Image CaptionImage Caption API

OnlineCredit Usage:10 per callRefreshed 1 month ago
avg: 1847ms|p50: 1681ms|p75: 1958ms|p90: 2290ms|p99: 2955ms

Overview

To use Image Caption, you need an API key. You can get one by creating a free account and visiting your dashboard.

POST Endpoint

URL
https://api.apiverve.com/v1/imagecaption

Example

How to call the Image Caption API in different programming languages.

cURL Request
curl -X POST \
  "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/imagecaption" \
  -H "X-API-Key: your_api_key_here" \
  -F "image=@/path/to/image.jpg"
JavaScript (Fetch API)
const formData = new FormData();
formData.append('image', fileInput.files[0]);

const response = await fetch('https://api.apiverve.com/v1/imagecaption', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'X-API-Key': 'your_api_key_here'
  },
  body: formData
});

const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);
Python (Requests)
import requests

headers = {
    'X-API-Key': 'your_api_key_here'
}

files = {
    'image': open('/path/to/image.jpg', 'rb')
}

response = requests.post('https://api.apiverve.com/v1/imagecaption', headers=headers, files=files)

data = response.json()
print(data)
Go (net/http)
package main

import (
    "bytes"
    "fmt"
    "io"
    "mime/multipart"
    "net/http"
    "os"
)

func main() {
    file, _ := os.Open("/path/to/image.jpg")
    defer file.Close()

    body := &bytes.Buffer{}
    writer := multipart.NewWriter(body)
    part, _ := writer.CreateFormFile("image", "image.jpg")
    io.Copy(part, file)
    writer.Close()

    req, _ := http.NewRequest("POST", "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/imagecaption", body)
    req.Header.Set("X-API-Key", "your_api_key_here")
    req.Header.Set("Content-Type", writer.FormDataContentType())

    client := &http.Client{}
    resp, err := client.Do(req)
    if err != nil {
        panic(err)
    }
    defer resp.Body.Close()

    respBody, _ := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
    fmt.Println(string(respBody))
}
Example Response
{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "caption": "A golden retriever running through a grassy field on a sunny day"
  }
}

Authentication

The Image Caption API requires authentication via API key. Include your API key in the request header:

Required Header
X-API-Key: your_api_key_here

Learn more about authentication →

Interactive API Playground

Test the Image Caption API directly in your browser with live requests and responses.

File Upload Required

The Image Caption API requires file upload via multipart/form-data. Do not use Content-Type: application/json for Image Caption.
PropertyValue
Field Nameimage
Accepted Types.jpg, .jpeg, .png, .gif
Max File Size5MB
File Upload Example (cURL)
curl -X POST "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/imagecaption" \
  -H "X-API-Key: your_api_key_here" \
  -F "image=@/path/to/your/file"
File Upload Example (JavaScript)
const formData = new FormData();
formData.append('image', fileInput.files[0]);

const response = await fetch('https://api.apiverve.com/v1/imagecaption', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'X-API-Key': 'your_api_key_here'
  },
  body: formData
});

const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

Parameters

The following parameters are available for the Image Caption API:

Caption Image

ParameterTypeRequiredDescriptionDefaultExample
imagestringrequired
Upload an image file to generate a caption (supported formats: JPG, PNG, GIF, max 5MB)
-https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3a/Cat03.jpg/640px-Cat03.jpg

Response

The Image Caption API returns responses in JSON, XML, YAML, and CSV formats. The JSON response is shown in the Example section above; alternative formats below.

Other Response Formats

XML Response
200 OK
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<response>
  <status>ok</status>
  <error xsi:nil="true" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"/>
  <data>
    <caption>A golden retriever running through a grassy field on a sunny day</caption>
  </data>
</response>
YAML Response
200 OK
status: ok
error: null
data:
  caption: A golden retriever running through a grassy field on a sunny day
CSV Response
200 OK
keyvalue
captionA golden retriever running through a grassy field on a sunny day

Response Structure

All API responses follow a consistent structure with the following fields:

FieldTypeDescriptionExample
statusstringIndicates whether the request was successful ("ok") or failed ("error")ok
errorstring | nullContains error message if status is "error", otherwise nullnull
dataobject | nullContains the API response data if successful, otherwise null{...}

Learn more about response formats →

Response Data Fields

When the request is successful, the data object contains the following fields:

FieldTypeSample ValueDescription
captionstring"A golden retriever running through a grassy field on a sunny day"
AI-generated natural language description of image contents

Headers

Only X-API-Key is required. Optional headers include Accept for response format negotiation (JSON, XML, or YAML), User-Agent, and X-Request-ID for request tracing. See all request headers →

CORS Support

The Image Caption API accepts cross-origin requests from any origin, so it can be called directly from browser-based applications without a proxy. See CORS support →

Rate Limiting

Image Caption requests are throttled per minute on the Free plan and unthrottled on paid plans. Exceeding the limit returns 429 Too Many Requests; rate-limit usage is reported in the X-RateLimit-Limit, X-RateLimit-Remaining, and X-RateLimit-Reset response headers. See per-plan limits and best practices →

Error Codes

The Image Caption API uses standard HTTP status codes — 200 on success, 400 for invalid parameters, 401 for missing or invalid keys, 403 for insufficient credits, 429 for rate-limit exhaustion, and 500/503 for server-side issues. Each error response includes an X-Request-ID header you can quote when contacting support. See full error handling guide →

SDKs for Image Caption

Official Image Caption packages on npm, PyPI, NuGet, and JitPack — plus a Postman collection and an OpenAPI spec. See the SDK guide →

No-Code Integrations

Image Caption works with Zapier, Make, Pipedream, n8n, and Power Automate using the same API key. See setup guides →

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get an API key for Image Caption?
Sign up for a free account at dashboard.apiverve.com. Your API key will be automatically generated and available in your dashboard. The same key works for Image Caption and all other APIVerve APIs. The free plan includes 1,000 credits plus a 500 credit bonus.
How many credits does Image Caption cost?

Each successful Image Caption API call consumes credits based on plan tier. Check the pricing section above for the exact credit cost. Failed requests and errors don't consume credits, so you only pay for successful image caption lookups.

Can I use Image Caption in production?

The free plan is for testing and development only. For production use of Image Caption, upgrade to a paid plan (Starter, Pro, or Mega) which includes commercial use rights, no attribution requirements, and guaranteed uptime SLAs. All paid plans are production-ready.

Can I use Image Caption from a browser?
Yes! The Image Caption API supports CORS with wildcard configuration, so you can call it directly from browser-based JavaScript without needing a proxy server. See the CORS section above for details.
What happens if I exceed my Image Caption credit limit?

When you reach your monthly credit limit, Image Caption API requests will return an error until you upgrade your plan or wait for the next billing cycle. You'll receive notifications at 80% and 95% usage to give you time to upgrade if needed.

What's Next?

Continue your journey with these recommended resources

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