This guide describes how to integrate ChiliFresh Cover Art into your OPAC, discovery layer or library web site.

There are two ways to integrate:

1. Direct image retrieval — your catalog embeds a ChiliFresh image URL (or your server pulls the image) and the cover is returned as an image. This is the simplest and most common method.
2. Covers (RESTful) API — your application first queries the API to learn whether a cover exists (and at which sizes) and then retrieves the image URLs from the API response. See Covers (RESTful) API for full reference.

• URL: https://content.chilifresh.com/
• Method: GET
• Available both over plain HTTP and SSL
• Output: GIF image

Basic request format:

https://content.chilifresh.com/?isbn=XXXXXXXXXX&size=Y

Live example:

https://content.chilifresh.com/?isbn=9780578033440&size=M

The following item identifiers are accepted as request parameters:

Provide multiple identifiers at once — pass all identifiers you have on the bibliographic record in a single request:

https://content.chilifresh.com/?isbn=9780578033440&oclc=(OCoLC)4048055&size=M

Identifiers are processed in the order provided and the first existing cover image is returned. Supplying every identifier you have (ISBN, UPC, OCLC, …) maximizes the chance of retrieving a cover.

The same applies to multiple values of the same identifier type: pass several ISBNs from one record as a comma-separated list — they are processed in order and the first match is returned:

https://content.chilifresh.com/?isbn=9780578033440,0807282588&size=M

OCLC number examples (as they appear in bibliographic records):

https://content.chilifresh.com/?oclc=(OCoLC)ocm50035236&size=M
https://content.chilifresh.com/?oclc=(OCoLC)ocn933282680&size=M
https://content.chilifresh.com/?oclc=(OCoLC)on1021885771&size=M
https://content.chilifresh.com/?oclc=(OCoLC)pcl00007081&size=M
https://content.chilifresh.com/?oclc=(OCoLC)4048055&size=M

Three image sizes are available via the size parameter:

If the size parameter is omitted (or invalid), the small image is returned.

• Generic placeholder image (default). By default, generic images are enabled: if no actual cover exists, a placeholder image showing the book title and author is returned. A returned generic image is a normal image response — it is not treated as a miss.
• Disabling generic images. To disable generic images, add generic=false to the retrieval URL:

  https://content.chilifresh.com/?isbn=9780578033440&size=M&generic=false

• Blank 1×1 px GIF. If no image is returned (no actual cover and no generic image), the output is a blank 1×1 px GIF image.
• 404 error instead of blank GIF. If you prefer an HTTP 404 response instead of the blank GIF (useful for server-side integrations that check the response code), add showerror=true to the retrieval URL:

  https://content.chilifresh.com/?isbn=9780578033440&size=M&generic=false&showerror=true

Custom placeholder: you can also provide your own placeholder image to be displayed instead of the ChiliFresh generic image — contact support@chilifresh.com to set this up.

If your application needs to know whether a cover exists before rendering (e.g. to control layout, caching or fallbacks), use the Covers API. It returns availability flags and cover URLs for each size, with XML and JSON output.

• XML endpoint: https://content.chilifresh.com/api/
• JSON endpoint: https://content.chilifresh.com/api/json/

Full reference: Covers (RESTful) API

Authorization for image display is managed through white-listing in the ChiliFresh Admin panel → Covered hosts. Enter there:

• Client-side retrieval (the patron's browser loads images directly from ChiliFresh): the hostnames of your catalog and web pages that will display the images.
• Server-side retrieval (your server pulls images from ChiliFresh): the IP address(es) of the server(s) that will be pulling the images.

Please note:

• Images are returned even if your host/IP is not yet entered — however, hosts that are not white-listed are eventually blocked. Enter your hosts/IPs before going live.
• The white-listed hosts/IPs are also used for collecting the usage statistics displayed on the Admin panel.

Questions about integration, custom placeholder images or white-listing: support@chilifresh.com.