DAM Wiki

Cloudinary Features

Cloudinary · USA (San Jose, California); main R&D in Petah Tikva, Israel · Founded 2012 · independent, privately heldVerified 2026-10-01 · 107 sources
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107sources
17API specs
10-01verified 2026
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Scope: Cloudinary Assets, the DAM built around the Media Library, covered in depth, plus the programmable-media features it relies on (transformations, CDN delivery, video). The docs describe the full Assets Enterprise feature set and flag what is limited or missing on Assets Free S43. Many Enterprise features are premium options that are "enabled per account" and/or charged extra; this is noted inline.

Ingestion & storage

  • Single repository: the Media Library is the same asset store developers use through the Upload/Admin APIs and delivery URLs, so there is no separate DAM copy S42. Files are stored in cloud buckets (Amazon S3 by default; Google Cloud Storage or Azure Blob Storage as premium options) S30.
  • UI upload: drag and drop of files or whole folder trees (only non-empty folders are created), paste from the clipboard, or the Media Library Upload widget. The widget pulls from the local file system, a web URL, image search, Google Drive, Dropbox, Shutterstock, iStock and others; Box, OneDrive and SharePoint were added in 2026. On Enterprise, admins choose which sources are offered S44 S37. Users need at least Can contribute on the target folder S44.
  • Other channels: Upload API (server, browser or mobile; signed, Basic-auth or unsigned via an upload preset) S9; embeddable Upload widget S28; Adobe Creative Cloud connector, Figma plugin, CI HUB, Chrome extension S69 S37; CLI and VS Code extension S41 S5; Zapier and n8n S76 S77; external portal uploader S58. Upload mappings auto-fetch files from existing online locations S5.
  • Upload presets set naming (random public ID, or file name with or without a suffix), destination folder, display name, overwrite behaviour, tags, metadata, moderation, access control and add-ons. Admins pick defaults for Media Library uploads S43 S29.
  • Metadata at upload: admins can require structured metadata in an "Update Metadata" dialog before upload continues, with validation (Enterprise) S44.
  • File size limits are set by the API plan: max image 10 MB (Free), 20 MB (Plus), 40 MB (Advanced+); max video 100 MB / 2 GB / 4 GB; Enterprise is custom S67. Files over 100 MB must use chunked upload, and files over 20 GB must be uploaded asynchronously S9.
  • Formats: around 37 image/document/3D formats are listed, including AI, PSD, PDF, InDesign (INDD), EPS, HEIF, camera RAW (ARW/CR2/CR3, DNG), JPEG XL, AVIF, SVG, TIFF, and 3D formats glTF/GLB, USDZ, FBX, OBJ, PLY, 3DS. Video formats include MP4, MOV, MKV, MXF, WebM, AVI, MPEG-2 TS. Audio is also supported. Other file types are stored as raw (upload and download only) S32.
  • Versioning: optional automatic backup keeps every overwritten original in a write-protected secondary location. Users browse Version History and restore older versions or deleted assets S33 S57. Backups can go to the customer's own S3, GCS or Azure container on paid plans S33. A backup is only created when the file is replaced, not when metadata changes S33.
  • Folder modes: with dynamic folders (the default for all accounts created since 2024-06-04), the folder location is separate from the public ID and URL. Assets and folders can be moved or renamed without breaking delivery URLs, and assets get a non-unique display name. In legacy fixed folder mode, the folder path is part of the public ID S29.

Metadata & taxonomy

  • Three metadata layers: tags (free text, up to 1,000 per asset), contextual metadata (key/value pairs per asset, such as title/caption and description/alt) and structured metadata (fields defined for the whole product environment) S46 S45. Embedded metadata (EXIF/IPTC/XMP, DPI and similar) is extracted and shown; showing and searching it needs Enterprise or Search API Tier 2 S45 S48 S14.
  • Structured metadata field types: text, number, date, single-selection list, multiple-selection list (API types string, integer, date, enum, set). Each field can have a default value, be mandatory, have a custom external ID (immutable once set), and carry validations: min/max length and regex for text, greater/less than for numbers, before/after for dates S45 S21.
  • List values: up to 3,000 values per list; can be blocked, sorted alphabetically, or added dynamically by users with Can edit/Can manage. Text values can be up to about 4 MB S45 S37.
  • Field behaviour controls: hidden, read-only (API-only edits, for example when a PIM is master), excluded from search, disabled. Conditional metadata rules (Enterprise premium) show, enable or default fields based on other values. A primary attribute can be shown on asset cards. A group property for collapsible UI sections was added to the API in 2026-06 S45 S37 S22.
  • Hierarchies: metadata rules define dependencies and hierarchical relationships between fields and options S5. A thesaurus or synonyms feature is not documented.
  • Bulk edit: multi-select bulk tagging and metadata edits in the UI; CSV import ("Bulk Update Metadata", plus bulk tag update via CSV since 2026-05); CSV/XLSX export via DAM apps S43 S39 S64. Free plan: limited number of structured fields S45.
  • AI taxonomy: the Taxonomy Agent drafts new fields (type, list values, validations) and bulk-updates tags or metadata. Nothing is applied until a user approves it S47 S45.

Search & discovery

  • Global Search: free text across display name, public ID path, folder, tags and context, plus structured and embedded metadata if the admin enables it; / shortcut S48.
  • Advanced Search: facet-style filters for type, size, dimensions, colours, tags, metadata, video duration, number of faces, location and more. Admins choose up to 10 default filters. Image-analysis filters need Search API Tier 2 S49.
  • Query Builder: Lucene-like expressions with AND/OR, exact or tokenised matching, prefix wildcards and ranges (same syntax as the Search API) S52 S14.
  • Saved searches: up to 15, shareable with teammates S48 S52.
  • Visual Search (Enterprise premium): find similar images from a library asset, an image URL or an uploaded image, or describe a scene in text (natural-language search) S50 S39.
  • People Search (Enterprise premium): facial recognition groups people across images; users name or merge people. Also exposed through the Admin API people endpoints S51 S5.
  • Search Agent (AI agents, see below): natural-language search that combines visual and metadata criteria S47 S49.
  • Related assets: link assets to each other (for example a video and its transcript), shown in a dedicated tab (Enterprise) S29 S5.

AI capabilities

  • Auto-tagging and analysis add-ons: Cloudinary AI Content Analysis, Cloudinary AI Vision (generative Q&A on images), Google, Imagga and Amazon Rekognition auto-tagging, OCR text extraction, and moderation providers. Most add-ons have a free tier; production volumes need paid tiers S67 S66. Applied at upload through presets or on demand S19.
  • Generative and AI editing (Studio and URL transformations): background removal, generative fill/replace/remove, upscaling, AI cropping, image generation from text prompts across several model families, and image-to-video S62 S21 S36. Since 2023, Cloudinary's newsroom lists generative AI features for images S81.
  • Video AI: automatic transcription and translation (Cloudinary service, or Google / Microsoft add-ons), subtitles; AI Video Analysis (beta) produces timestamped visual descriptions S34 S36.
  • Face recognition: People Search S51.
  • Cloudinary AI Agents (beta in the docs, available to Assets Enterprise on request; announced GA 2026-05-05): Taxonomy, Search, Workflow (turns intent into MediaFlows automations) and Moderation agents, plus a Coordinator agent, opened from a "Chat with AI" panel S47 S90 Unverified (docs still say "Beta" while the press says GA).
  • AI governance: admins switch agents on or off globally and per agent; access is role-based; agents act only within the signed-in user's permissions; suggestions are human-in-the-loop (nothing changes until a user approves) S47. Content provenance via C2PA S81. A tenant-level opt-out from model training is not documented (Unknown).

Organization

  • Folders: a hierarchy used for access control. In dynamic mode, folders can be moved or renamed safely. Folder download as ZIP is limited to 1,000 assets and 100 MB (or the raw file limit) S65 S29.
  • Collections: virtual groupings across folders, shared internally at permission levels (Can view / Can edit / Can manage) and publishable externally through a public link, optionally limited to a date range. Assets Free is limited to 3 collections of 50 assets each S65 S42.
  • Dynamic collections (premium): rule-based collections S65.
  • Portals (Enterprise premium, extra cost): no-code, custom-branded external portals with templates, search, metadata display, access requests, an external uploader and visit/search analytics. Also sold with Image & Video Enterprise plans S58.
  • Product environments: separate repositories (formerly "sub-accounts") under one account, each with its own cloud name, API keys and settings S17.

Workflow & collaboration

  • Creative Approval (Enterprise premium, extra cost): proofs (sets of assets) go through reusable approval flows with stages and assigned reviewers. Reviewers view, comment, annotate and approve or request changes; a stage is blocked until approvals are complete; actions can be automated on proof status. Also available through the Creative Approval API (2026) S59 S60 S39 S20.
  • Comments (Enterprise premium) with @mentions and email notifications S61.
  • Moderation: manual and/or automatic moderation queues at upload (accept/reject with optional rejection reason, multiple moderations, history). AI-powered Cloudinary Moderation product GA in 2026 S57 S39.
  • Automation: MediaFlows (EasyFlows step-by-step, PowerFlows drag-and-drop) triggered by DAM events, for example expiry reminders, moving or restricting assets, or syncing to Shopify S56 S2 S70.
  • Creative tools: Adobe Creative Cloud connector (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign with live links; paid add-on), Figma plugin, CI HUB (separately licensed) S74 S37.
  • Studio: image editor with AI actions and code view; saves named transformations and transformation templates (up to 60). A new Studio became available on all plans in 2026-06 S62 S38.

Rights & governance

  • Access control mode (Enterprise premium): set an asset to Public or Restricted, optionally with a time window when it is public. Restricted assets need a signed token outside the Media Library, and the URL does not change. Bulk updates of up to 300 assets S56. Developer-side options: private/authenticated delivery types, signed URLs, token or cookie authentication (Advanced plan and above) S30 S67.
  • Expiration: no dedicated expiry field. It is handled with date metadata, saved searches, time-limited access control and EasyFlows automations (restrict, move, notify) S56.
  • Rights management: FADEL Rights Cloud integration (beta, Enterprise) for licensing and brand compliance S56.
  • Watermarking: through transformations or overlays and transformation templates S62.
  • Permissions model: global roles (account and product-environment level), folder roles and collection roles, assigned to users, groups and API keys. System roles range from Master Admin to Media Library User; custom roles and "access bundles" are available; custom roles require Enterprise. Legacy model: roles plus folder permission levels (Can view / Can contribute / Can edit / Can manage) S55 S53 S65.
  • Moderation and download restrictions, plus a "Show delivery URL" permission that controls public-ID editing S29 S57.
  • Audit trail: no dedicated audit-log UI documented; version history, moderation history and webhooks cover parts of it S15 S57. Retention policies: Unknown.

Distribution & delivery

  • DAM as a CDN: every asset has a delivery URL https://res.cloudinary.com/{cloud_name}/{asset_type}/{delivery_type}/{transformations}/{version}/{public_id}.{ext}. Transformations are applied on the fly, cached at the CDN edge, and counted once per unique derived URL S31 S30 S67. A private CDN distribution ({cloud_name}-res.cloudinary.com) and custom CNAME domains are available from the Advanced plan; multi-CDN is Enterprise S30 S67.
  • Transformations: resize and crop (including face/AI-aware cropping), automatic format and quality (f_auto/q_auto, AVIF, WebP, JPEG XL), overlays and text, effects, generative AI edits; named transformations; eager or on-the-fly derivation S31 S23.
  • Sharing: public links to single assets or collections, internal invite links, embed codes for video S61 S65.
  • Downloads: originals or templated renditions, single or bulk ZIP S62.
  • Embeds and widgets: Media Library widget (DAM picker in a CMS or PIM), Product Gallery, Video Player, Upload widget S27 S28 S4.
  • Templating: transformation templates and dynamic templates (for example Klaviyo personalisation) S62 S64. Print/InDesign templating: Not documented.

Video & rich media

  • Transcoding on the fly to many formats; HLS and MPEG-DASH adaptive streaming with built-in or custom streaming profiles S35 S5.
  • Cloudinary Video Player (WCAG 2.1 AA claim), player profiles and per-video configuration APIs, Video Player Studio app S34 S4 S64.
  • Transcripts, subtitles and translation; AI Video Analysis (beta); live streaming API; Video Canvas (beta, visual video-transformation pipelines) S34 S36 S4.
  • 3D: upload and delivery of glTF/GLB, USDZ, FBX, OBJ and other 3D formats, with conversion between 3D formats S32. 3D product experiences announced 2025-02-11 S81.
  • Deprecated: the g_track_person dynamic video overlays stopped working on 2026-08-29 S36.

Analytics & reporting

  • Assets Reports (Enterprise premium): engagement (most active users, sessions), search (top searches and filter values), downloads and collection activity S63.
  • Usage reports: storage, credits, bandwidth, transformations and add-on usage in the Console and through the Admin API usage endpoint; Error Reports (Advanced plan and above); delivery logs (Enterprise) S5 S30 S67.
  • Last-access reports list assets not accessed since a given date (for cleanup) S5.
  • Video analytics: views through the Admin API (video/analytics/views) S21. Portal analytics are covered under Portals S58.

Administration

  • Console: settings for users, groups, roles, API keys, upload presets, webhooks, backup, Media Library preferences (search filters, upload sources, localisation of the Media Library and portals, rejection reasons) S43 S53.
  • User provisioning: Console, SAML provisioning (Enterprise), or the Provisioning API (Enterprise, on request) for product environments, users, groups and access keys S17 S54. SCIM: not documented.
  • Multi-environment / multi-brand: several product environments per account; users and groups are managed at account level S53 S17.
  • Sandboxes: a Free account or an extra product environment serves as a non-production environment. Cloudinary recommends testing folder-mode migrations on non-production environments S29 S67.
  • DAM Apps (enabled by admins): Contact Sheet, Download Transformed Assets, Export Asset Metadata (CSV), Export to Excel, Klaviyo Connect (beta), MediaFlows, Product Gallery, Shopify AssetLink, Video Player Studio and more S64.
  • Account safety: accounts can be restored within 30 days of deletion (2026-06) S38.
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