# Placeholder.photo

> Placeholder.photo is the free, URL-first visual placeholder toolkit for developers and designers, built and operated by Jansma VIP.

Ordinary public use requires no account, login, API key, subscription or payment. Direct image hotlinking is supported. Generated public imagery contains only the subtle `placeholder.photo` watermark. The service does not depend on third-party image APIs and is not a live user-prompted AI generator.

## Start here

- [Canonical llms.txt overview](https://placeholder.photo/llms.txt): Stable location of this concise discovery index.
- [Installable Placeholder.photo skill](https://placeholder.photo/SKILL.md): Valid `SKILL.md` entrypoint for coding agents.
- [Downloadable skill package](https://placeholder.photo/placeholder-photo-skill.zip): ZIP containing `placeholder-photo/SKILL.md`.
- [Compact AI agent instructions](https://placeholder.photo/agent-instructions.txt): Authoritative route, format, privacy, stability and accessibility rules for coding agents.
- [Full AI-ready reference](https://placeholder.photo/llms-full.txt): Expanded route syntax, parameter ranges, examples, error behaviour and product boundaries in one Markdown document.
- [Human-readable AI agent guide](https://placeholder.photo/ai-agents): Practical route selection and copy-ready examples.
- [Developer documentation](https://placeholder.photo/docs): Main public documentation hub.
- [Live capabilities](https://placeholder.photo/status?format=json): Current server-side image-format and renderer availability.

## Generator documentation

- [Classic placeholder generator](https://placeholder.photo/classic): Dimensions, colours, text, typography, transparency, borders and DPR.
- [Gradient generator](https://placeholder.photo/gradient): Linear and radial multi-colour gradients.
- [Pattern generator](https://placeholder.photo/pattern): Deterministic grids, dots, lines, waves and textures.
- [Abstract generator](https://placeholder.photo/abstract): Seeded procedural marble, mesh, blobs, aurora, waves and related styles.
- [Curated photo placeholders](https://placeholder.photo/photo-placeholders): Locally stored reviewed photo masters, IDs, sets and transformations.
- [Logo placeholder generator](https://placeholder.photo/logo-placeholder-generator): Temporary wordmarks, monograms, badges and seeded symbols.
- [Avatar generator](https://placeholder.photo/avatar-generator): Initials, abstract, layered and Layered+ avatars.
- [Visual URL builder](https://placeholder.photo/generator): Interactive preview and integration-snippet builder.

## Developer references

- [URL API quick start](https://placeholder.photo/placeholder-image-api): Preferred public URL syntax and embedding model.
- [Parameter reference](https://placeholder.photo/parameters): Supported parameters, values and limits.
- [Copy-ready examples](https://placeholder.photo/examples): HTML, CSS, Markdown and React examples.
- [Web and social sizes](https://placeholder.photo/image-sizes): Centrally maintained dimension presets.
- [Compatibility guide](https://placeholder.photo/compatibility): Migration from common historical placeholder URL patterns.
- [Official migration CLI](https://placeholder.photo/docs/migration-cli): Local dry-run, verified safe writes, CI checks, provider filters, JSON reports and manual-review behavior for legacy placeholder URLs.
- [API stability policy](https://placeholder.photo/changelog): Public release history and compatibility changes.
- [Service status](https://placeholder.photo/status): Human-readable live capability summary.

## Policies and ownership

- [About Placeholder.photo](https://placeholder.photo/about): Product purpose, independent history and Jansma VIP ownership.
- [Privacy](https://placeholder.photo/privacy): Data-minimization, consent and measurement information.
- [Cookie policy](https://placeholder.photo/cookies): Consent categories and preference controls.
- [Terms of use](https://placeholder.photo/terms): Fair-use and service rules.
- [Gallery image license](https://placeholder.photo/image-license): Permitted personal and commercial use of curated imagery.

For deterministic results, use a stable, non-sensitive `seed`. Use an exact `ph-####` photo ID when the selected gallery image must never change. URL-encode custom text and seeds, check non-2xx responses, and include explicit dimensions plus an intentional `alt` value in generated HTML.