Klip - Kotlin Language Image Processing

Klip is a Kotlin-based image and canvas processing server that dynamically transforms images stored in AWS S3. Powered by GraphicsMagick, it delivers fast, scalable, and customizable image manipulation through HTTP GET requests.

Features

Image Transformations – Resize, crop, rotate, grayscale, blur, sharpen, and more.
Canvas Generation – Create custom canvases with gradients, patterns, text overlays, borders, and rounded corners.
Flexible Rules Engine – Enforce size, quality, and filter constraints with configurable rules for enhanced security and optimization.
Caching Support – Seamlessly caches transformed images to reduce processing overhead and improve performance.
AWS S3 Integration – Pulls source images directly from S3 and supports caching to a separate bucket.
Admin APIs – Monitor performance and track cache statistics with secure, API-key-protected admin endpoints.
Highly Configurable – Customize behavior using environment variables for features, limits, and resource constraints.

Endpoints

/klip – Transform existing images stored in AWS S3.
/canvas – Generate custom graphics and placeholders with flexible styling options.

Get Image

GET /klip/{path/to/image}

Fetch the original image stored in the S3 bucket without any transformations.

Example:

GET http://localhost:8080/klip/properties/1/04c08449e126.png

Resize Image

GET /klip/{path/to/image}?w={width}&h={height}

# Set width and height independently.
GET /klip/{path/to/image}?w={width}
GET /klip/{path/to/image}?h={height}

# Dimension syntax
GET /klip/{path/to/image}?d={width}x{height}

Resize the image to the specified width and height.

Query Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`width`	Int	Optional	-	Width of the output image
`height`	Int	Optional	-	Height of the output image

Example:

GET http://localhost:8080/klip/properties/1/04c08449e126.png?d=640x480
GET http://localhost:8080/klip/properties/1/04c08449e126.png?w=640&h480

Fit Modes

Control how the image fits within the specified dimensions.

GET /klip/{path/to/image}?w={width}&h={height}&fit={mode}

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`fit`	String	Optional	-	How the image should fit within dimensions. Values: `contain`, `cover`, `fill`

Fit Modes Explained:

contain: Preserves aspect ratio while ensuring image fits within specified dimensions

GET /klip/photo.jpg?w=800&h=600&fit=contain

cover: Fills entire dimensions while preserving aspect ratio, cropping excess

GET /klip/photo.jpg?w=800&h=600&fit=cover

fill: Stretches or squishes image to exactly fit dimensions

GET /klip/photo.jpg?w=800&h=600&fit=fill

Default Behavior:

With both width and height: Acts as fill
With single dimension: Acts as contain

Quality Adjustment

GET /klip/{path/to/image}?quality=75

Adjust the image quality for compression and size optimization. Useful for reducing image size without significant loss of visual fidelity.

Query Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`quality`	Int	No	100	Adjusts image quality (1–100). Lower values reduce size but may lose detail.

Supported Formats: JPEG, PNG, WebP (other formats may default to lossless encoding).

Examples:

# High Quality (Default)
GET http://localhost:8080/klip/properties/1/04c08449e126.png?quality=100
# Medium-High Quality
GET http://localhost:8080/klip/properties/102/05013ad4469e00a7aed9596bc37af74e.jpg?quality=75
# Medium Quality
GET http://localhost:8080/klip/properties/102/05013ad4469e00a7aed9596bc37af74e.jpg?quality=50
# Low Quality
GET http://localhost:8080/klip/properties/102/05013ad4469e00a7aed9596bc37af74e.jpg?quality=25
# Lower Quality
GET http://localhost:8080/klip/properties/102/05013ad4469e00a7aed9596bc37af74e.jpg?quality=10
# Combined with resizing
GET http://localhost:8080/klip/properties/102/05013ad4469e00a7aed9596bc37af74e.jpg?quality=10&w1301h781

Image Comparison (click to enlarge)

High (100) (default)	Medium-High (75)	Medium (50)

991,091 bytes	205,236 bytes	132,963 bytes

Low (25)	Lower (10)

83,156 bytes	43,615 bytes

Center Crop

GET /klip/{path/to/image}?crop?w={width}&h={height}

Crop the image from the center to the specified width and height.

Query Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`crop`	Boolean	No	false	Crops the image to fit the size.

Example:

GET http://localhost:8080/klip/properties/1/04c08449e126.png?crop&w=250&h=250

Grayscale Filter

GET /klip/{path/to/image}?grayscale

Convert the image to grayscale while resizing to the specified dimensions.

Query Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`grayscale`	Boolean	No	false	Applies a grayscale filter to the image.

Example:

GET http://localhost:8080/klip/250x250/properties/1/04c08449e126.png?grayscale

Flip Horizontally

GET /klip/{path/to/image}?flipH

Flip the image horizontally (left-to-right).

Query Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`flipH`	Boolean	No	false	Flips the image horizontally (left-to-right).

Example:

GET http://localhost:8080/klip/properties/1/04c08449e126.png?flipH

Flip Vertically

GET /klip/{path/to/image}?flipV

Flip the image vertically (top-to-bottom).

Query Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`flipV`	Boolean	No	false	Flips the image vertically (top-to-bottom).

Example - Flip vertically:

GET http://localhost:8080/klip/properties/1/04c08449e126.png?flipV

Example - Flip both horizontally and vertically:

GET http://localhost:8080/klip/properties/1/04c08449e126.png?flipH&flipV

Rotate Image

GET /klip/{path/to/image}?rotate=45

Rotate the image by the specified degrees (clockwise).

Query Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`rotate`	Float	No	0	Rotates the image by the specified angle.

Example - Rotate image 45 degrees:

GET http://localhost:8080/klip/properties/1/04c08449e126.png?rotate=45

Blur Image

GET /klip/{path/to/image}?blur={radius}x{sigma}
GET /klip/{path/to/image}?blur={blur}

Apply a Gaussian blur to the image to soften details.

Query Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`blur`	Int	No	0	Simple blur with a single integer, range: `[1, 10]`.
`blur`	String	No	0	Fine-tune Gaussian blur, format: `{radius}x{sigma}`.

blur format mappings:

Blur	Radius	Sigma	Description
1	1	0.5	Very light blur
2	2	1.0	Light blur
3	3	1.5	Moderate blur
4	4	2.0	Strong blur
5	5	2.5	Very strong blur
10	10	5.0	Extreme blur (background effects)

radius: Defines the area of the blur effect (higher = wider blur).
sigma: Controls the strength of the blur (higher = softer edges).

Example - Mild blur:

GET http://localhost:8080/klip/properties/1/04c08449e126.png?blur=0x2

Example: Simple, heavy blur

GET http://localhost:8080/klip/properties/1/04c08449e126.png?blur=7

Sharpen Image

GET /klip/{path/to/image}?sharpen=2.0

Sharpen the image to enhance details and make edges clearer.

Query Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`sharpen`	Float	No	`0`	Applies sharpening in the format `radiusxsigma`.

radius: Defines the area of the blur effect (higher = wider blur).
sigma: Controls the strength of the blur (higher = softer edges).

Example - Mild blur:

GET http://localhost:8080/klip/properties/1/04c08449e126.png?sharpen=2.0

Color Adjustment

GET /klip/{path/to/image}?colors=16

Reduce the number of colors in the image to simplify or stylize it.

Query Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`colors`	Int	No	`256`	Reduces the image to the specified color count.

Example - 10 colors:

GET http://localhost:8080/klip/properties/1/04c08449e126.png?colors=10

Dithering

GET /klip/{path/to/image}?dither

Enable or disable dithering to improve color approximation when reducing colors.

Query Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`dither`	Boolean	No	false	Enable dithering.

Example - 10 colors:

GET http://localhost:8080/klip/properties/1/04c08449e126.png?dither

Combine Filters

GET /klip/{path/to/image}?grayscale&crop&rotate=90

Apply multiple transformations in a single request.

Example:

GET http://localhost:8080/klip/properties/1/04c08449e126.png?w=250&h=250&grayscale&crop&rotate=90

Health Check

GET /health

Check if the server is up and running.

Response:

{
  "status": "UP"
}

Version Check

GET /version

Get the current version of the Klip server.

Response:

1.0.0

Admin Status Check

Get detailed status information about Klip

GET /admin/status

with Authorization: ApiKey <YOUR_API_KEY>

Response:

{
    "totalRequests": 504,
    "cacheHits": 252,
    "cacheHitRate": 0.5,
    "pool": {
        "maxConcurrent": 2,
        "currentAvailable": 2,
        "totalProcessed": 281,
        "averageWaitMs": 20049
    }
}

Canvas - Generated Placeholder Images

GET /canvas/{width}x{height}

Generate a placeholder image with custom dimensions, background color, and optional text overlay.

Query Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`bgColor`	String	Optional	gray	Background color (name or hex code)
`textColor`	String	Optional	white	Text color (name or hex code)
`textSize`	Int	Optional	20	Font size for the text
`text`	String	Optional	-	Text to display on the canvas
`pattern`	String	Optional	-	Pattern type: "check", "grid", "stripe"
`patternSize`	Int	Optional	20-40	Size of pattern elements
`gradient`	String	Optional	-	Gradient spec: "blue,red" or "45,#ff0000,blue"
`font`	String	Optional	Arial	Font family for text
`textAlign`	String	Optional	center	Text alignment: "center", "north", "southwest"
`border`	Int	Optional	-	Border width in pixels
`borderColor`	String	Optional	-	Border color (name or hex code)
`radius`	Int	Optional	0	Corner radius for rounded corners
`grayscale`	Bool	Optional	false	Convert to grayscale
`quality`	Int	Optional	-	Output image quality (1-100)
`blur`	String	Optional	-	Blur effect: "2.5" or "2.5x1.2"
`sharpen`	Float	Optional	-	Sharpen effect intensity
`rotate`	Float	Optional	-	Rotation angle in degrees
`flipH`	Bool	Optional	false	Flip horizontally
`flipV`	Bool	Optional	false	Flip vertically

Examples:

Endpoint	Description
	`/canvas/300x200?text=Hello&bgColor=%23336699&textColor=white`
	`/canvas/320x320?text=Hello&textSize=40&textColor=white&pattern=check&patternSize=32&border=10&borderColor=black`
	`/canvas/320x320?text=Hello&textSize=40&borderColor=black&border=10&textColor=white&gradient=blue%2Cred`
	`/canvas/320x320?pattern=grid&patternSize=50&text=Grid`

More Examples:

# Basic gray placeholder
GET /canvas/640x480

# Blue placeholder with text
GET /canvas/200x100?bgColor=blue&text=Hello

# Custom colors and font size
GET /canvas/400x300?bgColor=%23FF0000&textColor=white&text=Preview&textSize=30

# Using hex colors
GET /canvas/300x200?bgColor=%23336699&text=Loading

# More
GET /canvas/300x200?bg=blue&text=Hello
GET /canvas/300x200?gradient=45,blue,red&text=Gradient
GET /canvas/300x200?pattern=check&patternSize=30
GET /canvas/300x200?pattern=grid&patternSize=50&text=Grid
GET /canvas/300x200?bg=white&border=5&borderColor=black&radius=10
GET /canvas/300x200?text=Hello&font=Helvetica&align=north&grayscale=1

Klip Rules Configuration

Klip allows you to configure transformation rules for image processing using either environment variables or a rules file. These rules enforce constraints on transformations, ensuring only allowed operations are applied.

Environment Variable Configuration

Set rules using the KLIP_RULES and KLIP_CANVAS_RULES environment variable as a semicolon-separated string:

Example:

KLIP_RULES="+flipV;-flipH;dim 32x32 64x64 128x128;blur 1 2 3 4;quality 75 85 90;rotate 0 90 180"
KLIP_CANVAS_RULES="+flipV;-flipH;dim 32x32 64x64 128x128;rotate 0 90 180"

File-Based Configuration

Alternatively, rules can be stored in a rules.txt file and referenced via the KLIP_RULES_FILE environment variable.

Example:

KLIP_RULES_FILE=/app/config/rules.txt
KLIP_CANVAS_RULES_FILE=/app/config/canvas_rules.txt

rules.txt

+flipV
-flipH
dim 32x32 64x64 128x128
blur 1 2 3 4
quality 75 85 90
rotate 0 90 180

Rule Syntax

Rule	Description	Example
`+flipV`	Allow vertical flipping.	`+flipV`
`-flipV`	Disallow vertical flipping.	`-flipV`
`+flipH`	Allow horizontal flipping.	`+flipH`
`-flipH`	Disallow horizontal flipping.	`-flipH`
`+grayscale`	Allow grayscale conversion.	`+grayscale`
`-grayscale`	Disallow grayscale conversion.	`-grayscale`
`dim {WxH}`	Allow specific dimensions (width x height).	`dim 32x32 64x64 128x128`
`blur {values}`	Allow specific blur radii.	`blur 1 2 3 4`
`quality {values}`	Allow specific quality settings.	`quality 75 85 90`
`rotate {values}`	Allow specific rotation angles in degrees.	`rotate 0 90 180`
`sharpen {values}`	Allow specific sharpen values.	`sharpen 0.5 1.0 2.0`
`colors {values}`	Allow specific color palette sizes.	`colors 16 32 64 128`
`fit {values}`	Allow specific fit values .	`fit cover contain`

Usage in Docker

Environment Variable Example:

docker run -e KLIP_RULES="+flipV;-flipH;dim 32x32 64x64 128x128" klip-app

File Example:

docker run -e KLIP_RULES_FILE=/config/rules.txt -v /local/config:/config klip-app

Testing Rules Locally

To test rules without deployment:

Create a rules.txt file:

+flipV
-flipH
dim 32x32 64x64 128x128
blur 1 2 3 4
quality 75 85 90
rotate 0 90 180

Use the following shell script:

KLIP_RULES_FILE=./klip_rules.txt ./gradlew run

Alternatively, set directly as an environment variable:

KLIP_RULES="+flipV;-flipH;dim 32x32 64x64 128x128" ./gradlew run

Errors

GET /klip/properties/1/04c08449e1261fedc2eb1a6a99245531.png?w=10&h=9
GET /klip/properties/1/04c08449e1261fedc2eb1a6a99245531.png?d=10x9

422 - Unprocessable Entity

{
  "error": "Dimensions must be > 10. Got: 10x9"
}

Installation

Prerequisites

Java 21+
Gradle
GraphicsMagick

brew install graphicsmagick

Build Project

./gradlew clean build

Environment Configuration (Env)

Section	Variable	Type	Default	Required	Description
Features	`KLIP_ENABLED`	Boolean	`true`	No	Enable/disable the /klip/ endpoint for image transformations.
Features	`KLIP_CANVAS_ENABLED`	Boolean	`true`	No	Enable/disable the /canvas/ endpoint for image generation.
Features	`KLIP_ADMIN_ENABLED`	Boolean	`false`	No	Enable/disable the admin endpoints.
Security	`KLIP_ADMIN_API_KEY`	String	-	Yes*	API key required for admin endpoints when admin is enabled.
LOG	`KLIP_LOG_LEVEL`	Enum	`INFO`	No	`TRACE`, `INFO`, `DEBUG`, `WARN`, `ERROR`
HTTP	`KLIP_HTTP_PORT`	Int	`8080`	No	The HTTP port the server listens on.
AWS	`KLIP_AWS_REGION`	String	-	Yes	AWS region for S3 bucket (e.g., `us-west-2`).
AWS	`KLIP_S3_BUCKET`	String	-	Yes	The S3 bucket name where source images are stored.
Cache	`KLIP_CACHE_ENABLED`	Boolean	True	No	If false, disable image cache.
Cache	`KLIP_CACHE_BUCKET`	String	Same as `KLIP_S3_BUCKET`	No	Used if using different S3 bucket for caching.
Cache	`KLIP_CACHE_FOLDER`	String	`_cache/`	No	Prefix for cached files. Stored within the cache bucket.
Rules	`KLIP_RULES`	String	"" (empty)	No	Inline rule definitions separated by ; (e.g., +flipV;-flipH;dim 32x32 64x64).
Rules	`KLIP_RULES_FILE`	String	-	No	Path to a rules file with one rule per line. Overrides KLIP_RULES.
GraphicsMagick	`KLIP_GM_TIMEOUT_SECONDS`	Long	`30`	No	Maximum time in seconds for a GraphicsMagick operation.
GraphicsMagick	`KLIP_GM_MEMORY_LIMIT`	String	`256MB`	No	Memory limit for GraphicsMagick operations.
GraphicsMagick	`KLIP_GM_MAP_LIMIT`	String	`512MB`	No	Memory map limit for GraphicsMagick operations.
GraphicsMagick	`KLIP_GM_DISK_LIMIT`	String	`1GB`	No	Disk space limit for GraphicsMagick operations.
GraphicsMagick	`KLIP_GM_POOL_SIZE`	Int	Available Processors	No	Maximum number of concurrent GraphicsMagick operations.

Run Klip Server

KLIP_ENABLED=true \
KLIP_CANVAS_ENABLED=true \
KLIP_ADMIN_ENABLED=true \
KLIP_ADMIN_API_KEY="your.secret.key" \
KLIP_LOG_LEVEL=INFO \
KLIP_HTTP_PORT=8080 \
KLIP_AWS_REGION=us-west-2 \
KLIP_S3_BUCKET=cdn.klip.com \
KLIP_CACHE_ENABLED=true \
KLIP_CACHE_BUCKET=cdn.klip.com \
KLIP_CACHE_FOLDER=.cache/ \
KLIP_RULES="+flipV;-flipH;dim 32x32 64x64 256x256" \
KLIP_GM_TIMEOUT_SECONDS=30 \
KLIP_GM_MEMORY_LIMIT=256MB \
KLIP_GM_MAP_LIMIT=512MB \
KLIP_GM_DISK_LIMIT=1GB \
KLIP_GM_POOL_SIZE=4 \
java -jar build/libs/klip-all.jar

Default local endpoint: http://0.0.0.0:8080

Docker

Build the project

./gradlew clean build

Create Dockerfile from template (one-time step)

cp Dockerfile.template Dockerfile

Afterward set the ENV variables as needed.

Build Docker image

docker build --platform linux/amd64 -t klip-prod:latest .

Tag and Deploy image

docker tag klip-prod:latest <AWS_ACCOUNT_ID>.dkr.ecr.<AWS_REGION>.amazonaws.com/klip-prod:latest
docker push <AWS_ACCOUNT_ID>.dkr.ecr.<AWS_REGION>.amazonaws.com/klip-prod:latest

Force deploy of Klip

aws ecs update-service \
  --cluster klip-prod-cluster \
  --service klip-prod-service \
  --force-new-deployment

Tail Logs

aws logs tail /ecs/klip-prod --follow

Terraform

ALB, ECS, Fargate, ECR

Note that you'll likely need to adjust this terraform to fit your project. This is meant as a starting point.

Setup

cd terraform/stacks/
cp prod-template prod

Make whatever edits you need to the terraform/variables.

cd terraform/stacks/prod/
terraform init
terraform apply

Roadmap

Configurable Secret Key to protect admin endpoints (clear cache, get stats)
Migrate to Kotlin Native after (aws s3 client is for kotlin jvm)
Configurable backend storage (S3 vs File)

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 50 Commits
gradle/wrapper		gradle/wrapper
images		images
src		src
terraform		terraform
.gitignore		.gitignore
Dockerfile.template		Dockerfile.template
PERFORMANCE.md		PERFORMANCE.md
README.md		README.md
build.gradle.kts		build.gradle.kts
gradle.properties		gradle.properties
gradlew		gradlew
gradlew.bat		gradlew.bat
settings.gradle.kts		settings.gradle.kts

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Klip - Kotlin Language Image Processing

Features

Endpoints

Get Image

Resize Image

Fit Modes

Quality Adjustment

Image Comparison (click to enlarge)

Center Crop

Grayscale Filter

Flip Horizontally

Flip Vertically

Rotate Image

Blur Image

Sharpen Image

Color Adjustment

Dithering

Combine Filters

Health Check

Version Check

Admin Status Check

Canvas - Generated Placeholder Images

Klip Rules Configuration

Environment Variable Configuration

File-Based Configuration

rules.txt

Rule Syntax

Usage in Docker

Testing Rules Locally

Errors

Installation

Prerequisites

Build Project

Environment Configuration (Env)

Run Klip Server

Docker

Build the project

Create Dockerfile from template (one-time step)

Build Docker image

Tag and Deploy image

Force deploy of Klip

Tail Logs

Terraform

Setup

Roadmap

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