Image Search lets you build a visual search engine powered by deep learning and computer vision. Submit a query image via the API, and Image Search returns visually similar images from your gallery — no keywords required.
Typical applications include snap shopping (let users photograph a product to find it in your catalog), product recommendations, similar-image recommendations, and copyright protection.
How it works
Add reference images to an image gallery managed by Image Search.
Submit a query image via the API.
Image Search extracts image features, compares them against the gallery, and returns a list of similar images.
Service types
Image Search offers two service types. Select one when you create an instance — you cannot change the service type afterward.
| Service type | What it searches | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Product image search | A product image gallery | Finding identical or similar products; returning associated product information |
| Generic image search | A large general-purpose image gallery | Matching images by subjects or visual elements across any domain |
If you have questions about which service type fits your use case, email imagesearch-support@list.alibaba-inc.com or join DingTalk group 35035130.
Key capabilities
High accuracy: Provides search services with relatively high accuracy in the industry based on large amounts of training data and constant improvements.
Millisecond response: Returns results in milliseconds using ultra-large-scale clustering and quantization-based indexing.
Billion-scale search: Scans tens of billions of images per search.
Real-time updates: Add or delete images from the gallery in real time via API operations.
Flexible search criteria: Combine multiple search criteria to match your business logic, ensuring high efficiency and high flexibility.
Data security: Protects stored data with asymmetric encryption and supports access control based on user permissions.