Image Inputs
Requests with images, to multimodal models, are available via the /api/v1/chat/completions
API with a multi-part messages
parameter. The image_url
can either be a URL or a base64-encoded image. Note that multiple images can be sent in separate content array entries. The number of images you can send in a single request varies per provider and per model. Due to how the content is parsed, we recommend sending the text prompt first, then the images. If the images must come first, we recommend putting it in the system prompt.
OpenRoute supports both direct URLs and base64-encoded data for images:
- URLs: More efficient for publicly accessible images as they don't require local encoding
- Base64: Required for local files or private images that aren't publicly accessible
Using Image URLs
Here's how to send an image using a URL:
import requests
import json
url = "https://www.openroute.cn/api/v1/chat/completions"
headers = {
"Authorization": f"Bearer <OPENROUTE_API_KEY>",
"Content-Type": "application/json"
}
messages = [
{
"role": "user",
"content": [
{
"type": "text",
"text": "What's in this image?"
},
{
"type": "image_url",
"image_url": {
"url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Gfp-wisconsin-madison-the-nature-boardwalk.jpg/2560px-Gfp-wisconsin-madison-the-nature-boardwalk.jpg"
}
}
]
}
]
payload = {
"model": "google/gemini-2.0-flash-001",
"messages": messages
}
response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, json=payload)
print(response.json())
const response = await fetch('https://www.openroute.cn/api/v1/chat/completions', {
method: 'POST',
headers: {
Authorization: `Bearer <OPENROUTE_API_KEY>`,
'Content-Type': 'application/json',
},
body: JSON.stringify({
model: 'google/gemini-2.0-flash-001',
messages: [
{
role: 'user',
content: [
{
type: 'text',
text: "What's in this image?",
},
{
type: 'image_url',
image_url: {
url: 'https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Gfp-wisconsin-madison-the-nature-boardwalk.jpg/2560px-Gfp-wisconsin-madison-the-nature-boardwalk.jpg',
},
},
],
},
],
}),
});
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);
Using Base64 Encoded Images
For locally stored images, you can send them using base64 encoding. Here's how to do it:
import requests
import json
import base64
from pathlib import Path
def encode_image_to_base64(image_path):
with open(image_path, "rb") as image_file:
return base64.b64encode(image_file.read()).decode('utf-8')
url = "https://www.openroute.cn/api/v1/chat/completions"
headers = {
"Authorization": f"Bearer <OPENROUTE_API_KEY>",
"Content-Type": "application/json"
}
# Read and encode the image
image_path = "path/to/your/image.jpg"
base64_image = encode_image_to_base64(image_path)
data_url = f"data:image/jpeg;base64,{base64_image}"
messages = [
{
"role": "user",
"content": [
{
"type": "text",
"text": "What's in this image?"
},
{
"type": "image_url",
"image_url": {
"url": data_url
}
}
]
}
]
payload = {
"model": "google/gemini-2.0-flash-001",
"messages": messages
}
response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, json=payload)
print(response.json())
async function encodeImageToBase64(imagePath: string): Promise<string> {
const imageBuffer = await fs.promises.readFile(imagePath);
const base64Image = imageBuffer.toString('base64');
return `data:image/jpeg;base64,${base64Image}`;
}
// Read and encode the image
const imagePath = 'path/to/your/image.jpg';
const base64Image = await encodeImageToBase64(imagePath);
const response = await fetch('https://www.openroute.cn/api/v1/chat/completions', {
method: 'POST',
headers: {
Authorization: `Bearer <OPENROUTE_API_KEY>`,
'Content-Type': 'application/json',
},
body: JSON.stringify({
model: 'google/gemini-2.0-flash-001',
messages: [
{
role: 'user',
content: [
{
type: 'text',
text: "What's in this image?",
},
{
type: 'image_url',
image_url: {
url: base64Image,
},
},
],
},
],
}),
});
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);
Supported image content types are:
image/png
image/jpeg
image/webp
image/gif
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