← Image metadata reader

Read image metadata (EXIF) in PHP

Read an image's format, dimensions, frames and colour details, plus EXIF camera data, date taken and GPS location. Here is the whole call in PHP, with the output it produced when we ran it.

Before you start

• An API key. Create a free account; it comes with free tokens every month. Put the key in an environment variable so it stays out of your code: export BLOODWEB_KEY=your_key
• PHP 7.4 or later with the curl extension, which most installs have.
• The input file in the same folder: photo.jpg. Use your own; that is the name the code expects.

The code

Save it as image-metadata.php and run php image-metadata.php.

<?php
$ch = curl_init('https://bloodweb.net/api/v1/image-metadata');
curl_setopt_array($ch, [
    CURLOPT_POST           => true,
    CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER     => ['Authorization: Bearer ' . getenv('BLOODWEB_KEY')],
    CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS     => [
        'file' => new CURLFile('photo.jpg'),
    ],
    CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
    CURLOPT_TIMEOUT        => 120,
]);
$body   = curl_exec($ch);
$status = curl_getinfo($ch, CURLINFO_RESPONSE_CODE);
if ($body === false) {
    exit(curl_error($ch) . "\n");
}
if ($status !== 200) {
    exit($status . ': ' . json_decode($body, true)['error']['message'] . "\n");
}
print_r(json_decode($body, true));

What you get

Tested 19 October 2026: this exact code ran against our test copy of the API, which runs the same service code as bloodweb.net, and produced this.

The API answers with JSON, which print_r shows as an array:

{
    "format": "jpg",
    "width": 1600,
    "height": 1200,
    "frames": 1,
    "colorspace": "sRGB",
    "has_alpha": false,
    "bit_depth": 8,
    "orientation": null,
    "icc_profile": null,
    "bytes": 58961,
    "camera": null,
    "taken_at": null,
    "exposure": null,
    "gps": null
}

Change the call

Every option the Image metadata reader takes. Add or change them the same way as the ones in the code.

• raw: Also return every EXIF field as found.
• palette: Also return this many dominant colours, as hex with the share of the image each covers.

If it fails

A failed call is not charged. The answer is JSON with an error object; the code above prints its message. The usual ones:

• 401 missing_key or invalid_key: BLOODWEB_KEY is not set in the shell that runs the code, or the key was revoked.
• 415 unsupported_type: the file is not a type this service reads. The type is read from the file itself, so renaming a file does not change it.
• 413 file_too_large: the file is over the limit on the service page.
• 402 insufficient_tokens: the balance does not cover the call. Top up in the dashboard.
• 429 rate_limited: too many calls at once. Wait the seconds in the Retry-After header and send it again.

Every code and its fix is in the docs.

Next

• The Image metadata reader page: every option, the limits, and Try it now in your browser.
• Getting started: keys, errors and rate limits for all the services.