> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.convertly.sh/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Introduction

> Convertly is media infrastructure for conversion, edge delivery, AI transforms, storage, streaming, and automation.

<div className="convertly-hero">
  <span className="docs-chip">Media platform & edge delivery</span>

  <p>
    Convertly gives your product one place to convert, compress, deliver through the Image CDN, stream adaptive video, run Forma AI transforms, store files, and automate with jobs, workflows, and webhooks. Use the hosted app for manual batches and Transform Lab previews, or use the API and SDKs when your product needs programmatic control.
  </p>
</div>

## What is Convertly?

Convertly is media infrastructure for products that accept, transform, and deliver user files. It handles conversion, edge delivery through the Image CDN, adaptive video streaming, media tools, Forma AI, storage, async jobs, webhooks, and dashboard workflows without wiring together separate services for each step.

It is built for SaaS products, internal tools, marketplaces, agencies, creator platforms, and AI-assisted workflows where files need to move from raw upload to production-ready output.

## How Convertly fits together

Convertly is organized around four layers. Most teams start with **Deliver** (Image CDN) or **Process** (convert/compress/Forma AI), then add storage, jobs, and webhooks as volume grows.

| Layer        | What it does                                                                                              | Dashboard                                                                                                                                   | Start here                                                              |
| ------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Deliver**  | Transform and cache images and video at the edge; adaptive HLS streams for playback.                      | [Image CDN](https://convertly.sh/app/image-cdn) · [Streams](https://convertly.sh/app/video-streams)                                         | [Image CDN](/docs/image-cdn) · [Video streaming](/docs/video-streaming) |
| **Process**  | Convert, compress, thumbnail, trim, inspect, and AI-transform files on demand.                            | [Convert](https://convertly.sh/app/convert) · [Compress](https://convertly.sh/app/compress) · [Forma AI](https://convertly.sh/app/forma-ai) | [Media conversion](/docs/media-conversion) · [Forma AI](/docs/ai-tools) |
| **Ingest**   | Store originals and outputs, import from URLs or cloud drives, or point the CDN at a public HTTPS origin. | [Assets](https://convertly.sh/app/files) · [Sources](https://convertly.sh/app/sources)                                                      | [Files & storage](/docs/files-and-storage)                              |
| **Automate** | Queue batches, run workspace workflows, and react to signed webhook events.                               | [Workflows](https://convertly.sh/app/workflows) · [History](https://convertly.sh/app/history)                                               | [Async jobs](/docs/async-processing) · [Webhooks](/docs/webhooks)       |

## Dashboard tour

| Section                | Purpose                                                                  |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Home**               | Recent files and quick actions                                           |
| **Assets**             | Folders, uploads, sharing, imports                                       |
| **Convert / Compress** | Manual batches with the same options as the API                          |
| **Forma AI**           | Studio for generate, edit, upscale, and restyle                          |
| **Workflows**          | Visual pipelines with test and live runs                                 |
| **Image CDN**          | Delivery namespaces, origins, presets, domains, purge, **Transform Lab** |
| **Sources**            | HTTPS and bucket origins for CDN fetch                                   |
| **Streams**            | Adaptive video encoding and playback                                     |
| **Integrations**       | WordPress and other first-party connectors                               |
| **History**            | Past jobs and workflow runs                                              |

Settings (account menu) holds **API keys**, **webhooks**, **cloud connections**, **team**, and billing. CDN signing keys live under **Image CDN → Delivery**, not in the general API key list.

## Why use Convertly?

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="One media API" icon="file-gear">
    Convert images, video, audio, documents, SVGs, and archives through one authenticated API.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Image CDN" icon="images">
    Serve responsive images and video with on-the-fly transforms, poster frames, clips, smart cropping, and edge caching.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Forma AI" icon="wand-magic-sparkles">
    Generative edits, upscale, background removal, and studio workflows. available in the dashboard and API.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Video streaming" icon="film">
    Upload source video and deliver adaptive HLS playback with the Convertly player SDK.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Async jobs & workflows" icon="list-check">
    Queue large batches, build dashboard workflows, and keep long-running work outside your request cycle.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Storage and webhooks" icon="link">
    Save originals and outputs, send signed events, and continue downstream workflows when work completes.
  </Card>
</Columns>

## Quick start

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create an API key">
    Open the dashboard account menu → **Settings** → **API keys**. Store the token as `CONVERTLY_API_KEY` on your server.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick your first path">
    Convert with `POST /api/convert`, deliver with the [Image CDN](/docs/image-cdn), use the [dashboard](/quickstart#use-the-dashboard-without-code) without code, or queue `POST /api/jobs` for background batches.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Wire delivery or automation">
    Add `@convertly-sh/image` for framework CDN URLs, [webhooks](/docs/webhooks) for completion events, or [workflows](/docs/workflows) for repeatable pipelines.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Card title="Follow the quickstart" icon="rocket" href="/quickstart">
  Platform overview, API conversion, Image CDN setup, dashboard tour, and endpoint map.
</Card>

## Choose your path

<Columns cols={3}>
  <Card title="Build with the API" icon="code" href="/docs/media-conversion">
    Learn the core media API concepts, request formats, supported outputs, and production patterns.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Optimize with Image CDN" icon="images" href="/docs/image-cdn">
    Transform images and video at the edge with `@convertly-sh/image`, Transform Lab, and origin or storage-backed URLs.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Use the dashboard" icon="table-columns" href="/quickstart#use-the-dashboard-without-code">
    Tour Assets, Transform Lab, Forma AI, workflows, and integrations before you write code.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Build workflows" icon="diagram-project" href="/docs/workflows">
    Chain convert, compress, storage, and webhook steps with test and live runs.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Connect AI agents" icon="robot" href="/docs/mcp-agents">
    Let Claude, Codex, Cursor, and other MCP clients convert and organize approved local folders.
  </Card>
</Columns>

## SDKs and clients

Use the official SDKs when you want typed helpers for uploads, `sourceUrl`, async jobs, polling, and media tools. Use the REST API directly when you need full control over request handling.

<Columns cols={3}>
  <Card title="JavaScript / TypeScript" icon="code" href="/docs/sdk">
    Install `@convertly-sh/sdk` for Node.js apps, workers, and full-stack TypeScript projects.
  </Card>

  <Card title="PHP" icon="file-code" href="/docs/php-sdk">
    Use `convertly/convertly-php` for Laravel, WordPress, and server-side PHP integrations.
  </Card>

  <Card title="REST API" icon="code" href="/api-reference/media/convert-files">
    Call Convertly directly with multipart uploads, JSON utility requests, and API keys.
  </Card>

  <Card title="OpenAPI & other languages" icon="book-open" href="/docs/sdk#other-languages">
    Use `openapi.json` with your HTTP client or codegen tool when you are not on JS/PHP.
  </Card>
</Columns>

```bash theme={"system"}
npm install @convertly-sh/sdk
composer require convertly/convertly-php
```

## Documentation index

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Authentication" icon="key" href="/authentication">
    Send API keys with bearer tokens or `x-api-key` headers.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Media conversion" icon="file-gear" href="/guides/media-conversion">
    Convert images, video, audio, and archives into production-ready formats.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Image CDN" icon="images" href="/docs/image-cdn">
    Resize, re-encode, smart-crop, and cache images and video through delivery URLs or framework SDKs.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Media tools" icon="wand-magic-sparkles" href="/docs/media-tools">
    Explore thumbnails, PDF previews, background removal, GIFs, metadata, and transforms.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Async jobs" icon="list-check" href="/guides/async-jobs">
    Upload larger batches, let workers process them, and poll status until results are ready.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Dashboard workflows" icon="table-columns" href="/quickstart#use-the-dashboard-without-code">
    Learn where to start in the hosted app before moving repeated work into the API.
  </Card>

  <Card title="API reference" icon="code" href="/api-reference/media/convert-files">
    Inspect request fields, response schemas, and playground examples.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Plan limits" icon="gauge-high" href="/limits">
    Quotas for storage, CDN, streaming, Forma AI, and media API requests.
  </Card>
</Columns>