swiftimg

Image hosting for forums: BBCode, phpBB, vBulletin & Discourse

Most forum software (phpBB, vBulletin, XenForo, Discourse) lets you paste an image URL and renders it inline. swiftimg gives you a permanent direct URL plus BBCode and HTML snippets ready to paste.

Try swiftimg freeSee the API

Heads-up

Some forums hotlink-protect images or rewrite them through a proxy. swiftimg URLs work through proxies because they're plain HTTPS with no auth.

Step by step

  1. 1. Upload at /upload

    Drop the image — no account required. The share box has copy buttons for the direct URL, Markdown, HTML, and BBCode.

  2. 2. Paste the BBCode

    Use the [img] tag with the direct URL.

    BBCode
    [img]https://i.swiftimg.com/abc123.jpg[/img]
  3. 3. Or paste the HTML / Markdown

    Modern forums like Discourse render Markdown image syntax directly.

    Markdown (Discourse, etc.)
    ![](https://i.swiftimg.com/abc123.jpg)

Forums (BBCode) — FAQ

Will the image embed if the forum blocks third-party hotlinking?

swiftimg sends no referer-blocking or auth headers, so any forum that allows external image URLs will inline a swiftimg link.

How long does the link stay live?

Indefinitely. Anonymous uploads don't expire; keep the delete token (shown on the share box) if you ever want to remove it.

Can I host avatars?

Yes — paste the direct URL into the forum's avatar field if it accepts external URLs. For tiny avatars, you can resize on the fly on the Developer plan.

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See also

Ready to host your Forums (BBCode) images?

Start free, then unlock the full API, transforms, signed URLs, and a custom domain on the Developer plan.