| name | compress-image-to-target-size |
| description | Compress an image to fit within a specific file size in bytes using quality-first compression. |
Compress Image to Target File Size
Marketing teams and content platforms use this recipe to compress images for email attachments, CMS upload limits, or mobile app asset budgets. Specify a target file size in bytes and the API handles the quality-dimension tradeoff automatically.
APIs Used
Image Transformation (1 credits/request)
Prerequisites
You need an Iteration Layer API key. Get one at platform.iterationlayer.com — free trial credits included, no credit card required.
For full integration guidance (SDKs, auth, MCP, error handling), see the Iteration Layer Integration Guide.
Implementation
curl -X POST \
https://api.iterationlayer.com/image-transformation/v1/transform \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"file": {
"type": "url",
"name": "photo.jpg",
"url": "https://cdn.example.com/uploads/photo.jpg"
},
"operations": [
{
"type": "compress_to_size",
"max_file_size_in_bytes": 500000
}
]
}'
import { IterationLayer } from "iterationlayer";
const client = new IterationLayer({ apiKey: "YOUR_API_KEY" });
const result = await client.transformImage({
file: {
type: "url",
name: "photo.jpg",
url: "https://cdn.example.com/uploads/photo.jpg",
},
operations: [
{
type: "compress_to_size",
max_file_size_in_bytes: 500_000,
},
],
});
from iterationlayer import IterationLayer
client = IterationLayer(api_key="YOUR_API_KEY")
result = client.transform_image(
file={
"type": "url",
"name": "photo.jpg",
"url": "https://cdn.example.com/uploads/photo.jpg",
},
operations=[
{
"type": "compress_to_size",
"max_file_size_in_bytes": 500_000,
},
],
)
package main
import il "github.com/iterationlayer/sdk-go"
func main() {
client := il.NewClient("YOUR_API_KEY")
result, err := client.TransformImage(il.TransformImageRequest{
File: il.FileInput{Type: "url", Name: "photo.jpg", Url: "https://cdn.example.com/uploads/photo.jpg"},
Operations: []il.TransformOperation{
il.NewCompressToSizeOperation(500_000),
},
})
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
}
{
"name": "Compress Image to Target File Size",
"nodes": [
{
"parameters": {
"content": "## Compress Image to Target File Size
Marketing teams and content platforms use this recipe to compress images for email attachments, CMS upload limits, or mobile app asset budgets. Specify a target file size in bytes and the API handles the quality-dimension tradeoff automatically.
**Note:** This workflow uses the Iteration Layer community node (`n8n-nodes-iterationlayer`). Install it via Settings > Community Nodes on self-hosted n8n, or add it directly on n8n Cloud with Verified Community Nodes enabled.",
"height": 280,
"width": 500,
"color": 2
},
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote",
"typeVersion": 1,
"position": [
200,
40
],
"id": "620f3f66-b3fe-48b4-a3a5-130a7ed310b4",
"name": "Overview"
},
{
"parameters": {
"content": "### Step 1: Transform Image
Resource: **Image Transformation**
Configure the Image Transformation parameters below, then connect your credentials.",
"height": 160,
"width": 300,
"color": 6
},
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote",
"typeVersion": 1,
"position": [
475,
100
],
"id": "a87d9afb-d1c2-4e2b-9fac-05039ee12b2a",
"name": "Step 1 Note"
},
{
"parameters": {},
"type": "n8n-nodes-base.manualTrigger",
"typeVersion": 1,
"position": [
250,
300
],
"id": "b2c3d4e5-f6a7-4b8c-9d0e-1f2a3b4c5d6e",
"name": "Manual Trigger"
},
{
"parameters": {
"resource": "imageTransformation",
"fileInputMode": "url",
"fileName": "photo.jpg",
"fileUrl": "https://cdn.example.com/uploads/photo.jpg",
"operations": {
"operationValues": [
{
"operationType": "compress_to_size",
"maxFileSizeInBytes": 500000
}
]
}
},
"type": "n8n-nodes-iterationlayer.iterationLayer",
"typeVersion": 1,
"position": [
500,
300
],
"id": "e5f6a7b8-c9d0-4e1f-2a3b-4c5d6e7f8a9b",
"name": "Transform Image",
"credentials": {
"iterationLayerApi": {
"id": "1",
"name": "Iteration Layer API"
}
}
}
],
"connections": {
"Manual Trigger": {
"main": [
[
{
"node": "Transform Image",
"type": "main",
"index": 0
}
]
]
}
},
"settings": {
"executionOrder": "v1"
}
}
Compress the image at [file URL] to fit within [max file size in bytes] bytes. Use the transform_image tool with a compress_to_size operation.
Response
{
"success": true,
"data": {
"buffer": "/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQ...",
"mime_type": "image/jpeg"
}
}
Links
