PlaceBear API

⭐ Beginner's Pick Animals / No Auth Required Beginner HTTPS CORS
Free to Use Varies (check documentation)

Overview

PlaceBear generates placeholder bear images at any pixel dimensions you specify, making it easy to fill wireframes and mockups with visually interesting content during development. To use it, you simply embed a URL like https://placebear.com/200/300 as an img src — no API key, no JSON parsing, and no JavaScript required. It is one of the simplest possible APIs for front-end beginners learning HTML layout.

💡

Beginner Tip

The URL format is https://placebear.com/WIDTH/HEIGHT — just swap in pixel values, e.g. https://placebear.com/400/200 gives you a 400x200 bear image ready to use in any img tag.

Available Data

randomly generated data
customizable output format
Use case: Integrate placeholder bear pictures data into web and mobile applications

Example Response

JSON Response
{
  "image_url": "https://api.example.com/placebear/random.jpg",
  "status": "success"
}

Field Reference

(binary image) Returns a JPEG bear image directly, not JSON. Use the URL as the src of an img tag.
width (URL segment) Desired image width in pixels, specified as the first path segment in the URL.
height (URL segment) Desired image height in pixels, specified as the second path segment in the URL.

Implementation Example

const url = "https://placebear.com/";
const response = await fetch(url);
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${response.status}`);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

What Can You Build?

Note: These code examples are AI-generated and unverified. Always refer to the official API documentation for accurate usage.

Common Errors & Troubleshooting

Broken image icon The width or height value is 0, negative, or missing from the URL
Ensure both dimensions are positive integers: https://placebear.com/300/200
Stretched or distorted image Setting both CSS width/height and URL dimensions simultaneously
Control size in one place only — either set dimensions in the URL or in CSS, not both
CORS error when using fetch() Trying to read binary image data cross-origin with JavaScript fetch()
Use an img tag directly instead — browsers load cross-origin images in img tags without CORS restrictions

Matrix Score Breakdown

🌐 Reachability 30/30
⚡ Speed 20/20
🔒 Security 15/15
🛠 Developer XP 20/20
✓ Reliability 7/15
Response Time 192ms

Fully tested on Apr 5, 2026

Technical Specifications

Auth No Auth
HTTPS REQUIRED
CORS YES
Category Animals
Difficulty Beginner
Verified: 2026-04-04

Similar APIs

View All →