "file=@photo.jpg" \
  -F "format=avif" \
  -F "quality=75" \
  --output photo.avif

Code Examples

curl

curl -X POST https://iloveavif.com/api/v1/convert \
  -H "X-API-Key: ilav_YOUR_KEY_HERE" \
  -F "file=@input.png" \
  -F "format=webp" \
  -F "quality=80" \
  --output output.webp

JavaScript (fetch)

const form = new FormData();
form.append("file", fileInput.files[0]);
form.append("format", "avif");
form.append("quality", "60");

const res = await fetch("https://iloveavif.com/api/v1/convert", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: { "X-API-Key": "ilav_YOUR_KEY_HERE" },
  body: form,
});

const blob = await res.blob();
// Use blob.arrayBuffer() to save to disk in Node.js
// Use URL.createObjectURL(blob) for browser preview

Python (requests)

import requests

res = requests.post(
    "https://iloveavif.com/api/v1/convert",
    headers={"X-API-Key": "ilav_YOUR_KEY_HERE"},
    files={"file": open("input.png", "rb")},
    data={"format": "avif", "quality": "75"},
)

with open("output.avif", "wb") as f:
    f.write(res.content)

print(f"Savings: {res.headers['X-Savings']}")

Supported Formats

The API supports 16 input/output combinations across four formats:

Common Use Cases

• CI/CD pipelines — Convert images to AVIF/WebP as part of your build process before deploying to production.
• CMS hooks — Automatically convert uploaded images to optimized formats when content editors add media.
• Batch processing — Loop through a directory of images and convert them all with a shell script.
• Browser applications — Use the API from client-side JavaScript (CORS is enabled) for server-side conversion without WASM overhead.