---
title: 🎭 Process Image Endpoint
slug: process-image-endpoint
docTags: 
createdAt: 2025-07-13T14:05:48.066Z
---

The **Process Image** endpoint queues an uploaded image for asynchronous masking. It applies anonymization to sensitive elements such as faces, people, or license plates based on your parameters, and returns a `jobId` that can be used to track the result.

This flow is optimized for robust integration into both synchronous and event-driven pipelines. You can poll for completion or enable webhook delivery for hands-free operation.

## 📦 Endpoint Overview

- **URL**: `POST https://app.maskit.ai/api/v1/masking/process-image`
- **Content-Type**: `multipart/form-data`
- **Authentication**: `X-Api-Key` header (required)
- **Response**: JSON object containing the `jobId`
- **Use Case**: Asynchronous masking with polling or webhook callback

***

## 📝 Request Parameters

Send the following fields as `multipart/form-data`:

| Field           | Type             | Required | Default | Description                                                                    |
| --------------- | ---------------- | -------- | ------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `image`         | file             | ✅        | –       | The image file to process (JPEG or PNG).                                       |
| `faces`         | boolean          | ❌        | true    | Whether to detect and mask faces.                                              |
| `humans`        | boolean          | ❌        | true    | Whether to detect and mask full human bodies.                                  |
| `licensePlates` | boolean          | ❌        | true    | Whether to detect and mask license plates.                                     |
| `shape`         | string           | ❌        | `Mask`  | Shape used to mask areas: `Mask` (soft polygon) or `Rectangle` (bounding box). |
| `method`        | string           | ❌        | `Blur`  | Masking method: `Blur` or `BlackFill`.                                         |
| `blurStrength`  | int              | ❌        | 30      | Gaussian blur strength when `method=Blur`.                                     |
| `edgeBlurSize`  | double (0.0–1.0) | ❌        | 0.2     | Softness applied to the edges of masked regions.                               |
| `metadata`      | string           | ❌        | –       | Optional metadata string (e.g. user ID, context) attached to the job.          |
| `useWebhook`    | boolean          | ❌        | false   | If `true`, result is delivered via webhook once ready.                         |

***

## 🔐 Authentication

Include your API key in the request header:

```text
X-Api-Key: YOUR_API_KEY
```

Refer to the [API Key & Webhook Secret](https://docs.maskit.ai/api-key-and-webhook-secret) page to generate and manage your credentials.

***

## 🔁 Response

```json
{
  "jobId": "9f52f3d9-1c84-4b1d-bf7c-2f0b9383fa17"
}
```

- Use the `jobId` with the [Image Status](https://docs.maskit.ai/image-status-endpoint) endpoint to check processing progress.
- Once ready, retrieve the final masked image via the [Image Download](https://docs.maskit.ai/image-download-endpoint) endpoint.

**Error Responses:**

| Code | Description                             |
| ---- | --------------------------------------- |
| 400  | Invalid or missing parameters           |
| 401  | Missing or invalid API key              |
| 500  | Server error while processing the image |

***

## 🔔 Webhook Delivery

If you set `useWebhook=true`, the final masked image will be delivered to your configured webhook URL as a `multipart/form-data` POST request.

For full details, including HMAC validation and payload structure, see the [Webhook documentation](https://docs.maskit.ai/webhook).

***

## 🚀 Example cURL Request

```bash
curl -X POST "https://app.maskit.ai/api/v1/masking/process-image" \
  -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: multipart/form-data" \
  -F "image=@example.jpg" \
  -F "faces=true" \
  -F "humans=true" \
  -F "licensePlates=true" \
  -F "shape=Mask" \
  -F "method=Blur" \
  -F "blurStrength=30" \
  -F "edgeBlurSize=0.2" \
  -F "useWebhook=true"
```

This command uploads an image for masking and enables webhook delivery once it's processed.