API documentation

Nordic Layers is a REST API over HTTPS at https://app.layers.nordicbyte.co.uk. A project is a JSON document of layers; you change it with operations and export it as an image. The browser editor uses the same API.

Authentication

Create an API key in your account panel and send it on every /v1 request. Keys start with nl_key_.

Authorization: Bearer nl_key_…

The usual flow

1. Upload each image with POST /v1/assets and the file as the raw request body (PNG, JPEG, WebP, GIF, BMP or TIFF). The answer carries its id.
2. Create a project with POST /v1/projects and a width, height and background. You can pass the first steps in the same call.
3. Edit it with POST /v1/projects/{id}/run: one operation as {"op": …} or several as {"steps": [...]}. Look at it with GET /v1/projects/{id}/preview, which is free.
4. Export with POST /v1/projects/{id}/export. The answer has the file URL, or the image itself with "response": "image".

A first request

Create a 1080×1080 project with a gradient and a title, then export it as WebP:

curl -X POST https://app.layers.nordicbyte.co.uk/v1/projects \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NL_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "First post",
    "width": 1080,
    "height": 1080,
    "steps": [
      {"op": "layer.addFill", "gradient": {"colors": ["#1E3A5F", "#64B5F6"], "angle": 135}},
      {"op": "text.add", "content": "Hello, layers", "fontName": "Segoe UI", "fontSize": 110, "bold": true, "color": "#FFFFFF"},
      {"op": "effects.set", "shadow": {"opacity": 0.4, "distance": 12, "size": 24}}
    ]
  }'

# → {"project": {"id": "…", …}}

curl -X POST https://app.layers.nordicbyte.co.uk/v1/projects/$PROJECT_ID/export \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NL_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "format": "webp",
    "quality": 90
  }'

Endpoints

Operations

Every operation is an object with op and its parameters. Layers are referenced by id or by name; without layer, the active layer is used. Names ignore case and spaces, so "Linear Dodge (Add)" and "linearDodge" are the same blend mode. With steps, they run in order and stop at the first error (unless "stopOnError": false); the steps before it stay applied.

• Layers
• Text
• Shapes
• Transform
• Adjustments on a layer
• Filters
• Adjustment layers
• Layer masks
• Layer effects
• Canvas
• Project

Layers

Text

Shapes

Transform

Adjustments on a layer

Filters

Adjustment layers

Layer masks

Layer effects

Canvas

Project

Blend modes

• normal
• darken
• multiply
• colorBurn
• linearBurn
• lighten
• screen
• colorDodge
• linearDodge
• overlay
• softLight
• hardLight
• difference
• exclusion
• subtract
• divide
• hue
• saturation
• color
• luminosity

Font families

• Arial
• Segoe UI
• Calibri
• Verdana
• Tahoma
• Trebuchet MS
• Georgia
• Times New Roman
• Courier New
• Consolas
• Impact
• Comic Sans MS

Templates

Pass steps to the export call and they are applied to a copy of the project for that file only. One template, many files: change the text with text.set and the photo with layer.setImage, which keeps the layer's box.

curl -X POST https://app.layers.nordicbyte.co.uk/v1/projects/$TEMPLATE_ID/export \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NL_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "format": "png",
    "steps": [
      {"op": "text.set", "layer": "Title", "content": "Nueva colección"},
      {"op": "layer.setImage", "layer": "Photo", "asset_id": "photo_dunes"}
    ]
  }'

Stateless render

POST /v1/render takes a whole document (as returned in project.document), optional steps and the export options, and does not save a project. With "response": "image" the answer is the image file.

curl -X POST https://app.layers.nordicbyte.co.uk/v1/render \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NL_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "document": {"width": 1200, "height": 630, "background": "#1E3A5F", "layers": ["…"]},
    "format": "png",
    "response": "image"
  }' \
  -o card.png

Errors

Errors come back as JSON with a stable code and a detail message in your account's language. A failing step reports which parameter was wrong. When a plan's renders are used up the API answers 402 with quota_renders.

Limits

• Uploads up to 50 MB and 12,000 px per side.
• Canvas up to 20,000 px per side, within your plan's megapixels.
• Up to 200 steps per call.
• Previews up to 2,048 px on the long side.
• Megapixels, layers, projects, storage and renders per month depend on the plan: see Pricing.