A beginner-friendly walkthrough for testing image security APIs on RapidAPI
Introduction
You've learned about image security threats like polyglot files, steganography, and metadata leaks. Now you want to test an image rebuilding solution to see if it actually works.
This guide walks you through testing any image CDR (Content Disarm & Reconstruction) API on RapidAPI's playground—no coding required.
What You'll Need
- A web browser
- An image file to test (any JPEG, PNG, GIF, or WebP)
- 5 minutes
That's it. No installation. No setup.
Step 1: Navigate to the API
Visit the Zero Trust API on RapidAPI.
You should see the API overview page with:
- Description
- Pricing tiers
- Endpoints
Step 2: Subscribe to the Free Tier
Before you can test, you need an API key. RapidAPI handles this automatically.
2.1 Click "Subscribe"
You'll see the pricing section with four tiers:
| Plan | Price | Requests/Month | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | Free | 100 | Testing & evaluation |
| Pro | $10/mo | 5,000 | Small projects |
| Ultra | $50/mo | 50,000 | Production apps |
| Mega | $100/mo | 100,000 | High-volume services |
Click "Subscribe" on the Basic (free) tier to get started.
2.2 Authorize with RapidAPI
If you're not logged in, RapidAPI will ask you to sign in or create an account. You can use:
- GitHub
Once subscribed, you'll have access to the API playground.
Step 3: Open the Playground
After subscribing, you'll see the endpoint listed in the left sidebar:
Endpoints
├── rebuildImage ← Click this
Click on "rebuildImage" to open the endpoint details.
Step 4: Configure the Request
You'll see the playground interface with several tabs:
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ App Params Headers(2) Body Authorizations │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
4.1 Check the "App" Tab
Make sure your application and API key are selected. RapidAPI auto-fills this for you.
App: default-application_xxxxx
X-RapidAPI-Key: 97d55cc... ← Your key (auto-filled)
Request URL: rapidapi.com
4.2 Go to the "Body" Tab
Click the "Body" tab. This is where you'll upload your image.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Media Type Example Name │
│ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ │
│ │ BINARY ▼ │ │ New Example │ │
│ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ file │
│ ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ 📤 Upload │ │
│ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
4.3 Select BINARY Media Type
Make sure "BINARY" is selected in the Media Type dropdown (not JSON).
Media Type: BINARY ✓
4.4 Upload Your Test Image
Click the "Upload" button under the "file" field.
Select any image from your computer:
- JPEG (
.jpg,.jpeg) - PNG (
.png) - GIF (
.gif) - WebP (
.webp)
For best testing, use an image you know has metadata:
- A photo from your phone (contains GPS, camera info)
- A screenshot with EXIF data
- Any image downloaded from the internet
Step 5: Test the Endpoint
With your image uploaded, click the blue "Test Endpoint" button:
┌─────────────────────────┐
│ ⚡ Test Endpoint │
└─────────────────────────┘
5.1 Wait for the Response
The API will process your image. This typically takes 1-3 seconds.
You'll see a loading indicator while it processes.
5.2 View the Results
After processing, the "Results" tab will show the response:
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Code Snippets Example Responses Results │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Response: 200 OK │
│ │
│ Headers: │
│ ├── content-type: image/png │
│ ├── content-disposition: attachment; filename="rebuilt.png" │
│ ├── x-rebuilt-by: ZeroTrust-WASM │
│ └── content-length: 45678 │
│ │
│ Body: [Binary Data - Download Available] │
│ │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
5.3 Download the Rebuilt Image
Click the download link to save your rebuilt image.
The output will be:
- PNG format (regardless of input format)
- No metadata (completely stripped)
- Rebuilt from raw pixels (not the original container)
Step 6: Verify the Results
6.1 Compare File Sizes
The rebuilt file size will often differ from the original because:
- Different format (PNG vs JPEG)
- Different compression
- All metadata removed
6.2 Check Response Headers
Look for these headers in the response:
| Header | Meaning |
|---|---|
content-type: image/png |
Output is always PNG |
x-rebuilt-by: ZeroTrust-WASM |
Processed by the CDR engine |
content-disposition: attachment; filename="rebuilt.png" |
Safe filename |
6.3 Use EXIF Tools to Verify
See our separate guide on using EXIF tools to compare input/output metadata.
Understanding the Response Codes
| Code | Meaning | What to Do |
|---|---|---|
| 200 | Success | Your image was rebuilt successfully |
| 400 | Dimensions exceeded | Image is larger than 4096×4096 pixels |
| 401 | Unauthorized | Check your API key |
| 413 | File too large | Image exceeds 5MB limit |
| 415 | Unsupported format | Use JPEG, PNG, GIF, or WebP |
| 422 | Malformed file | File is corrupt or not a valid image |
| 429 | Rate limit | You've exceeded your quota |
Troubleshooting
"Response is empty"
Make sure you selected BINARY as the Media Type, not JSON.
"401 Unauthorized"
- Check that you've subscribed to a plan
- Try refreshing the page
- Make sure your API key is populated in the "App" tab
"415 Unsupported Format"
The API only accepts:
- JPEG
- PNG
- GIF
- WebP
Other formats (TIFF, BMP, SVG, etc.) are not supported.
"The upload button doesn't appear"
- Make sure Media Type is set to BINARY
- Try a different browser
- Disable ad blockers
What Just Happened?
When you clicked "Test Endpoint," here's what occurred:
Your Image API Processing Output
┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐
│ photo.jpg │ │ 1. Validate │ │ rebuilt.png │
│ │ │ 2. Decode │ │ │
│ - 2.4 MB │ ──────────────▶│ 3. Extract │─────────────▶│ - 1.8 MB │
│ - GPS data │ │ pixels only │ │ - No GPS │
│ - Camera │ │ 4. Destroy │ │ - No EXIF │
│ info │ │ original │ │ - Pure PNG │
│ - EXIF │ │ 5. Rebuild PNG │ │ │
└─────────────┘ └─────────────────┘ └─────────────┘
The input was completely deconstructed. Only the visual pixels were kept. A brand new, sterile PNG file was created from scratch.
Next Steps
Now that you've tested the API:
- Verify the output using EXIF analysis tools (Verification guide - Image Metadata Removal in Action)
-
Integrate into your app using the code snippets provided in RapidAPI -
- Test edge cases with different file types and sizes
Top comments (0)