Quick start: a Minecraft skin image from one URL
Crafty Skin Service is a free HTTP API at render.crafty.gg that turns a Minecraft username, UUID or skin texture hash into an image of the player's skin. Every endpoint is a GET request that returns WebP or SVG, so the URL works directly as an image source on a website, in a Discord bot or in a GitHub README.
- Pick an endpoint:
/2d/head,/3d/bust,/3d/fulland so on. - Add the player: a username, a UUID or a skin hash.
- Set the size with
?size=, or?width=and&height=for 3D full body.
It's the renderer behind the player and skin pages on crafty.gg, and serves about 7 million renders a day.
https://render.crafty.gg/2d/head/Notch?size=64
<img src="https://render.crafty.gg/3d/full/Notch" alt="Notch's Minecraft skin" width="158" height="256">3D skin renders: head, bust and full body
Shaded 3D models of the player's skin
Head
render.crafty.gg/3d/head/MHF_Alex Bust
render.crafty.gg/3d/bust/MHF_Alex Full Body
render.crafty.gg/3d/full/MHF_Alex 2D skin renders: face, front and full front
Flat front views, 32 to 1024 px wide
Head
render.crafty.gg/2d/head/MHF_Alex Front
render.crafty.gg/2d/front/MHF_Alex Full Front
render.crafty.gg/2d/frontfull/MHF_Alex SVG skin renders
Vector versions of the 2D views that scale to any size
Head (SVG)
render.crafty.gg/2dsvg/head/MHF_Alex Front (SVG)
render.crafty.gg/2dsvg/front/MHF_Alex Full Front (SVG)
render.crafty.gg/2dsvg/frontfull/MHF_Alex API endpoints and parameters
Base URL https://render.crafty.gg, GET only, no authentication
| Endpoint | Renders | Format | Parameters | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| /2d/head/{player} | Flat face | WebP, square | size 32-1024 (default 128) | /2d/head/Notch?size=64 |
| /2d/front/{player} | Flat front of head and torso | WebP, 4:5 | size 32-1024 sets the width (default 128) | /2d/front/jeb_?size=256 |
| /2d/frontfull/{player} | Flat full body, front | WebP, 1:2 | size 32-1024 sets the width (default 128) | /2d/frontfull/Dinnerbone?size=512 |
| /3d/head/{player} | 3D head | WebP, square | size 16-512 (default 512), shadow=true | /3d/head/Notch?size=128 |
| /3d/bust/{player} | 3D head and shoulders | WebP, square | size 16-256 (default 256) | /3d/bust/Notch?size=128 |
| /3d/full/{player} | 3D full body | WebP | width 1-768 (158), height 1-1024 (256), x, y, z, cape, optifine, elytra | /3d/full/Notch?width=300&height=500 |
| /2dsvg/head/{player} | Flat face | SVG | none, scales to any size | /2dsvg/head/Notch |
| /2dsvg/front/{player} | Flat front of head and torso | SVG | none, scales to any size | /2dsvg/front/Notch |
| /2dsvg/frontfull/{player} | Flat full body, front | SVG | none, scales to any size | /2dsvg/frontfull/Notch |
3D full body parameters
width1 to 768 px- Output width. Defaults to 158.
height1 to 1024 px- Output height. Defaults to 256.
x, y, z-100 to 100- Camera position. Defaults to -20, 0 and 50.
capecape texture hash- Draws that Mojang cape on the player.
optifinecape texture hash- Draws an OptiFine cape instead.
elytratrue- Draws the cape as an elytra. Needs cape or optifine.
Player identifiers
Replace {player} with any of these. All three
return the same render of the same skin.
- /2d/head/Notch username
- /2d/head/069a79f4-44e9-4726-a5be-fca90e38aaf5 UUID, dashes optional
- /2d/head/292009a4925b58f02c77dadc3ecef07ea4c7472f64e0fdc32ce5522489362680 skin texture hash
Caching, freshness and errors
Fresh skins. A username or UUID URL looks up the player's current skin on every request, and renders are cached per skin texture. When a player changes skin, the next request shows the new one.
Edge cached. Renders are served through Cloudflare's edge cache. Skin hash URLs never change content, so Cloudflare keeps them for 7 days. The origin answers in 6 ms at the median and 41 ms at the 95th percentile.
No broken images. An unknown player gets the default Steve skin with a 200 response on every WebP endpoint. SVG endpoints answer 403, and a 3D size outside its range answers 400 with the allowed range.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Crafty skin render API free?
Yes. Every endpoint is free and needs no API key, account or sign-up. Requests are plain GET requests, so a render URL works straight in an <img> tag, a Markdown README or a Discord embed.
How do I get a Minecraft player's head as an image?
Use https://render.crafty.gg/2d/head/{username}?size=64 for a flat face, or https://render.crafty.gg/3d/head/{username} for a 3D head. The size parameter sets the width in pixels: 32 to 1024 for 2D heads, 16 to 512 for 3D heads.
Can I use a UUID or a skin hash instead of a username?
Yes. The {player} part of every URL takes a username, a UUID with or without dashes, or a 64-character skin texture hash. A UUID never changes, so a UUID URL keeps working after the player renames. A hash URL always shows that one skin.
What happens if the player doesn't exist?
The WebP endpoints answer 200 with a render of the default Steve skin, so an image on your page never breaks. The SVG endpoints answer 403 instead. Out-of-range 3D sizes answer 400 with a plain-text message that names the allowed range.
How quickly do skin changes show up?
On the next request. A username or UUID request looks up the player's current skin before it reads the render cache, and renders are cached per skin texture, so a new skin gets a new render.
Which image formats and sizes are available?
The 2D and 3D endpoints return WebP. The /2dsvg endpoints return an SVG built from the skin's pixels, which scales to any size without blurring. 2D renders go from 32 to 1024 px wide, 3D heads up to 512 px, 3D busts up to 256 px and 3D full-body renders up to 768 by 1024 px.
Can I call the API from JavaScript on another site?
Yes. Responses carry an Access-Control-Allow-Origin header that matches the requesting origin, so fetch() from a browser works, as well as hotlinking the image in an <img> tag.
Can I render capes and elytras?
Yes, on /3d/full. Add cape={texture hash} for a Mojang cape or optifine={texture hash} for an OptiFine cape, and add elytra=true to draw that cape as an elytra.
Need more than a static render?
The Skin & Cape Studio is the interactive version of this API. Load any skin or cape into a live 3D scene, then control the lighting, camera angle and shadows, run animations or set a custom pose, edit the texture as you watch, and export a transparent or green-screen PNG — no URL parameters to guess at.