PlaceKeanu API
Free novelty placeholder service with no key: dimensions in the path return a Keanu Reeves placeholder, with greyscale and young-Keanu variants. Tested example included.
Endpoint tested and returned HTTP 200 on 21 Aug 2026
What is the PlaceKeanu API?
PlaceKeanu returns placeholder images of Keanu Reeves at any dimensions you request, with no API key. Path segments select greyscale and a younger-era variant, and the service responds with an SVG wrapper rather than a raster file.
The novelty placeholder genre exists because a design review goes differently when the placeholder is funny — people actually look at the mockup. This one is among the better-known examples, and it behaves exactly like the other services in its family: two numbers in the path, an image back, nothing to configure.
There is one genuine technical surprise. The response arrives as `image/svg+xml` with a `viewBox`, not as a JPEG or PNG — the service wraps the photograph in an SVG at your requested dimensions. That is harmless in an `img` tag, and it actually scales more gracefully than a raster file would, but it will break any pipeline that assumes it can read raster pixels or that sniffs the format from the bytes. Path variants add `/g/` for greyscale and `/y/` for a younger Keanu.
Quick facts
- Base URL
https://placekeanu.com- Authentication
- No API key, no account and no configuration.
- Rate limit
- No published limit.
- Pricing
- Free.
- CORS
- Not enabled — call it from your server
- Official docs
- Read the docs
How to use the PlaceKeanu API
Every request below was executed against the live API on 21 Aug 2026, and the response shown is the real body it returned — not an illustration.
1. Fetch a 200x200 Keanu placeholder
GET https://placekeanu.com/200/200
curl 'https://placekeanu.com/200/200'const res = await fetch("https://placekeanu.com/200/200");
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${res.status}`);
const data = await res.json();
console.log(data);import requests
res = requests.get("https://placekeanu.com/200/200", timeout=20)
res.raise_for_status()
print(res.json())<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" width="200" height="200" viewBox="0 0 544 800" preserveAspectRatio="xMidYMid slice"><image xlink:href="data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAgICAgICAkKCgkMDQwNDBIQDw8QEhsTFRMVExspGR4ZGR4ZKSQsJCEkLCRBMy0tM0FLPzw/S1tRUVtybHKVlckBCAgICAgICQoKCQwNDA0MEhAPDxASGxMVExUTGykZHhkZHhkpJCwkISQsJEEzLS0zQUs/PD9Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
width | path | Required | Requested width in pixels. 200 |
height | path | Required | Requested height in pixels. 200 |
/g/ | path | Optional | Greyscale variant. |
/y/ | path | Optional | Young Keanu variant. |
Response fields
(body)image/svg+xml- An SVG wrapping the photograph at your requested dimensions, with a `viewBox` and `preserveAspectRatio`. Not a raster image, despite what you might expect.
Content-Typeheader- `image/svg+xml`. Any pipeline expecting JPEG or PNG bytes will need adjusting.
What you can build with the PlaceKeanu API
- Make a design review mockup more engaging than grey boxes
- Demonstrate a photo layout at arbitrary aspect ratios
- Test that your image handling copes with an SVG response
- Fill a prototype gallery quickly
Common errors and how to fix them
Image processing library rejects the file
The response is SVG, not a raster format.
Fix: Handle `image/svg+xml`, or use a raster placeholder service if your pipeline cannot.
Cross-origin fetch blocked
No CORS header is sent.
Fix: An `img` tag works. Reading the SVG source with fetch will not.
Odd framing at extreme ratios
The SVG preserves aspect ratio and crops to fit.
Fix: Stay near photographic proportions for a sensible result.
PlaceKeanu API — frequently asked questions
Is PlaceKeanu free?
Yes, free with no key or account. It is a novelty placeholder service for mockups.
What format does it return?
SVG, not JPEG or PNG — the photograph is wrapped in an SVG at your requested dimensions. That scales well but surprises pipelines expecting raster bytes.
What variants are there?
Prefix the path with `/g/` for greyscale or `/y/` for a younger Keanu. There are no query parameters.
Should I use it in production?
No. It is a mockup tool, and the images are of a real person with no licence granted for commercial use.
Tools that pair with this API
Placeholder Image Generator
Generate placeholder images at any size online — solid, gradient or checkerboard with the dimensions as text. Download PNG or copy a data URI for markup.
SVG to PNG Converter
Convert SVG vector files to PNG at any resolution you choose. Render crisp raster images from SVG in your browser — free, instant and private.
Image Cropper
Crop images online to an exact rectangle with pixel-precise x, y, width and height inputs or aspect-ratio presets. Free, private and browser-based.
Alternatives to PlaceKeanu API
If PlaceKeanu does not fit, these photography & design apis cover similar ground. Every one was called before publishing, and each links to its own reference page with a working curl command and the response it returned.
| API | What it does | Auth | CORS | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Museum of Art | Free Metropolitan Museum of Art API with no key: 470,000+ artworks with high-resolution public-domain images, artist data and full object metadata. Tested. | No key | No | 19 Aug 2026 |
| Art Institute of Chicago | Free Art Institute of Chicago API with no key: 130,000+ artworks with IIIF images, colour data, artist info and rich metadata. Well documented. Tested example. | No key | Yes | 19 Aug 2026 |
| Cleveland Museum of Art | Free Cleveland Museum of Art API with no key: 60,000+ artworks with open-access images, provenance, exhibition history and full metadata. Tested curl example. | No key | No | 19 Aug 2026 |
| DiceBear Avatars | Free avatar generator API with no key: deterministic SVG or PNG avatars from any seed, in 30+ styles with customisable colours. Tested curl example. | No key | Yes | 19 Aug 2026 |
| Readme Typing SVG | Free animated SVG API with no key: generate a typing-and-deleting text animation from URL parameters, embeddable anywhere an image works. Tested example included. | No key | No | 21 Aug 2026 |
| RoboHash | Free RoboHash API with no key: unique robot, monster, cat or human avatars generated deterministically from any text. Just a URL, no JSON. Tested example. | No key | Yes | 19 Aug 2026 |
PlaceKeanu is an independent third-party service and is not affiliated with ByteTools or ByteVancer. Details on this page were verified on 21 Aug 2026; always check the official documentation before relying on this API in production, as terms and limits can change.