Placeholder service compatibility

Official migration CLI

For projects with multiple files, use the official local CLI. The default command is a dry run; --write changes only verified safe patterns and --check provides a non-writing CI gate.

npx placeholder-photo-migrate .
npx placeholder-photo-migrate . --write
npx placeholder-photo-migrate . --check

Ambiguous findings stay unchanged for manual review. Read the migration CLI guide.

Quick migration

Existing via.placeholder.com URL

https://placeholder.photo/600/92c952

Only the hostname changes.

Common drop-in patterns

/600Square dimensions — compatible

/300x200Width × height — compatible

/600/92c952Background colour — compatible

/600/92c952/ffffffBackground and text colour — compatible

?text=Hello+WorldCustom URL-encoded text — compatible

.png .jpg .jpeg .gif .webpExplicit raster formats — compatible when the live format is available

3- or 6-digit hexUppercase and lowercase accepted and normalized

trailing slashAccepted

Examples

OLD  https://via.placeholder.com/300x200/000000/ffffff?text=Hello+World
NEW  https://placeholder.photo/300x200/000000/ffffff?text=Hello+World

OLD  https://via.placeholder.com/300x150/a51c30/ffffff.png
NEW  https://placeholder.photo/300x150/a51c30/ffffff.png

Intentional differences

Placeholder.photo is an independent implementation, not a copy of the former service. Exact font metrics and antialiasing may differ, and every normal public image carries the subtle placeholder.photo watermark. Invalid or unsafe values receive a bounded branded error response. GIF output is a static image rather than an animation.

Stability and storage

Legacy paths enter the same normalized, validated and versioned rendering pipeline as modern URLs. They use the same deterministic cache, security limits and long-term compatibility policy. The official API identity remains https://placeholder.photo/… regardless of the interchangeable storage backend used for generated derivatives.