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Comment by motyar | Hacker News Reader

API to generate images on the fly.

Sample https://img.bruzu.com/?a.text=HN3

> I am a developer, Do I need this API? No, if you can build your own rendering system with all these features and able to make it run this fast. You don't need this API.

Your FAQ is great hahaha!

Yes, every developer thinks the same about almost every API/service, that they could build it over weekend.

And in some cases, they probably can. But reliability, scalability and most importantly quality is harder.

I like how you addressed this in the FAQ, because this is such a classic take by some users of HN. It's fine if you don't want to use it, but a lot of people would love to. Nice product by the way.

Building it is one thing. It's not even uncommon for people to be right about that part.

It's the maintenance, support, training, operations, and documentation that will kill you, if you think you can "just" write some service and then move on to other tasks.

For the curious like me:

Q: I am a developer, Do I need this API?

A: No, if you can build your own rendering system with all these features and able to make it run this fast. You don't need this API.

I have done this before, a bare bones example can be done easily in Lambda with GraphicsMagick and ImageMagick for node https://www.npmjs.com/package/gm see "annotate an image" example.

I understand your service does more that this. I map the POST JSON to GM params to allow the caller to do nearly anything GM CLI can do.

Yes its very easy to build.

I wont use bruzu till you're one billion MRR. haha jus jokes. I've been following Bruzu since the start. Great product, great dev who is open minded for feedback, etc.

So small small world. Thanks

Can this be done in Pure JS solution within browser? Why need backend?

An API allows you to create images from things that are not browsers.

The product is an "API to generate images on the fly". How would you create an API with no backend?

Not the API, I meant this functionality of rendering text on image, can this be done in JS only?

Yes its way easier in browser on front-end.

But you need API for the things that happens off browser. Like if you want to create images inside your code.

It can be done, but this is already done, so you can just pay with money instead of dev time.

Sure it can, and I'd say it's much cheaper to do it in JS than using API (with quite small quota, even for paid plans)

Yes, HTML5 Canvas. ctx.drawImage() ctx.fillText()

One barrier is if you load an image from a source that doesn't allow CORS the canvas becomes "tainted" and exports are blocked (https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/CORS_enabl...)

Yes but then you can't post it to social media as easily. Unless you export it as an image from JavaScript.

This is good for social media managers that want to automate a lot of account posts.

I've been thinking of building something similar in the past. Did you use Imagemagick or similar for the backend or is it AI based?

Its server side HTML5 canvas.

Very nice. Noticed a small typo - the footer link to Pinterest is misspelled.

Thanks, Fixed.

did you built the editor, it must have taken 2 months at least

Yes, using fabricjs for that, we are improving it everyday but yes, it took few days to make the MVP of the editor.

thanks didn't know about fabricjs

What's your revenue like?

Its $185 MRR currently, Hit hard by churn this month.

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