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Next.js ImageKit SDK

Real-time image & video resizing, automatic optimization, and file uploading in Next.js using ImageKit.io.


The Next.js ImageKit SDK is a framework-specific wrapper built on top of the ImageKit JavaScript SDK. It seamlessly integrates ImageKit’s URL generation, image and video optimizations, and file upload capabilities with Next.js.

The SDK is lightweight and has first-class TypeScript support. You can view the source code on Github.

Installation and Setup

Install the Next.js SDK via npm or yarn:

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npm install @imagekit/next
# or
yarn add @imagekit/next

Ensure your project is using Next.js version 13 or above, as this is required by the SDK.

The SDK is designed to work with both the App Router and the Pages Router. It can be used in any component, including both server components and client components. Internally, the SDK applies the use client directive appropriately, ensuring that you don't need to create additional wrapping boundaries.

The SDK exports Image and Video components that are drop-in replacements for Next.js native Image and HTML video elements. These components automatically handle the URL generation and transformation logic, making it easy to integrate ImageKit into your Next.js application.

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//import Image from 'next/image'
import { Image } from '@imagekit/next';

export default function Page() {
  return (
    <Image
      urlEndpoint="https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id" // New prop
      src="/profile.png"
      width={500}
      height={500}
      alt="Picture of the author"
    />
  )
}

You can wrap Image and Video components inside the ImageKitProvider to set default values for urlEndpoint and transformationPosition. This allows you to avoid repeating these values in every component, making your code cleaner and more maintainable.

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import { Image, ImageKitProvider } from '@imagekit/next';

export default function Page() {
  return (
    <ImageKitProvider urlEndpoint="https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id">
      <Image
        src="/profile.png"
        width={500}
        height={500}
        alt="Picture of the author"
      />
    </ImageKitProvider>
  )
}

Besides Image and Video, the SDK also provides utility functions and error classes that can be used independently of the components.

Utility functions

  • buildSrc – Generates URLs for images and videos based on your URL endpoint and transformation parameters.
  • buildTransformationString – Converts array of transformation objects into a URL query string.
  • upload – Facilitates file uploads to ImageKit with built-in support for common error handling, progress tracking, and abort functionality.

Refer to linked documentation for detailed usage of these utility functions.

Error classes for upload error handling

  • ImageKitInvalidRequestError - For invalid requests.
  • ImageKitAbortError - For aborted uploads.
  • ImageKitUploadNetworkError - For network errors during upload.
  • ImageKitServerError - For server-side errors.

Next.js Specific Components

  • Image – A drop-in replacement for Next.js Image component with ImageKit transformations. It is a wrapper around the native Next.js Image component, extending its functionality to support ImageKit-specific features.
  • Video – A lightweight wrapper for the HTML video element that automatically generates URLs for video assets with ImageKit transformations.
  • ImageKitProvider & ImageKitContext – Components that let you configure default settings (such as urlEndpoint and transformationPosition) for all nested Image and Video components.

Type definitions

The SDK provides TypeScript definitions for all components and utility functions, ensuring type safety and autocompletion in your IDE. Exported types include ImageKitProviderProps, IKImageProps, IKVideoProps, SrcOptions, UploadOptions, UploadResponse, and Transformation.

Image Component

The Image component is a wrapper around the native Next.js Image component. It allows you to use ImageKit’s URL generation and transformation capabilities while maintaining the benefits of Next.js’ built-in lazy loading, responsive images and other capabilities.

It supports all Next.js Image props and additionally accepts the following ImageKit-specific props:

Notes

  1. If you are using the loader prop, the SDK silently ignores it. The SDK uses its own loader function to generate the URL for the image. You can use buildSrc to generate the URL manually if you need to customize the URL generation process.
  2. If you pass unoptimized=true, the SDK will not apply any transformations or optimizations to the image. Essentially, the SDK adds a tr=orig-true parameter to serve the original image as it is.
  3. src does not accept a statically imported image file. It should be a relative or absolute path to the image.
Parameter Description and Example

urlEndpoint

The base URL endpoint from your ImageKit dashboard. To avoid passing this prop in every component, you can wrap your components in an ImageKitProvider and set the urlEndpoint there. In case you pass it in the component, it will override the value set in the provider.

Example: https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id.

src
(Required)

A relative or absolute path to the image.

  • If a relative path is provided, it is appended to the urlEndpoint.
  • If an absolute path is provided, it is used as-is and the urlEndpoint is ignored.
  • Do not include query parameters directly in the src. Use the queryParameters prop instead.
  • When using a web proxy, you can pass the full image URL and prepend it with a /. For example - /https://example.com/image.jpg.
  • Do not pass a statically imported image.

Examples:
Relative - /default-image.jpg
Absolute - https://example.com/image.jpg
Web Proxy - /https://example.com/image.jpg

transformation

An array of transformation objects. Each object can include properties like width, height, rotation, overlays, and advanced effects.

Example: [ { width: 300, height: 300 } ]

See all supported transformation options and how to handle unsupported transformations.

queryParametersAn object with additional query parameters to append to the URL.
Example: { v: 2 }
transformationPositionSpecifies whether the transformation string is included in the URL path or as a query parameter. Defaults to "query".
Example: "query" or "path"

Video Component

The Video component is a lightweight wrapper around the HTML video element. It allows you to use ImageKit’s URL generation and transformation capabilities. It supports all HTML video attributes and additionally accepts the following ImageKit-specific props - urlEndpoint, transformation, transformationPosition, and queryParameters. For the definition of these props, refer to the Image component section.

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import { Video } from '@imagekit/next';
export default function Page() {
  return (
    <Video
      urlEndpoint="https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id"
      src="/video.mp4"
      controls
      width={500}
      height={500}
    />
  )
}

Height and Width Transformations

With ImageKit, you can resize images on the fly using the width and height properties. The SDK automatically generates the appropriate URL with the specified dimensions.

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//import Image from 'next/image'
import { Image } from '@imagekit/next';

export default function Page() {
  return (
    <Image
      urlEndpoint="https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id"
      src="/profile.png"
      width={500}
      height={500}
      alt="Picture of the author"
      transformation={[{ width: 500, height: 500 }]}
    />
  )
}

Responsive Images

The Image component supports responsive images by default because its built on top of the Next.js Image component. Check the Next.js documentation for more details.

Lazy Loading Images

The Image component supports lazy loading by default. You can control this behavior using the loading prop.

By default, loading is set to lazy, which defers loading the image until it is near the viewport.

If set to eager, the image loads immediately.

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import { Image } from '@imagekit/next';
export default function Page() {
  return (
    <Image
      urlEndpoint="https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id"
      src="/profile.png"
      width={500}
      height={500}
      alt="Picture of the author"
      loading="lazy" // Use "eager" to load immediately. `lazy` is the default value
    />
  )
}

Lazy Loading with Placeholder

To show a placeholder while the image is loading, you can either use Next.js's built-in blurDataURL along with placeholder prop. But this requires you to generate a base64-encoded placeholder image beforehand. Which is not always feasible.

Alternatively, you can generate a placeholder image URL using ImageKit's buildSrc utility function and set it as a background image in the style prop. Then you can use the onLoad event to remove the background image (placeholder) once the image has loaded.

Good to know
Next.js uses the same technique by applying a background image through inline styles. However, it's important to note that with server-side rendering (SSR), the image often loads before the JavaScript bundle has executed. This delays the triggering of the onLoad event, which can lead to a situation where both the placeholder and the actual image are visible at the same time. The same behavior applies to the blurDataURL prop. You can simulate a slow network in a production build with SSR to observe this effect.

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"use client" // This component must be a client component
import { Image, buildSrc } from "@imagekit/next";
import { useState } from "react";
export default function Page() {
  const [showPlaceholder, setShowPlaceholder] = useState(true);
  return (
    <Image
      src="/default-image.jpg"
      alt="Next.js logo"
      width={400}
      height={400}
      loading="eager"
      style={showPlaceholder ? {
        backgroundImage: `url(${buildSrc({
          urlEndpoint: "https://ik.imagekit.io/ikmedia",
          src: "/default-image.jpg",
          transformation: [
            // {}, // Any other transformation you want to apply
            {
              quality: 10,
              blur: 90,
            }
          ]
        })})`,
        backgroundSize: "cover",
        backgroundRepeat: "no-repeat",
      } : {}}
      onLoad={() => {
        setShowPlaceholder(false);
      }}
    />
  )
}

Lazy Loading Videos

To lazy load a video using Video component, you can set the preload attribute to none and specify a poster image by extracting a thumbnail from the video.

The buildSrc utility function is used to generate the thumbnail URL. It accepts the same parameters as the Video/Image component and returns a URL with the specified transformations.

Refer to the create thumbnail documentation for detailed instructions on generating a thumbnail from a video using ImageKit.

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import { Video, buildSrc } from '@imagekit/next';
export default function Page() {
  return (
    <Video
      urlEndpoint="https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id"
      src="/video.mp4"
      controls
      preload="none"
      poster={buildSrc({
        urlEndpoint: "https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id",
        src: `/video.mp4/ik-thumbnail.jpg`, // Append ik-thumbnail.jpg after the video URL
      })}
    />
  )
}

Chained Transformations

You can chain multiple transformations together by passing an array of transformation objects. Each object can specify different properties, such as width, height, cropping, overlays, and effects. See chained transformations for more details.

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import { Image } from '@imagekit/next';
export default function Page() {
  return (
    <Image
      urlEndpoint="https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id"
      src="/profile.png"
      width={500}
      height={500}
      alt="Picture of the author"
      transformation={[
        { width: 400, height: 300 },
        { rotation: 90 }
      ]}
    />
  )
}

Adding Overlays

You can add overlays to images and videos. The overlay can be a text, image, video, or subtitle.

Besides the overlay type, you can also specify the position, size, and other properties of the overlay. Check the overlay options for more details.

Image Overlay

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import { Image, ImageKitProvider } from '@imagekit/next';

export default function ImageOverlayExample() {
  return (
    <ImageKitProvider urlEndpoint="https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id">
      <Image
        src="/background.jpg"
        alt="Background with image overlay"
        width={600}
        height={400}
        transformation={[
          { overlay: { type: "image", input: "logo.png" } }
        ]}
      />
    </ImageKitProvider>
  );
}

You can independently transform the overlay image by passing a transformation array inside the overlay object. The transformation will be applied to the overlay image only.

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import { Image, ImageKitProvider } from '@imagekit/next';
export default function ImageOverlayExample() {
  return (
    <ImageKitProvider urlEndpoint="https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id">
      <Image
        src="/background.jpg"
        alt="Background with image overlay"
        width={600}
        height={400}
        transformation={[
          { 
            overlay: { 
              type: "image",
              input: "logo.png",
              transformation: [{ width: 100, height: 100 }] // Transformations for the overlay image and not the background image
            } 
          }
        ]}
      />
    </ImageKitProvider>
  );
}

Image overlays support a wide range of transformations. Check reference for the complete list of transformations supported on image overlays.

Solid Color Overlay

You can add a solid color overlay to images and videos.

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import { Image, ImageKitProvider } from '@imagekit/next';
export default function ColorOverlayExample() {
  return (
    <ImageKitProvider urlEndpoint="https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id">
      <Image
        src="/background.jpg"
        alt="Background with solid color overlay"
        width={600}
        height={400}
        transformation={[
          { 
            overlay: { 
              type: "solidColor",
              color: "FF0000" 
            } 
          }
        ]}
      />
    </ImageKitProvider>
  );
}

You can also specify the width, height, and other properties of the solid color overlay. For example:

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import { Image, ImageKitProvider } from '@imagekit/next';
export default function ColorOverlayExample() {
  return (
    <ImageKitProvider urlEndpoint="https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id">
      <Image
        src="/background.jpg"
        alt="Background with 100x100 solid color overlay"
        width={600}
        height={400}
        transformation={[
          { 
            overlay: { 
              type: "color",
              color: "FF0000",
              transformation: [
                { width: 100, height: 100 }
              ]
            } 
          }
        ]}
      />
    </ImageKitProvider>
  );
}

For more options related to styling the solid color overlay, check the solid color overlay transformations section.

Text Overlay

You can add text overlays to images and videos.

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import { Image, ImageKitProvider } from '@imagekit/next';
export default function TextOverlayExample() {
  return (
    <ImageKitProvider urlEndpoint="https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id">
      <Image
        src="/background.jpg"
        alt="Background with text overlay"
        width={600}
        height={400}
        transformation={[
          { 
            overlay: { 
              type: "text", 
              text: "Hello, ImageKit!" 
            } 
          }
        ]}
      />
    </ImageKitProvider>
  );
}

You can also specify the font size, color, and other properties of the text overlay. For example:

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import { Image, ImageKitProvider } from '@imagekit/next';

export default function TextOverlayExample() {
  return (
    <ImageKitProvider urlEndpoint="https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id">
      <Image
        src="/background.jpg"
        alt="Background with text overlay"
        width={600}
        height={400}
        transformation={[
          { 
            overlay: { 
              type: "text", 
              text: "Hello, ImageKit!", 
              transformation: [
                { fontSize: 20, fontColor: "FF0000" } // Specify font size and color of the text
              ] 
            } 
          }
        ]}
      />
    </ImageKitProvider>
  );
}

Check the text overlay transformations section for more options related to styling the text.

Video Overlay

You can add video overlays on videos only.

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import { Video, ImageKitProvider } from '@imagekit/next';

export default function VideoOverlayExample() {
  return (
    <ImageKitProvider urlEndpoint="https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id">
      <Video
        src="/background.mp4"
        controls
        transformation={[
          { 
            overlay: { 
              type: "video", 
              input: "overlay.mp4" 
            } 
          }
        ]}
      />
    </ImageKitProvider>
  );
}

Additionally, you can specify the start and duration for the overlay video. For example:

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import { Video, ImageKitProvider } from '@imagekit/next';
export default function VideoOverlayExample() {
  return (
    <ImageKitProvider urlEndpoint="https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id">
      <Video
        src="/background.mp4"
        controls
        transformation={[
          { 
            overlay: { 
              type: "video", 
              input: "overlay.mp4",
              timing: { start: 5, duration: 10 } // Overlay appears at 5 seconds and lasts for 10 seconds
            } 
          }
        ]}
      />
    </ImageKitProvider>
  );
}

You can also independently transform the overlay video. For example, to resize the overlay video:

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import { Video, ImageKitProvider } from '@imagekit/next';
export default function VideoOverlayExample() {
  return (
    <ImageKitProvider urlEndpoint="https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id">
      <Video
        src="/background.mp4"
        controls
        transformation={[
          { 
            overlay: { 
              type: "video", 
              input: "overlay.mp4",
              transformation: [
                { width: 100, height: 100 } // Transformations for the overlay video and not the background video
              ] 
            } 
          }
        ]}
      />
    </ImageKitProvider>
  );
}

All supported video transformations can also be applied to overlay videos.

If you're overlaying an image on a base video, refer to this list for all the transformations supported on image overlays.

Subtitle Overlay

You can add subtitle overlays on videos.

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import { Video, ImageKitProvider } from '@imagekit/next';

export default function SubtitleOverlayExample() {
  return (
    <ImageKitProvider urlEndpoint="https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id">
      <Video
        src="/background.mp4"
        controls
        transformation={[
          { 
            overlay: { 
              type: "subtitle", 
              input: "subtitle.srt" 
            } 
          }
        ]}
      />
    </ImageKitProvider>
  );
}

The subtitle overlay can be styled with various properties such as font size, color, and outline. See the Subtitle Overlay Transformations section for all styling options.

Background Removal Using AI

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import { Image, ImageKitProvider } from '@imagekit/next';

export default function BackgroundRemovalExample() {
  return (
    <ImageKitProvider urlEndpoint="https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id">
      <Image
        src="/photo.jpg"
        alt="Photo with background removal"
        width={500}
        height={500}
        transformation={[
          { aiRemoveBackground: true }
        ]}
      />
    </ImageKitProvider>
  );
}

ImageKit supports multiple AI-powered transformations, like upscaling, generative fill, and more. More examples:

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import { Image, ImageKitProvider } from '@imagekit/next';
export default function AIDropShadow() {
  return (
    <ImageKitProvider urlEndpoint="https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id">
      <Image
        src="/photo.jpg"
        alt="Photo with AI drop shadow"
        width={500}
        height={500}
        transformation={[
          { aiDropShadow: true }
        ]}
      />
    </ImageKitProvider>
  );
}

Upscaling example:

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import { Image, ImageKitProvider } from '@imagekit/next';
export default function AIUpscaleExample() {
  return (
    <ImageKitProvider urlEndpoint="https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id">
      <Image
        src="/photo.jpg"
        alt="Photo with AI upscaling"
        width={500}
        height={500}
        transformation={[
          { aiUpscale: true }
        ]}
      />
    </ImageKitProvider>
  );
}

Arithmetic Expressions

You can use arithmetic expressions to dynamically compute transformation values. For example, to set the width to half of the original image width:

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import { Image, ImageKitProvider } from '@imagekit/next';

export default function ArithmeticExample() {
  return (
    <ImageKitProvider urlEndpoint="https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id">
      <Image
        src="/photo.jpg"
        alt="Photo with arithmetic width"
        width={300}
        height={200}
        transformation={[
          { width: "iw_div_2" }
        ]}
      />
    </ImageKitProvider>
  );
}

Check out the Arithmetic Expressions reference for more examples and details.

Uploading Files

The Next.js SDK exports a utility function, .upload, which enables you to upload files to ImageKit. This upload() function leverages the Upload V1 API, accepting an options object and returning a promise that resolves with the upload response.

The SDK automatically converts certain parameters into JSON strings, as required by the API. If a parameter is not explicitly supported by the SDK, it is included in the request as-is. For a complete list of parameters and expected formats, refer to the API documentation.

upload() Parameters

The upload() function accepts a JSON object with the following parameters:

Option Description and Example
file
(Required)
The file content to be uploaded. Accepts binary data, a base64-encoded string, or a URL. Typically used with a File or Blob in the browser. Example: file: fileInput.files[0]
fileName
(Required)
The name to assign to the uploaded file. Supports alphanumeric characters, dot, underscore, and dash. Any other character is replaced with _. Example: fileName: "myImage.jpg"
signature
(Required)
The HMAC-SHA1 digest of the concatenation of "token + expire". The signing key is your ImageKit private API key. Must be computed on the server side. Example: signature: "generated_signature"

token
(Required)

A unique value to identify and prevent replays. Typically a UUID (e.g., version 4). Example: token: "unique_upload_token"

Check the generating authentication parameters section for more details on how to generate this value.

expire
(Required)

A Unix timestamp in seconds, less than 1 hour in the future. Example: expire: 1616161616

Check the generating authentication parameters section for more details on how to generate this value.

publicKey
(Required)

The public API key for your ImageKit account. This is used to identify the account making the upload request. Example: publicKey: "your_public_api_key"

Check the generating authentication parameters section for more details on how to generate this value.

onProgressA callback function to track the upload progress. It receives an event object with loaded and total properties. Example: onProgress: (event) => console.log(event.loaded, event.total) This is useful for showing upload progress to the user.
abortSignalAn optional AbortSignal object to abort the upload request. If the signal is already aborted, the upload will fail immediately. You can create an AbortController instance and pass its signal to the upload() function.
useUniqueFileNameBoolean flag to automatically generate a unique filename if set to true. Defaults to true. If false, the image is uploaded with the provided filename, replacing any existing file with the same name. Example: useUniqueFileName: true
folderThe folder path where the file will be stored, e.g., "/images/folder/". If the path doesn't exist, it is created on-the-fly. Example: folder: "/images/uploads"
isPrivateFileBoolean to mark the file as private, restricting access to the original file URL. A private file requires signed URLs or named transformations for access. Defaults to false. Example: isPrivateFile: false
tagsOptionally set tags on the uploaded file. Can be a comma-separated string or an array of tags. Example: tags: "summer,holiday" or tags: ["summer","holiday"]
customCoordinatesA string in "x,y,width,height" format that defines the region of interest in an image (top-left coords and area size). Example: customCoordinates: "10,10,100,100"
responseFieldsA comma-separated or array-based set of fields to return in the upload response. Example: responseFields: "tags,customCoordinates"
extensionsAn array of extension objects to apply to the image, e.g., background removal, auto-tagging, etc. Example: extensions: [{ name: "auto-tagging" }]
webhookUrlA webhook URL to receive the final status of any pending extensions once they've completed processing. Example: webhookUrl: "https://example.com/webhook"
overwriteFileDefaults to true. If false, and "useUniqueFileName" is also false, the API immediately fails if a file with the same name/folder already exists. Example: overwriteFile: true
overwriteAITagsDefaults to true. If true, and an existing file is found at the same location, its AITags are removed. Set to false to keep existing AITags. Example: overwriteAITags: true
overwriteTagsDefaults to true. If no tags are specified in the request, existing tags are removed from overwritten files. Setting to false has no effect if the request includes tags. Example: overwriteTags: true
overwriteCustomMetadataDefaults to true. If no customMetadata is specified in the request, existing customMetadata is removed from overwritten files. Setting to false has no effect if the request specifies customMetadata. Example: overwriteCustomMetadata: true
customMetadataA stringified JSON or an object containing custom metadata fields to store with the file. Custom metadata fields must be pre-defined in your ImageKit configuration. Example: customMetadata: {author: "John Doe"}
transformationDefines pre and post transformations to be applied to the file during upload. The SDK enforces certain validation rules for pre/post transformations. Example: transformation: { pre: "w-200,h-200", post: [...] }
xhrAn optional XMLHttpRequest instance for the upload. The SDK merges it with its own logic to handle progress events, etc. Example: xhr: new XMLHttpRequest()
checksA string specifying the checks to be performed server-side before uploading to the media library, e.g., size or mime type checks. Example: checks: "file.size' < '1MB'"

Upload Example and Error Handling

The .upload function expects the following mandatory parameters:

  • file and fileName – The file to be uploaded and the name you want to assign to it. The file value can be a File object, a base64-encoded string, or a URL.
  • Authentication parameterstoken, signature, expire, and publicKey.

Authentication is essential for secure file uploads from the browser. You should never expose your private API key in client-side code. Instead, generate these one-time authentication parameters on the server side and pass them to the client.

To simplify this process, the Next.js SDK provides a utility function: getUploadAuthParams. You can use this in your API route to generate the required authentication parameters. It takes your private and public keys as input and returns the token, expire, and signature.

Upload Flow Overview

Here’s how the upload process using the SDK works:

  1. Client Request for Auth Parameters
    The client component calls an API route to fetch the authentication parameters.
    You can implement your own application logic within this route to authenticate the user.
    After that, use getUploadAuthParams to generate the upload credentials.

  2. File Upload
    Once the client has the auth parameters, it can call the .upload function with the necessary data.

Generating Authentication Parameters

Create an API route at either:

  • app/api/upload-auth/route.ts (for App Router)
  • pages/api/upload-auth.ts (for Pages Router)

In this route, use the getUploadAuthParams function provided by @imagekit/next/server to generate the required upload parameters.

This function takes your private and public keys and returns the token, expire, and signature. You can also implement custom logic in this route to ensure that only authenticated or authorized users can request upload credentials.

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// File: app/api/upload-auth/route.ts
import { getUploadAuthParams } from "@imagekit/next/server"

export async function GET() {
    // Your application logic to authenticate the user
    // For example, you can check if the user is logged in or has the necessary permissions
    // If the user is not authenticated, you can return an error response

    const { token, expire, signature } = getUploadAuthParams({
        privateKey: process.env.IMAGEKIT_PRIVATE_KEY as string, // Never expose this on client side
        publicKey: process.env.IMAGEKIT_PUBLIC_KEY as string,
        // expire: 30 * 60, // Optional, controls the expiry time of the token in seconds, maximum 1 hour in the future
        // token: "random-token", // Optional, a unique token for request
    })

    return Response.json({ token, expire, signature, publicKey: process.env.IMAGEKIT_PUBLIC_KEY })
}

Now your client-side code can call this API route to retrieve the upload parameters.

The example below demonstrates how to use the .upload function in a client component to upload a file, including error handling for various upload scenarios. You can copy and paste this code into your client component and customize it as needed.

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"use client" // This component must be a client component

import {
    ImageKitAbortError,
    ImageKitInvalidRequestError,
    ImageKitServerError,
    ImageKitUploadNetworkError,
    upload,
} from "@imagekit/next";
import { useRef, useState } from "react";

// UploadExample component demonstrates file uploading using ImageKit's Next.js SDK.
const UploadExample = () => {
    // State to keep track of the current upload progress (percentage)
    const [progress, setProgress] = useState(0);

    // Create a ref for the file input element to access its files easily
    const fileInputRef = useRef<HTMLInputElement>(null);

    // Create an AbortController instance to provide an option to cancel the upload if needed.
    const abortController = new AbortController();

    /**
     * Authenticates and retrieves the necessary upload credentials from the server.
     *
     * This function calls the authentication API endpoint to receive upload parameters like signature,
     * expire time, token, and publicKey.
     *
     * @returns {Promise<{signature: string, expire: string, token: string, publicKey: string}>} The authentication parameters.
     * @throws {Error} Throws an error if the authentication request fails.
     */
    const authenticator = async () => {
        try {
            // Perform the request to the upload authentication endpoint.
            const response = await fetch("/api/upload-auth");
            if (!response.ok) {
                // If the server response is not successful, extract the error text for debugging.
                const errorText = await response.text();
                throw new Error(`Request failed with status ${response.status}: ${errorText}`);
            }

            // Parse and destructure the response JSON for upload credentials.
            const data = await response.json();
            const { signature, expire, token, publicKey } = data;
            return { signature, expire, token, publicKey };
        } catch (error) {
            // Log the original error for debugging before rethrowing a new error.
            console.error("Authentication error:", error);
            throw new Error("Authentication request failed");
        }
    };

    /**
     * Handles the file upload process.
     *
     * This function:
     * - Validates file selection.
     * - Retrieves upload authentication credentials.
     * - Initiates the file upload via the ImageKit SDK.
     * - Updates the upload progress.
     * - Catches and processes errors accordingly.
     */
    const handleUpload = async () => {
        // Access the file input element using the ref
        const fileInput = fileInputRef.current;
        if (!fileInput || !fileInput.files || fileInput.files.length === 0) {
            alert("Please select a file to upload");
            return;
        }

        // Extract the first file from the file input
        const file = fileInput.files[0];

        // Retrieve authentication parameters for the upload.
        let authParams;
        try {
            authParams = await authenticator();
        } catch (authError) {
            console.error("Failed to authenticate for upload:", authError);
            return;
        }
        const { signature, expire, token, publicKey } = authParams;

        // Call the ImageKit SDK upload function with the required parameters and callbacks.
        try {
            const uploadResponse = await upload({
                // Authentication parameters
                expire,
                token,
                signature,
                publicKey,
                file,
                fileName: file.name, // Optionally set a custom file name
                // Progress callback to update upload progress state
                onProgress: (event) => {
                    setProgress((event.loaded / event.total) * 100);
                },
                // Abort signal to allow cancellation of the upload if needed.
                abortSignal: abortController.signal,
            });
            console.log("Upload response:", uploadResponse);
        } catch (error) {
            // Handle specific error types provided by the ImageKit SDK.
            if (error instanceof ImageKitAbortError) {
                console.error("Upload aborted:", error.reason);
            } else if (error instanceof ImageKitInvalidRequestError) {
                console.error("Invalid request:", error.message);
            } else if (error instanceof ImageKitUploadNetworkError) {
                console.error("Network error:", error.message);
            } else if (error instanceof ImageKitServerError) {
                console.error("Server error:", error.message);
            } else {
                // Handle any other errors that may occur.
                console.error("Upload error:", error);
            }
        }
    };

    return (
        <>
            {/* File input element using React ref */}
            <input type="file" ref={fileInputRef} />
            {/* Button to trigger the upload process */}
            <button type="button" onClick={handleUpload}>
                Upload file
            </button>
            <br />
            {/* Display the current upload progress */}
            Upload progress: <progress value={progress} max={100}></progress>
        </>
    );
};

export default UploadExample;

Supported Transformations

The SDK assigns a name to each transformation parameter (e.g., height maps to h, width maps to w). If the property does not match any of the following supported options, it is added as is in the URL.

If you want to generate transformations without any modifications, use the raw parameter. For example, SDK doesn't provide a nice way to write conditional transformations, so you can use the raw parameter to add them as is.

Check transformation documentation for complete reference on all transformations supported by ImageKit.

Transformation NameURL Parameter
widthw
heighth
aspectRatioar
qualityq
aiRemoveBackgrounde-bgremove (ImageKit powered)
aiRemoveBackgroundExternale-removedotbg (Using third party)
aiUpscalee-upscale
aiRetouche-retouch
aiVariatione-genvar
aiDropShadowe-dropshadow
aiChangeBackgrounde-changebg
cropc
cropModecm
xx
yy
xCenterxc
yCenteryc
focusfo
formatf
radiusr
backgroundbg
borderb
rotationrt
blurbl
namedn
dprdpr
progressivepr
losslesslo
trimt
metadatamd
colorProfilecp
defaultImagedi
originalorig
videoCodecvc
audioCodecac
grayscalee-grayscale
contrastStretche-contrast
shadowe-shadow
sharpene-sharpen
unsharpMaske-usm
gradiente-gradient
flipfl
opacityo
zoomz
pagepg
startOffsetso
endOffseteo
durationdu
streamingResolutionssr
overlayGenerates the correct layer syntax for image, video, text, subtitle, and solid color overlays.
rawThe string provided in raw will be added in the URL as is.

Handling Unsupported Transformations

If you specify a transformation parameter that is not explicitly supported by the SDK, it is added “as-is” in the generated URL. This provides flexibility for using new or custom transformations without waiting for an SDK update. However add @ts-ignore to avoid TypeScript errors for unsupported transformations, or add transformation as a string in the raw parameter.

For example:

Copy
buildSrc({
  urlEndpoint: "https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id",
  src: "/photo.jpg",
  transformation: [
    { unsupportedTransformation: "value" }
  ]
});
// Output: https://ik.imagekit.io/your_imagekit_id/photo.jpg?tr=unsupportedTransformation-value

Overlay Reference

This SDK provides overlay as a transformation parameter. The overlay can be a text, image, video, subtitle, or solid color.

Overlays in ImageKit are applied using layers, allowing you to stack multiple overlays on top of each other. Each overlay can be styled and positioned independently. For more details, refer to the layer documentation.

The SDK automatically generates the correct layer syntax for image, video, text, subtitle, and solid color overlays. You can also specify the overlay position, size, and other properties.

The table below outlines the available overlay configuration options:

Option Description and Example
type
(Required)
Specifies the type of overlay. Supported values: text, image, video, subtitle, solidColor. Example: type: "text"
text
(Required for text overlays)
The text content to display. Example: text: "ImageKit"
input
(Required for image, video, or subtitle overlays)
Relative path to the overlay asset. Example: input: "logo.png" or input: "overlay-video.mp4"
color
(Required for solidColor overlays)
RGB/RGBA hex code or color name for the overlay color. Example: color: "FF0000"
encodingAccepted values: auto, plain, base64. Check this for more details. Example: encoding: "auto"
transformationAn array of transformation objects to style the overlay independently of the base asset. Each overlay type has its own set of supported transformations.
  • For example, for text overlays, you can specify fontSize, fontColor, background, etc. Example: transformation: [{ fontSize: 20, fontColor: "FF0000" }]. Check out the text overlay transformations section for more options.
  • For image overlays, you can specify width, height, radius, etc. Example: transformation: [{ width: 100, height: 100 }]. Check reference for complete list of transformations supported on image overlays.
  • For video overlays, you can specify width, height, rotation, etc. Example: transformation: [{ width: 100, height: 100 }]. Check reference for complete list of transformations supported on video overlays.
  • For subtitle overlays, you can specify fontSize, fontColor, background, etc. Example: transformation: [{ fontSize: 20, fontColor: "FF0000" }]. Check out the subtitle overlay transformations section for more options.
  • For solid color overlays, you can specify width, height, radius, etc. Example: transformation: [{ width: 100, height: 100 }]. Check out the solid color overlay transformations section for more options.
positionSets the overlay’s position relative to the base asset. Accepts an object with x, y, or focus. Example: position: { x: 10, y: 20 } or position: { focus: "center" }
timing(For video base) Specifies when the overlay appears using start, duration, and end (in seconds); if both duration and end are set, duration is ignored. Example: timing: { start: 5, duration: 10 }

Encoding Options

Overlay encoding options define how the overlay input is converted for URL construction. When set to auto, the SDK automatically determines whether to use plain text or Base64 encoding based on the input content.

For text overlays:

  • If auto is used, the SDK checks the text overlay input: if it is URL-safe, it uses the format i-{input} (plain text); otherwise, it applies Base64 encoding with the format ie-{base64_encoded_input}.
  • You can force a specific method by setting encoding to plain (always use i-{input}) or base64 (always use ie-{base64}).
  • Note: In all cases, the text is percent-encoded to ensure URL safety.

For image, video, and subtitle overlays:

  • The input path is processed by removing any leading/trailing slashes and replacing inner slashes with @@ when plain is used.
  • Similarly, if auto is used, the SDK determines whether to apply plain text or Base64 encoding based on the characters present.
  • For explicit behavior, use plain or base64 to enforce the desired encoding.

Use auto for most cases to let the SDK optimize encoding, and use plain or base64 when a specific encoding method is required.

Solid Color Overlay Transformations

OptionDescriptionExample
widthSpecifies the width of the solid color overlay block (in pixels or as an arithmetic expression).width: 100
heightSpecifies the height of the solid color overlay block (in pixels or as an arithmetic expression).height: 50
radiusSpecifies the corner radius of the solid color overlay block or shape. Can be a number or "max" for circular/oval shapes.radius: "max"
alphaSpecifies the transparency level of the solid color overlay. Supports integers from 1 (most transparent) to 9 (least transparent).alpha: 5

Text Overlay Transformations

OptionDescriptionExample
widthSpecifies the maximum width (in pixels) of the overlaid text. The text wraps automatically, and arithmetic expressions are supported (e.g., bw_mul_0.2 or bh_div_2).width: 400
fontSizeSpecifies the font size of the overlaid text. Accepts a numeric value or an arithmetic expression.fontSize: 50
fontFamilySpecifies the font family of the overlaid text. Choose from the supported fonts or provide a custom font.fontFamily: "Arial"
fontColorSpecifies the font color of the overlaid text. Accepts an RGB hex code, an RGBA code, or a standard color name.fontColor: "FF0000"
innerAlignmentSpecifies the inner alignment of the text when it doesn’t occupy the full width. Supported values: left, right, center.innerAlignment: "center"
paddingSpecifies the padding around the text overlay. Can be a single integer or multiple values separated by underscores; arithmetic expressions are accepted.padding: 10
alphaSpecifies the transparency level of the text overlay. Accepts an integer between 1 and 9.alpha: 5
typographySpecifies the typography style of the text. Supported values: b for bold, i for italics, and b_i for bold with italics.typography: "b"
backgroundSpecifies the background color of the text overlay. Accepts an RGB hex code, an RGBA code, or a color name.background: "red"
radiusSpecifies the corner radius of the text overlay. Accepts a numeric value or max for circular/oval shape.radius: "max"
rotationSpecifies the rotation angle of the text overlay. Accepts a numeric value for clockwise rotation or a string prefixed with N for counterclockwise rotation.rotation: 90
flipSpecifies the flip option for the text overlay. Supported values: h, v, h_v, v_h.flip: "h"
lineHeightSpecifies the line height for multi-line text. Accepts a numeric value or an arithmetic expression.lineHeight: 20

Subtitle Overlay Transformations

OptionDescriptionExample
backgroundSpecifies the subtitle background color using a standard color name, RGB color code, or RGBA color code.background: "blue"
fontSizeSets the font size of subtitle text.fontSize: 16
fontFamilySets the font family of subtitle text.fontFamily: "Arial"
colorSpecifies the font color of subtitle text using standard color name, RGB, or RGBA color code.color: "FF0000"
typographySets the typography style of subtitle text. Supported values: b, i, b_i.typography: "b"
fontOutlineSpecifies the font outline for subtitles. Requires an outline width and color separated by an underscore.fontOutline: "2_blue"
fontShadowSpecifies the font shadow for subtitles. Requires shadow color and indent separated by an underscore.fontShadow: "blue_2"