Background Remover

Overview

Background Remover runs the U2-Net salient object segmentation model on our own infrastructure, so your images are never sent to a third-party AI provider. It works best on photos with one clear subject, such as products, people, pets and vehicles, and returns a download URL for the finished PNG.

Live Test Background Remover API →

Endpoint

One host, one path per API. The block below shows this call in four languages; every one of them is the same HTTP request. Making requests covers the timeouts, retries and parameter rules that apply to all of them. The SDKs wrap the same call in a typed client.

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curl -X POST https://api.apiverve.com/v1/backgroundremover \
  -H "x-api-key: your_api_key_here" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
  "url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/YellowLabradorLooking_new.jpg",
  "bgColor": "#ffffff"
}'

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const res = await fetch('https://api.apiverve.com/v1/backgroundremover', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'x-api-key': 'your_api_key_here',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
  "url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/YellowLabradorLooking_new.jpg",
  "bgColor": "#ffffff"
}),
});

if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`${res.status} ${await res.text()}`);

const { data } = await res.json();
console.log(data);

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import requests

res = requests.post(
    "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/backgroundremover",
    headers={"x-api-key": "your_api_key_here"},
    json={
    "url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/YellowLabradorLooking_new.jpg",
    "bgColor": "#ffffff"
},
    timeout=15,
)
res.raise_for_status()

print(res.json()["data"])

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package main

import (
	"fmt"
	"io"
	"net/http"
	"strings"
)

func main() {
	body := strings.NewReader(`{
  "url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/YellowLabradorLooking_new.jpg",
  "bgColor": "#ffffff"
}`)
	req, _ := http.NewRequest("POST", "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/backgroundremover", body)
	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
	req.Header.Set("x-api-key", "your_api_key_here")

	res, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
	if err != nil {
		panic(err)
	}
	defer res.Body.Close()

	out, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
	fmt.Println(string(out))
}

Replace your_api_key_here with the key from your dashboard. When the inputs arrive as a list rather than one at a time, batch requests run up to 200 of them through this same API in a single call.

Authentication

Send your key in the x-api-key header. That is the only auth step — there is no token exchange and no per-endpoint scope to configure. Authentication covers creating, rotating and revoking keys.

Parameters

Sent as JSON in the request body. Premium parameters are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.

Response

Every API returns the same three top-level keys, so one response handler covers your whole integration: status, error and data. Only data changes shape. Response format covers the envelope, the other output formats and how premium fields are withheld.

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{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "id": "3f6c2a91-7d4e-4b8a-9c21-5e0d8b7a6f13",
    "width": 700,
    "height": 577,
    "background": "transparent",
    "foregroundRatio": 0.3778,
    "outputSize": 806519,
    "mimeType": "image/png",
    "expires": 1761000000000,
    "downloadURL": "https://storage.googleapis.com/apiverve/backgroundremover/3f6c2a91-7d4e-4b8a-9c21-5e0d8b7a6f13.png"
  },
  "code": 200
}

Response fields

Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.

Errors

Read the HTTP status first, then error for the specific reason. The body names the parameter that has to change. Error handling covers the full status list and which of them are worth retrying.

Use cases

Marketplace Product Listings

Sellers upload phone photos of items and the listing tool swaps the cluttered background for plain white before the product page goes live.

Profile Photo Cleanup

Team directories cut employees out of casual snapshots and place them on a consistent brand color so every profile card matches.

Sticker and Design Tools

Design apps let users drop a photo onto a canvas and get the subject back as a transparent PNG they can layer, resize and recolor.

Catalog Image Pipelines

Retail catalog jobs batch-process supplier photos into transparent cutouts so merchandisers can composite them onto seasonal banners.

Set up Background Remover

Ready to put it to work? Set up Background Remover on APIVerve.

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