Image Placeholder API for Perfect Loading States
Smart Visual Placeholder Generator
The simplest way to create custom placeholders - now with shapes, gradients, and patterns!
Placeholder Images API Generator
Create custom placeholders with shapes, gradients, patterns & text
Dimensions
Text Overlay
Live Preview
400 ร 300px
https://via.assets.so/img.jpg?w=400&h=300&bg=e5e7eb&f=pngStyle Options
Enter any hex color code (with or without #). The background color fills the entire image, while the pattern color is used for overlays like dots, grids, or lines when a pattern is selected.
Main color that fills the image
Color for patterns (dots, grid, lines) - only visible when pattern is selected
๐ That's It! You're Ready to Go!
Copy your URL above and use it anywhere - no API key needed for basic placeholders
Browse by Category
Perfect placeholders for nature, people, tech, food, and more
Category-Specific Image Placeholders
Pre-designed placeholders for common content types
Games
https://via.assets.so/game.png?id=1&q=95&w=360&h=360&fit=fill
Music Albums
https://via.assets.so/album.png?id=1&q=95&w=360&h=360&fit=fill
Movies
https://via.assets.so/movie.png?id=1&q=95&w=360&h=360&fit=fill
Shoes
https://via.assets.so/shoe.png?id=1&q=95&w=360&h=360&fit=fill
Furniture
https://via.assets.so/furniture.png?id=1&q=95&w=360&h=360&fit=fill
Watches
https://via.assets.so/watch.png?id=1&q=95&w=360&h=360&fit=fillBeautiful Placeholders That Load Instantly & Improve UX
Join 25,000+ developers using our placeholder API to create smooth loading experiences with BlurHash, LQIP, and custom branded placeholders.
โ Any size/format โข โ BlurHash/LQIP โข โ CDN delivery โข โ Free 500 images/month
Why Developers Love Our Placeholder API
๐จ Dynamic Size & Format
Generate placeholders for any dimension instantly. Support for JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF. Responsive images with srcset support.
Any size in ms๐ BlurHash Integration
Generate beautiful blurred placeholders that match your images. 20-30 character strings that render instantly while images load.
Ultra-compact previews๐ธ LQIP Technology
Low Quality Image Placeholders that are tiny (< 1KB) but show image structure. Perfect for progressive enhancement.
< 1KB size๐ฏ Custom Branding
Add your logo, brand colors, and custom text to placeholders. Maintain brand consistency even during loading.
Full customizationโก Global CDN Delivery
Placeholders served from 300+ edge locations worldwide. Sub-10ms response times with 99.99% uptime.
< 10ms globally๐ Smart Categories
Pre-built categories: nature, people, tech, food, travel, and more. Perfect placeholder for any content type.
50+ categories๐ Automatic Caching
Intelligent caching with proper headers. Reduce bandwidth usage by 90% with browser and CDN caching.
Save 90% bandwidth๐ฑ Retina Support
Automatic 2x and 3x variants for high-DPI displays. Crisp placeholders on all devices from phones to 5K monitors.
All screen densities๐ SEO Optimized
Proper image dimensions prevent layout shift. Improve Core Web Vitals and SEO rankings with stable layouts.
Zero CLS score๐ฅ Video Placeholders
Generate poster images for videos. Extract frames or use custom images for video loading states.
Video support๐ Direct URL Access
Simple URL-based API - no authentication needed for basic use. Just construct URLs and embed directly.
No auth required๐ Improve Performance
Reduce initial page load by 60% with proper placeholders. Better perceived performance and user experience.
60% faster loads๐ ๏ธ Framework Integration
Ready-made components for React, Vue, Angular. Next.js Image component compatible. WordPress plugin available.
10+ frameworks๐ค Developer Friendly
Comprehensive docs with examples. URL builder tool. Test images for development and staging environments.
Great DX๐ Generous Free Tier
Start with 500 placeholder images monthly, forever free. Unlimited for open source. Scale from $4.99/month.
500 free/monthPerfect for Every Loading Scenario
From e-commerce to social media, our placeholder API improves user experience across all platforms
E-commerce Product Loading
Show branded placeholders while product images load. Reduce bounce rate by 40% with smooth loading transitions.
Blog & News Sites
Display article placeholders that match your content categories. Improve perceived performance by 60%.
Mobile Applications
Ultra-light placeholders perfect for mobile bandwidth. Save 90% data with LQIP technology.
Social Media Feeds
Instagram-style gradient placeholders for social content. Keep users engaged during loading.
Image Galleries
Progressive loading for photography portfolios. Show image structure before full resolution.
Landing Pages
Fast-loading hero images with beautiful placeholders. Improve Core Web Vitals scores.
Easy Integration with Any Stack
Simple URL-based API works everywhere. No SDK required.
import Image from 'next/image';
<Image
src="/api/image"
placeholder="blur"
blurDataURL="data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQ..."
width={800}
height={600}
/><!-- HTML -->
<img
src="https://via.assets.so/img.jpg?w=800&h=600"
data-src="actual-image.jpg"
loading="lazy"
/>
/* CSS */
.placeholder {
background-image: url('...placeholder?w=400&h=300');
}// functions.php
function get_placeholder($width, $height) {
return "https://via.assets.so/img.jpg?" .
"w=$width&h=$height&bg=f3f4f6";
}
// template
<img src="<?php echo get_placeholder(800, 600); ?>" />Performance That Drives Results
Ready to Improve Your Loading Experience?
Start with 500 free placeholder images per month
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Accepted Payment Methods
Special Pricing Available
We offer custom pricing for bulk usage, open-source projects, enterprises, non-profits, educational institutions, teachers, and students.
What Developers Say
Trusted by thousands of developers worldwide
Alex Kim
Frontend Lead
Medium
"Our Core Web Vitals improved dramatically with their BlurHash placeholders. Page loading feels instant now, and our bounce rate dropped by 15%."
Rachel Green
UX Designer
"The custom branded placeholders maintain our visual identity even during loading. Users love the smooth progressive enhancement experience."
Tom Wilson
Performance Engineer
Spotify
"Cut our bandwidth usage by 90% with intelligent caching. The LQIP technology shows image structure in under 1KB. Revolutionary for mobile users."
Maria Santos
Product Manager
Unsplash
"Generated 2M+ placeholders this month. The category-based system automatically matches our content types. Perfect for our photography platform."
James Foster
Mobile Developer
"Retina support across all devices made our app feel premium. The URL-based API means no complex SDK integration - just works everywhere."
Sophie Turner
Head of Engineering
Etsy
"The video placeholder feature transformed our product pages. Loading states went from jarring to delightful. Our conversion rate increased by 12%."
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