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.

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.