Introducing the YourImageShare Upload API for Developers

We just launched a free upload API for YourImageShare, so developers, scripts, and third-party tools can upload, list, and delete images and videos without touching a browser. If you have ever wanted to automate image hosting from a command line tool, a screenshot utility, or your own application, this is built for exactly that.

Why we built an API

Most of the requests we get from power users are not about the web uploader at all. They are about workflows: a build pipeline that needs to publish a screenshot artifact, a moderation bot that needs to mirror an image before posting it, a personal script that backs up a folder of photos every night. All of that was technically possible before by scripting a browser, but it was fragile and slow, and it broke the moment the page markup changed.

An API removes that layer entirely. You get a stable contract: send a file, get back JSON, done. No cookies, no sessions, no HTML to parse. That stability matters more than any single feature, because it is what makes it safe to build something on top of YourImageShare and trust it will keep working.

What the API does

The upload API gives you three endpoints under a single, predictable base URL: one to upload a file, one to list your recent uploads, and one to delete an upload by its ID. Every response comes back as plain JSON, so you get a direct URL, a delete ID, and basic file metadata back the moment an upload finishes, no HTML parsing or scraping required.

It is a companion to the existing drag-and-drop uploader, not a replacement. The same moderation, storage, and CDN delivery that back every upload on YourImageShare apply to files sent through the API as well, so links behave identically no matter how the file got here.

Getting your API key

Every registered account now has its own API key, visible from the API tab on your account page. Generating one takes no extra signup step and no approval wait; if you already have a YourImageShare account, your key is ready the moment you open that tab. A regenerate option is available if a key is ever shared by mistake or needs to be rotated.

The key can be passed either as a query parameter or as a request header, whichever fits your tool better. Full field-by-field examples, including sample curl commands, live on the API documentation page.

Uploading, listing, and deleting

A single POST request with your file attached and your key included is enough to upload an image or video. The response includes a direct link you can drop straight into a forum post, a chat message, or an embed tag, along with a unique ID you can use later to manage that specific file, plus basic details like file size and type so you do not need a second request just to confirm what was stored.

The list endpoint returns your own recent uploads, newest first, which is useful for building a small dashboard or simply confirming a batch job completed successfully. The delete endpoint takes that same ID and removes the file, returning a clear success or not-found response so your scripts can handle either case without guesswork, whether that is a one-off cleanup or a scheduled job pruning old files automatically.

Rate limits and fair use

To keep the service fast and reliable for everyone, API requests are rate limited per key, with a separate daily ceiling per IP address to catch abuse without penalizing normal use. Current limits are documented on the API page along with the response headers that tell you exactly how many requests you have left in the current window, so well-behaved clients can back off automatically instead of guessing.

These limits are generous enough for personal projects, small tools, and moderate automated workflows. If a specific use case needs more headroom, reach out through the usual support channels and we will take a look.

Common ways people use it

A few patterns came up repeatedly while we were testing this: a screenshot tool uploading a capture the moment a hotkey is pressed, a chat bot that mirrors images into a hosted link before posting them, a static site generator pulling in freshly hosted media during a build step, and a simple cron job that archives a folder of images once a day and reports back the resulting links. None of these need anything more than the three endpoints described above.

If your workflow does not match any of those exactly, that is fine too. The API is intentionally small and general purpose, closer to a building block than a fixed-purpose integration, so it tends to fit into whatever you are already building rather than dictating how you build it.

Built for tools like ShareX

One of the most common requests behind this launch was straightforward: a way to send screenshots straight from a capture tool into a hosted link, without opening a browser tab at all. With a predictable JSON response and a stable upload endpoint, the API is a natural fit for ShareX-style custom uploaders and similar screenshot or clipboard utilities, and we plan to publish ready-made configuration examples soon.

Because the API sits alongside the existing free image and video hosting platform rather than replacing any part of it, anonymous, browser-based uploads continue to work exactly as they always have for anyone who just wants to drag a file in and grab a link.

Get started

Log in, open the API tab on your account page to grab your key, and head to the API documentation for endpoint details, request examples, and current rate limits. We will keep expanding this page as new endpoints and integrations ship.

Prefer working through an AI agent instead of writing a script by hand? A companion post covers how to connect Claude and ChatGPT to this API over MCP. For a full walkthrough of scripting uploads directly against the REST endpoints, see automating image and video uploads with the API.