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

# Overview

# How to Upload a Receipt Image Using a Presigned URL

This guide explains the complete workflow for uploading receipt images using the Thanx API

## Overview of the Flow

Thanx uses two separate endpoints for handling receipt uploads:

1. [Get Upload URL](/consumer/receipts/get-upload-url) — to obtain a presigned aws s3 url.
2. [Create Receipt](/consumer/receipts/create-receipt) — to create a receipt referencing the uploaded image via `image_path`.

***

## Step 1 — [Request a Presigned Upload URL](/consumer/receipts/get-upload-url)

### Example Request

```curl theme={null}
curl -X GET "https://api.thanxsandbox.com/upload_url?upload_type=receipt" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>" \
  -H "Accept-Version: v4.0"
```

### Successful Response

```
{
  "url": "https://thanx-sandbox.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/receipt/...",
  "image_path": "uploads/receipt/image_<unique>.jpeg"
}
```

<Warning>
  The presigned URL expires. Make sure to upload your file before it does.
</Warning>

***

## Step 2 — Upload the Image to S3 Using the Presigned URL

<Warning>
  The upload must be **raw binary**. Multipart uploads will corrupt the file and cause validation errors.
</Warning>

### Correct Upload Using curl

```
curl -X PUT "presigned_url;" \
  -H "Content-Type: image/jpeg" \
  --data-binary @"my_receipt.jpg"
```

### Correct Upload Using Postman

* Method → **PUT**
* URL → paste the full presigned URL
* Body → select **binary**
* Click **Select File**
* Headers → add: `Content-Type: image/jpeg`

### Do Not Use

* form-data
* raw
* file upload inside raw
* multipart/form-data
  These formats produce the error:

```
Image content type is not a valid image
```

***

## Step 3 — [Submit the Receipt](/consumer/receipts/create-receipt)

Once the image is successfully uploaded to S3, you can submit the receipt.

### Example Request

```
curl https://api.thanxsandbox.com/receipts \
  -X POST \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept-Version: v4.0" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>" \
  -d '{
    "receipt": {
      "merchant_id": "abc123",
      "amount": 13.45,
      "payment_type": "cash",
      "purchased_at": "2024-09-15T00:52:10.655+00:00",
      "image_path": "uploads/receipt/image_<unique>.jpeg",
      "user_comments": "Card reader was down"
    }
  }'
```

### Internal Note

The Thanx backend temporarily downloads the image from S3 for processing and deletes the temporary upload afterward.

***

## Common Errors & Fixes

### Error: `Image content type is not a valid image`

**Cause:** The file was uploaded using multipart/form-data.\
**Fix:** Re-upload using raw binary.

***

### Error: `Image file is empty or corrupted`

**Causes:**

* Missing `--data-binary`
* Incorrect `Content-Type`
* Expired presigned URL

**Fix:** Ensure:

* Correct content type
* URL is still valid
* Upload is binary

***

## Summary

* 1 Request presigned URL via `/upload_url`
* 2 Upload the image to S3 using a PUT binary request
* 3 Submit the receipt using the returned `image_path`