Probe.dev API Documentation

Overview

Probe.dev supports multiple analysis tools across different categories: Core Media Analysis: Traditional metadata extraction and technical analysis

mediainfo, ffprobe, probe_report - Can be enabled together for comprehensive media analysis

Specialized Validation: Purpose-built tools for specific compliance requirements

mediastreamvalidator - HLS compliance validation for Apple App Store submissions
c2pa - Content authenticity and provenance verification

Example: Core media analysis tools working together:

{
    "url": "https://probelibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/sample-source.mp4",
    "inject_json": true,  
    "probe_report": {
        "enabled": true,
        "diff": true
    },
    "mediainfo": {
        "enabled": true
    },
    "ffprobe": {
        "enabled": true
    }
}

Quick Selection

Parameter	Type	Allowed values	Purpose
`only`	string	`mediainfo`, `ffprobe`, `probe_report`, `c2pa`	Run exactly one tool and return its raw output with no wrappers
`inject_json`	boolean	`true`, `false`	Inject the canonicalized metadata back into the original raw JSON payload so downstream tools can consume a single object
`inject_output`	boolean	`true`, `false`	Return raw tool output as-is, without Probe.dev metadata wrapper (available for single-tool endpoints)

Response Format Philosophy

Raw Tool Output: Probe.dev’s design philosophy prioritizes giving you the same experience as running tools locally. Single-tool endpoints (like /v1/probe/c2pa and /v1/probe/mediastreamvalidator) default to raw output for convenience. Multi-tool endpoints wrap responses to handle multiple reports. When to use each:

only - Single tool with raw output from /v1/probe/file
inject_output=true - Raw output from dedicated single-tool endpoints (default where applicable)
inject_json=true - Enhanced JSON formatting for easier parsing
Standard response - Full metadata including usage statistics and multiple tool outputs

MediaInfo

MediaInfo summarizes the most relevant technical and tag information. Ideal for content validation and format verification.

{
    "mediainfo": {
        "enabled": true,
        "version": "latest",
        "output": "JSON"
    }
}

Parameters

Parameter	Description	Allowed Values	Default
`enabled`	Toggle MediaInfo analysis	`true`, `false`	`false`
`version`	Specifies the version of mediainfo which will run	`latest`, `24.06`, `23.11`, `22.12`, `21.09`, `20.09`, `19.09`, `18.12`	`latest`
`output`	Output format returned	`HTML`, `XML`, `JSON`, `EBUCore_1.8_ps`, `EBUCore_1.8_sp`, `EBUCore_1.8_ps_JSON`, `EBUCore_1.8_sp_JSON`, `EBUCore_1.6`, `FIMS_1.3`, `MPEG-7_Strict`, `MPEG-7_Relaxed`, `MPEG-7_Extended`, `PBCore_2.1`, `PBCore_2.0`, `PBCore_1.2`, or `NISO_Z39.87`	`JSON`

You may pass any MediaInfo CLI flag in snake_case; names match the original tool.

FFprobe

FFprobe offers deeper introspection than MediaInfo and integrates seamlessly with FFmpeg pipelines. Perfect for detailed technical analysis.

{
    "ffprobe": {
        "enabled": true,
        "version": "latest",
        "output_format": "json"
    }
}

Parameters

Parameter	Description	Allowed Values	Default
`enabled`	Toggle ffprobe analysis	`true`, `false`	`false`
`version`	ffprobe build to run	`latest`, `7.0`, `6.0`, `5.1`, `5.0`, `4.4`, `4.3`, `4.2`, `4.1`, `4.0`, `3.4`, or `3.3`	`latest`
`output_format`	Output serialization	`default`, `csv`, `flat`, `ini`, `json`, or `xml`	`json`

We accept virtually all ffprobe options with the same names. Refer to the ffprobe documentation for details.

Probe Report

The probe_report parses, reconciles and canonicalizes the raw outputs from FFprobe and MediaInfo, then applies machine‑learning heuristics (trained on >1 billion assets) to correct inconsistencies and deliver a single, authoritative metadata set.

{
    "probe_report": {
        "enabled": true,
        "diff": true
    }
}

Parameters

Parameter	Description	Allowed values	Default
`enabled`	Toggle Probe Report generation	`true`, `false`	`false`

C2PA Report

The C2PA (Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity) report validates Content Credentials and provides comprehensive content provenance analysis. Based on the C2PA 2.2 specification, it detects AI-generated content, verifies authenticity, and tracks content history.

{
    "url": "https://probelibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/c2pa/sample-with-credentials.jpg",
    "only": "c2pa"
}

Parameters

Parameter	Description	Allowed values	Default
`inject_output`	Return raw C2PA tool output as-is, without metadata wrapper (default: `true` - see Response Format Philosophy)	`true`, `false`	`true`
`inject_json`	Inject C2PA to response as object, not string	`true`, `false`	`false`
`timeout`	Analysis timeout in milliseconds	integer	`65000`
`queue_timeout`	Queue timeout in milliseconds	integer	`60000`

Supported Formats

C2PA analysis supports a wide range of media formats with embedded Content Credentials: Images: JPEG, PNG, AVIF, HEIC, HEIF, DNG, TIFF, WebP
Video: MP4, MOV, AVI
Audio: MP3, M4A, WAV
Documents: PDF, SVG

C2PA works best with content that includes embedded Content Credentials. For testing, use C2PA public test files which include various authenticity scenarios.

MediaStreamValidator

Apple’s MediaStreamValidator checks the compliance of HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) media streams against Apple’s technical specifications.

mediastreamvalidator is slower than other tools and typically takes 12–15 seconds to complete. Use selectively during staging or pre-publish validation workflows.

{
  "mediastreamvalidator": {
    "enabled": true,
    "timeout": 30,
    "queue_timeout": 10,
    "parse_playlist_only": true,
    "enable_cli_output": false
  },
  "inject_json": true,
  "url": "https://example.com/path/to/playlist.m3u8"
}

Parameters

Parameter	Description	Allowed Values	Default
`enabled`	Toggle MediaStreamValidator analysis	`true`, `false`	`false`
`timeout`	Maximum execution time for the tool (in seconds)	Integer	`30`
`queue_timeout`	Maximum time the job may remain in queue before timing out (in seconds)	Integer	`10`
`parse_playlist_only`	Validate the playlist structure without fully downloading or decoding chunks	`true`, `false`	`true`
`enable_cli_output`	Include the raw CLI output of `mediastreamvalidator` in the response	`true`, `false`	`false`

Choosing the Right Tool

MediaInfo

Best for: Content validation, format verification, quick metadata overviewSpeed: Fast Detail Level: Medium

FFprobe

Best for: Technical analysis, FFmpeg integration, detailed stream informationSpeed: Fast Detail Level: High

Probe Report

Best for: Authoritative metadata, ML-enhanced analysis, reconciled dataSpeed: Medium Detail Level: Highest

C2PA Report

Best for: Content authenticity, provenance verification, AI detectionSpeed: Fast Detail Level: High

MediaStreamValidator

Best for: HLS compliance validation, App Store submissions, streaming quality assuranceSpeed: Slow (12-15s) Detail Level: High

Core Concepts

Streaming & Validation

Advanced Integration

Report Types

Overview

Quick Selection

Response Format Philosophy

MediaInfo

Parameters

FFprobe

Parameters

Probe Report

Parameters

C2PA Report

Parameters

Supported Formats

MediaStreamValidator

Parameters

Choosing the Right Tool

MediaInfo

FFprobe

Probe Report

C2PA Report

MediaStreamValidator

Core Concepts

Streaming & Validation

Advanced Integration

​Overview

​Quick Selection

​Response Format Philosophy

​MediaInfo

​Parameters

​FFprobe

​Parameters

​Probe Report

​Parameters

​C2PA Report

​Parameters

​Supported Formats

​MediaStreamValidator

​Parameters

​Choosing the Right Tool

MediaInfo

FFprobe

Probe Report

C2PA Report

MediaStreamValidator

Overview

Quick Selection

Response Format Philosophy

MediaInfo

Parameters

FFprobe

Parameters

Probe Report

Parameters

C2PA Report

Parameters

Supported Formats

MediaStreamValidator

Parameters

Choosing the Right Tool