File upload inside JSON

Question

I'm building a REST API Service using PHP. I know how to receive file in standard html form(multipart/form-data).

But in my service I want to use json. So the question is, how to upload file when the client use Content-Type:application-json? How to embed a file in JSON?

Or is there some other or standard way that I must follow regarding REST API design?

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Jan 19 '13 at 08:48

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You'll have to encode your file as a string (e.g. in base64) and put this string in your JSON as a JSON value.

answered Jan 19 '13 at 08:48

Aurélien Bénel

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Thanks for your answer. btw, is there any REST API provider using this method(encode as base64) for uploading file ? – Ahmad Jan 19 '13 at 10:06
Well, this is [the way CouchDB handles "inline attachments"](http://wiki.apache.org/couchdb/HTTP_Document_API#Inline_Attachments). – Aurélien Bénel Jan 19 '13 at 10:34

score 0 · Answer 2 · edited May 23 '17 at 12:21

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Looks like there's a few answers to this question already. See the following question:

How can i upload a file using jquery's $.ajax function with json and php

They largely suggest using a plugin.

edited May 23 '17 at 12:21

Community

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answered Jan 19 '13 at 08:16

diggersworld

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File upload inside JSON

2 Answers2