Ruby + PixelPanda API

Remove Background with Ruby

Remove image backgrounds from Ruby with Net::HTTP. No gems beyond stdlib. Works with Rails, Sinatra, and scripts.

Get API Key — $7.99/week for 280 credits API Overview

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Quick start Rails controller API response format Error codes FAQ

Install

$ # No gems needed — uses Ruby stdlib (net/http, json)

Code examples

Ruby examples — copy and go

Each example is self-contained. Copy the one that matches your use case.

Quick start

Basic background removal using Ruby stdlib.

require "net/http"
require "json"
require "uri"

API_KEY = "pk_live_your_api_key"
uri = URI("https://pixelpanda.ai/api/v1/remove-background")

boundary = "----Ruby#{rand(1000000)}"
body = ""
body += "--#{boundary}
"
body += "Content-Disposition: form-data; name="file"; filename="product.jpg"
"
body += "Content-Type: image/jpeg

"
body += File.binread("product.jpg")
body += "
--#{boundary}--
"

request = Net::HTTP::Post.new(uri)
request["Authorization"] = "Bearer #{API_KEY}"
request["Content-Type"] = "multipart/form-data; boundary=#{boundary}"
request.body = body

response = Net::HTTP.start(uri.host, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |http| http.request(request) }
data = JSON.parse(response.body)
puts data["image_url"]

Rails controller

Accept uploads and process in a Rails app.

# app/controllers/images_controller.rb
class ImagesController < ApplicationController
  def remove_background
    uploaded = params[:image]
    return render json: { error: "No image" }, status: 400 unless uploaded

    uri = URI("https://pixelpanda.ai/api/v1/remove-background")
    boundary = "----Rails#{SecureRandom.hex(8)}"

    body = ""
    body += "--#{boundary}
"
    body += "Content-Disposition: form-data; name="file"; filename="#{uploaded.original_filename}"
"
    body += "Content-Type: #{uploaded.content_type}

"
    body += uploaded.read
    body += "
--#{boundary}--
"

    request = Net::HTTP::Post.new(uri)
    request["Authorization"] = "Bearer #{ENV['PIXELPANDA_API_KEY']}"
    request["Content-Type"] = "multipart/form-data; boundary=#{boundary}"
    request.body = body

    response = Net::HTTP.start(uri.host, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |http| http.request(request) }
    render json: JSON.parse(response.body)
  end
end

API reference

Response format

Every successful request returns this JSON. The image_url is a permanent link to the transparent PNG.

{
    "success": true,
    "image_url": "https://pub-xxx.r2.dev/results/abc123.png",
    "credits_remaining": 199
}

Field	Type	Description
success	boolean	true if background was removed successfully
image_url	string	URL to the transparent PNG result (permanent, hosted on CDN)
credits_remaining	integer	How many credits are left on your account

Error codes

Code	Meaning
200	Success
401	Invalid API key
402	Out of credits
429	Rate limited

FAQ

Common questions

No. Uses Ruby's built-in net/http and json. Zero dependencies.

Yes — see the Rails controller example above.

1 credit per image (~$0.029). $10 Impulse pack (50 credits, one-time) or $7.99/week subscription for 280 credits/week (cancel anytime).

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Start removing backgrounds with Ruby

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