Google Photos vs PlaceKeanu

Google's Photos APIs let apps read from and write to a user's Google Photos library across three products: the current Picker API lets a user securely choose individual items to share without granting an app full library access, the older Library API supports app-driven uploads and management of app-created content (several of its broader read scopes were removed on April 1, 2025), and the newer Ambient API drives slideshow experiences on photo frames and connected TVs. Every product requires OAuth2 user consent — there is no server-only API-key path — governed by Google's Photos API User Data and Developer Policy. Usage is free, bounded by per-project quotas that vary by product (for example 100,000 requests/minute for the Picker API versus 10,000/day for the Library API).

PlaceKeanu generates novelty placeholder images of Keanu Reeves sized entirely from the request path (/[width]/[height]/[options]), with no signup or API key needed. Each photo is served as an inline base64-encoded SVG and cached client-side for a day, so repeat requests at the same dimensions return the same image rather than a fresh random one. Optional y and g path suffixes request a younger-Keanu or grayscale variant.