Image Hosting on Fimfiction - An Authoritative Account · 5:05pm Dec 15th, 2023
Introduction
Fimfiction does not allow users to upload images, other than avatars and story covers. This has resulted in a need for external image hosting. However, there seems to be no high quality, detailed, or up to date source of information on the subject.
... Until now!
I am specifically writing this blog as a response to Discord's plans to kill all external file links, which is going to make quite a lot of media on this site invalid all at once. However, it's a tale as old as time - the same happened to Imgur a while back, too.
Recommendations
Here are my current recommendations:
- postimages - Anonymous, free, and unlimited. Simple as.
- imgbb - Anonymous, free, and unlimited. They put ads in your face, but it's ignorable.
- Google Drive - Free, good access control, and you can alter images, but embedding is a hassle.
- imgchest - An imgur clone with the option of uploading anonymously.
Analysis
My best attempt at enumerating, comparing, and testing the capabilities of each host. If you have additional information about a host or you want me to analyze more hosts, let me know!
Discord
Summary: The messaging & chatroom app everyone uses nowadays was also a great file repository, until they decided we've had it too good for too long. Now every image link is set to expire some day.
Features:
- Need account: Yes
- Base: Free
- Min premium: $30 / yr
- Max premium: $100 / yr
- Total storage: Unlimited
- File size limit: 25MB (base)
- File size limit: 50MB (min premium)
- File size limit: 500MB (max premium)
- Conversion: No
- Link expiry: ~24hrs
- File expiry: Never?
- Can you delete your images: Maybe?
- Can you alter your images: No
- API: Yes
Tests: ❌❌🆗✅✅
- [2023-12-02 17:00 EST] 170KB file (broken as of 2024-03-01): ❌
- [2023-12-02 17:00 EST] 8MB file (broken as of 2024-03-01): ❌
- [2023-12-02 17:00 EST] 25MB file (broken as of 2024-03-01): ❌
- [2023-12-02 17:00 EST] Deleted file, no cross-posting (deleted as of 2023-12-06): ✅
- [2023-12-02 17:00 EST] Deleted file, with cross-posting (deleted as of 2023-12-06): ✅
Imgur
Summary: The internet's favourite image hosting site decided to nuke itself a while back. Don't bother.
Features:
- Need account: No
- Base: Free
- Premium: $24 / yr
- Total storage: Unlimited
- File size limit: 21MB
- Conversion: Yes, jpeg
- Link expiry: Instant, fimfiction CDN is blocked
- File expiry: Never?
- Can you delete your images: Yes; always with an account, temporarily without an account
- Can you alter your images: No
- API: Yes
Tests: ❌❌❌❌
- [2023-11-29 20:45 EST] 170KB file (broken as of 2023-11-29): ❌
- [2023-11-29 20:45 EST] 8MB file (broken as of 2023-11-29): ❌
- [2023-11-29 20:45 EST] 20MB file (broken as of 2023-11-29): ❌
- [2023-11-29 20:45 EST] Deleted file (broken as of 2023-11-29): ❌
Google Drive
Summary: Your emails are probably already stored here. You can upload images, alter them, and share them with specific people or with whoever has the link (and you can revoke access later). This happens to be my personal favourite.
It's worth noting embedding images is a hassle. (Credit to Huk for this explanation.) You need to make sure the image is viewable to anyone with the link, then take the image ID out of the share link:
drive.google.com/file/d/{BIG ALPHANUMERIC ID}/view?usp=sharing... and put it into the ID section of this embed link:
https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id={ID GOES HERE}... and then wrap that in image tags, since you can't use the "Insert Image" tool:
[img]https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id={ID GOES HERE}[/img]Other than that, it's easy!
Features:
- Need account: Yes
- Base: Free
- Min premium: $20 / yr
- Max premium: $100 / yr
- Total storage: 15GB (base)
- Total storage: 100GB (min premium)
- Total storage: 2,000GB (max premium)
- File size limit: 750GB?
- Conversion: No
- Link expiry: No
- File expiry: Never?
- Can you delete your images: Yes
- Can you alter your images: Yes
- API: Yes
Tests: ✅✅🆗✅✅
- [2023-11-29 23:15 EST] 170KB file (working as of 2023-12-15): ✅
- [2023-11-29 23:15 EST] 8MB file (working as of 2023-12-15): ✅
- [2023-11-29 23:15 EST] 25MB file (over fimfiction size limit): 🆗
- [2023-11-29 23:15 EST] Deleted file (deleted as of 2023-11-29): ✅
- [2023-11-29 23:15 EST] Altered file (altered as of 2023-12-02): ✅
DeviantArt
Summary: Normally considered an art publishing site, there's also a private storage section called "sta.sh" that allows you to just host images and share them with links. I was very disappointed to see it struggle with larger files, and it seems deletions are very slow.
Features:
- Need account: Yes
- Base: Free
- Min premium: $48 / yr
- Max premium: $180 / yr
- Total storage: 2GB (base)
- Total storage: 20GB (min premium)
- Total storage: 50GB (max premium)
- Total storage: Unlimited? (for published images)
- File size limit: 95MB
- Conversion: No
- Link expiry: Never?
- File expiry: Never?
- Can you delete your images: Yes, but it takes a month
- Can you alter your images: No
- API: Yes
Tests: ✅❌❌❔
- [2023-12-12 16:45 EST] 170KB file (working as of 2023-12-15): ✅
- [2023-12-12 16:45 EST] 8MB file (broken as of 2023-12-13): ❌
- [2023-12-12 16:45 EST] 25MB file (broken as of 2023-12-13): ❌
- [2023-12-12 16:45 EST] Deleted file (deleted as of 2024-01-21) : ❔
imgbb
Summary: A free image hosting site with conspicuous ads for the paid plan. Seems to be a legit operation. Not much else to say!
Features:
- Need account: No
- Base: Free
- Premium: ~$95 / yr
- Total storage: Unlimited
- File size limit: 32MB (base)
- File size limit: 64MB (premium)
- Conversion: No
- Link expiry: Never?
- File expiry: Optional
- Can you delete your images: Yes, you can set "auto delete" time on upload
- Can you alter your images: No
- API: Yes
Tests: ✅✅🆗✅
- [2023-11-29 21:15 EST] 170KB file (working as of 2023-12-15): ✅
- [2023-11-29 21:15 EST] 8MB file (working as of 2023-12-15): ✅
- [2023-11-29 21:15 EST] 32MB file (over fimfiction size limit): 🆗
- [2023-11-29 21:30 EST] Deleted file (deleted as of 2023-12-10) : ✅
imgbox
Summary: An even-more-free image hosting site. They don't push paid plans on you - in fact I don't even know how you'd give them money if you wanted to. However, it struggles to deliver larger files.
Features:
- Need account: No
- Total storage: Unlimited
- File size limit: 10MB
- Conversion: No
- Link expiry: Never?
- File expiry: Never?
- Can you delete your images: Yes, if you save the delete link
- Can you alter your images: No
- API: No, but third party APIs exist
Tests: ✅❌❌✅
- [2023-11-29 18:00 EST] 170KB file (working as of 2023-12-15): ✅
- [2023-11-29 18:00 EST] 8MB file (broken as of 2023-11-29): ❌
- [2023-11-29 18:00 EST] 10MB file (broken as of 2023-11-29): ❌
- [2023-11-29 18:00 EST] Deleted file (deleted as of 2023-12-10) : ✅
postimages
Summary: Another free image hosting site without much else to mention, other than the very funny section in their FAQ page where they say it costs $10 to alter an image.
Features:
- Need account: No
- Total storage: Unlimited
- File size limit: 32MB
- File dimension limit: 10k x 10k
- Conversion: No
- Link expiry: Never?
- File expiry: Optional
- Can you delete your images: Yes, with auto-delete set at upload, or if you save the delete link
- Can you alter your images: If you pay $10 and ask nicely (no, seriously)
- API: No, but they have website plugins
Tests: ✅✅🆗✅
- [2023-11-29 22:15 EST] 170KB file (working as of 2023-12-15): ✅
- [2023-11-29 22:15 EST] 8MB file (working as of 2023-12-15): ✅
- [2023-11-29 22:15 EST] 10MB file (over fimfiction size limit): 🆗
- [2023-11-29 22:15 EST] Deleted file (deleted as of 2023-12-10) : ✅
pixhost
Summary: Another no-nonsense free image host with a slick upload interface and an API, but no way to delete images. By far the tersest TOS I've seen anywhere.
Features:
- Need account: No
- Total storage: Unlimited
- File size limit: 10MB
- Conversion: No
- Link expiry: Never?
- File expiry: No
- Can you delete your images: No
- Can you alter your images: No
- API: Yes
Tests: ✅✅🆗
- [2023-12-12 20:45 EST] 170KB file (working as of 2023-12-15): ✅
- [2023-12-12 20:45 EST] 8MB file (working as of 2023-12-15): ✅
- [2023-12-12 20:45 22:15 EST] 10MB file (over fimfiction size limit): 🆗
imgchest
Summary: Pretty much an imgur clone, but without the self-nuking (for now). Images are private by default, but can be made public; though your control over anonymous posts is very time-sensitive. It's better with an account.
Features:
- Need account: No
- Total storage: Unlimited
- File size limit: 20MB
- Conversion: No
- Link expiry: Never?
- File expiry: Never?
- Can you delete your images: Yes, until your session expires; or at any time if you have an account.
- Can you alter your images: No
- API: Yes
Tests: ✅✅🆗✅
- [2023-12-12 21:00 EST] 170KB file (working as of 2023-12-15): ✅
- [2023-12-12 21:00 EST] 8MB file (working as of 2023-12-15): ✅
- [2023-12-12 21:00 EST] 20MB file (over fimfiction size limit): 🆗
- [2023-12-12 21:00 EST] Deleted file (deleted as of 2023-12-13) : ✅
freeimage
Summary: A free image host with some social components. Uploaded images are not private.
Features:
- Need account: No
- Total storage: Unlimited
- File size limit: 64MB
- Conversion: No
- Link expiry: Never?
- File expiry: Never?
- Can you delete your images: No (Yes with account?)
- Can you alter your images: No
- API: Yes
Tests: ✅✅🆗
- [2023-12-12 21:00 EST] 170KB file (working as of 2023-12-15): ✅
- [2023-12-12 21:00 EST] 8MB file (working as of 2023-12-15): ✅
- [2023-12-12 21:00 EST] 25MB file (over fimfiction size limit): 🆗
Exceptions
Some image hosting sites I wasn't able (or didn't want) to test:
- lensdump: Account required to upload; money required to make account.
- boorus: Derpibooru, Twibooru, etc. are great at what they do, but they aren't "image hosting sites" in the sense I mean. They're also selective about what you can post, which makes comparative testing (i.e. uploading a bunch of images of worthless static) difficult.
Fluttershy
Anyway, here's a nice picture of Fluttershy to warm the heart:
(Oh no! Discord nuked it!!! 
)
I run my own server, but that's because I'm the sort of human who runs servers.
a very well researched proposal. i duff my top hat to you
imgbox.com also works great. You make an account there and then you can upload as much as you want and only you will see the pictures unless you share or embed them. 10 MB per file; JPG, GIF or PNG.
At first, I thought it's too good to be true, but I am uploading there since Spring 2019 and I never was told that I'm uploading too much or too often. If there is any upload limitation, then it's very generous.
5759156
Indeed. According to fimfarchive data I got from csos95, your personal server is actually the 38th most popular image host on fimfiction, with about 154 embedded images pointing there. Congratulations!
If you want, I can add it to the analysis section...
5759157
thank u! 🤠
5759159
I actually analyzed imgbox and found, while the site did work as expected and look pretty slick besides, it struggled with larger files where many other image hosts didn't. Unfortunate - but no reason for you to stop using it, if it works for you.
5759160
Really?
I do let a few other people use it, including PaulAsaran. I had no idea that was propelling me to such stratospheric heights.
How about derpiboru and the rest of the brony borus?
Incredibly helpful rundown. Thank you for it!
5759167
I might put a general comment in the exceptions section for "booru" sites, since they're not really image hosting sites. I can't put anything I want on derpibooru, for example: they only want pony images. And I believe they are all public-only. But I'll do some more research on it.
5759170
Maybe not derpy but you can always go with twibooru or ponibooru
Thanks for the heads up. I'll have to migrate my images again, I guess. Came here from the writing group, where your thread was unfairly locked, but even if mods there somehow don't see how this affects writers, I'm deeply grateful for the heads up on this!
5759168
You're welcome!
5759176
You're welcome! Better late than never, right?
And yeah, this is pretty damn related to writing in my view, but I can't be too mad at how they run their own group forum. At least they're keeping the post up as an effective PSA.
5759188
Perhaps more to publishing than actual writing. But anyone (here) who writes probably also also publishes and is likely to have cover art. I thought it was appropriate for that group.
I've been thrashing on what to do with this for a while now. It's just such a big task. Fortunately, it mostly impacts images in my blog entries. And since no one has complained, no one must be reading them (or care), so I guess there's no rush.
Thanks for posting this blog! I've been wondering A: how to post my own pictures on my page and in comments, and B: why so many old pictures are missing. Once I figure it out, I may post a cute picture of my dog here.
Hello. I tried linking a photo from Google Drive using the method you described here, but it didn't work when I tried it. Not quite sure what I'm doing wrong.
5770449
Is your image marked as viewable to anyone with the share link?
5770475
Yes. I made sure to have it viewable to anyone with the link and made sure to arrange it the way you say to in the section on it, but Fimfic won't let me embed it, keep getting the "invalid image" notice whenever I do.
5770478
Can you send me a viewable link so I can try to reproduce the problem?
5770480
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nw_lusr9l3TL-l277XdCNLpjCT4DphhP/view?usp=sharing
This:
[img]https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1nw_lusr9l3TL-l277XdCNLpjCT4DphhP[/img]Produces this:
drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1nw_lusr9l3TL-l277XdCNLpjCT4DphhP
You can't go through the "Insert Image" tool, you just have to wrap the embed link with the [img][/img] tags. I've updated the blog to account for this oversight.
Also, thanks for bringing my attention to the blog again. I only just now noticed the Discord images were broken.
5770486
Well that explains my images suddenly not working anymore LOL
5770486
That seems to have done it. Thanks!
Right now I use Flickr for my image embeds. What are your thoughts on using it as an image platform?
This is an excellent resource! Thank you for creating this.
5770515
I'll analyze Flickr and add it to the blog.
5770526
You're welcome!
Why can't we fav blogposts? This is very useful, thanks for putting this together!
Currently, I've been going the route of privately posting my images to tumblr and using the link from there. Probably not the *best* idea, Tumblr isn't exactly known for being a reliable website, and you can't alter images, but at least it's easy to keep track of.
I was recommended to Gyazo by Eldorado, and it's worked fine for me.
Great blog post, though.
5773552
Gyazo has too many hurdles to go through when uploading images from your own files, so I've switched to Imgbb.
(It was recommended by someone else on a different blog post.)
It's much, much, (repeat ad infitum) easier to use.
Safe to say that I now rescind my praise for Gyazo.
5777735
Yeah, I took a look at it when you mentioned it, and it didn't look very promising. But I figured, hey, it works fine for you, so I won't say anything!
Thank you for this great guide, I just used it to switch to google as a host.
Image test. I said three months ago that when I figured it out, I'd post a cute picture of my dog. His name was Max. He passed away last fall at the age of 18.
i.postimg.cc/Xq5QDmsR/SAM-0202.jpg
Post Image was shockingly easy to use.