API Reference

The Render API is available at https://render.impossible.io over HTTPS. It supports Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) for browser-based requests.

Token-based rendering (v2)

The recommended approach. First create a render token, then use it to retrieve the video.

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/v2/render/{project-id}	Create a render token. Returns a token for video retrieval.
GET	/v2/render/{token}.{ext}	Render and deliver when complete. Highest latency, smoothest playback.
GET	/v2/get/{token}.{ext}	Progressive download. Starts delivering as frames become available.
GET	/v2/play/{token}.{ext}	Streaming. Lowest latency, renders on-demand as playback progresses.
DELETE	/v2/token/{token}	Delete a token and its associated rendered data.

Direct rendering (v1)

Renders and delivers in a single request. Simpler but less flexible — no upload support, no token reuse.

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/v1/render/{project-id}/{movie}.{ext}	Render and deliver when complete.
GET	/v1/get/{project-id}/{movie}.{ext}	Progressive download.
GET	/v1/play/{project-id}/{movie}.{ext}	Streaming playback.

Pass dynamic parameters as query string values: ?name=Alex&company=Acme.

Supported output formats

Video formats

Format	Extension	Notes
MP4 (H.264)	.mp4	Most compatible. Render mode only.
WebM (VP8/VP9)	.webm	All retrieval modes. Best for streaming.
Flash Video	.flv	Legacy. All retrieval modes.
HLS	.m3u8	Adaptive streaming. Render + get modes.
MPEG-DASH	.mpd	Adaptive streaming. Render + get modes.
MPEG-2	.mpeg	Broadcast use.
Windows Media	.wmv	Legacy.
GIF	.gif	Animated GIF output.
Apple ProRes	.mov	Professional editing.

Image formats

Format	Extension	Parameters
JPEG	.jpg	frame (frame number), q (quality 10-99)
PNG	.png	frame (frame number), compression (0-9)
TIFF	.tif	frame (frame number)

Image sequences

Format	Extension	Parameters
ZIP archive	.zip	format (png/jpg/tif), from (start frame), to (end frame), q (JPEG quality), compression (PNG compression)

Request body (POST /v2/render)

{
  "movie": "movie-name",
  "params": {
    "variable1": "value1",
    "variable2": "value2"
  },
  "parallel": 1,
  "routingkey": "default",
  "upload": { }
}

See Rendering Videos for detailed parameter documentation and examples.

Response (POST /v2/render)

{
  "token": "v2:region:unique-id",
  "uploads": { }
}

The uploads field is present only when upload tasks are included in the request.

Error responses

Status	Meaning
200	Success. Token or video returned.
201	Accepted (async upload). Processing in background.
400	Bad request. Check your request body.
404	Project or movie not found.
429	Rate limited. Too many concurrent requests.
500	Server error. Retry with backoff.