# Thumbor

> open-source on-demand image processing software

**Wikidata**: [Q123348397](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123348397)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/thumbor-q123348397

## Summary
Thumbor is an open-source, on-demand image processing software written in the Python programming language. Distributed as free software under the MIT License, it is primarily used for generating thumbnails and manipulating images dynamically. The project was initially released on March 21, 2011, and its source code is maintained on GitHub.

## Key Facts
- **License:** MIT License (Free software).
- **Programming Language:** Python.
- **Initial Release Date:** March 21, 2011.
- **Primary Function:** On-demand image processing and thumbnail generation.
- **Source Repository:** https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor
- **Official Website:** https://www.thumbor.org/
- **Documentation:** https://thumbor.readthedocs.io/
- **Software Dependencies:** Includes Tornado, Pillow, derpconf, pytz, statsd, and colorama.
- **Copyright Status:** Copyrighted.

## FAQs
### Q: What programming language is Thumbor written in?
A: Thumbor is written in Python, a general-purpose programming language.

### Q: What license is Thumbor released under?
A: Thumbor is distributed as free software under the MIT License.

### Q: When was Thumbor first released?
A: The initial publication date for Thumbor was March 21, 2011.

### Q: What is the primary use of Thumbor?
A: Thumbor is used as an on-demand image processing service, specifically for creating and serving thumbnails.

## Why It Matters
Thumbor serves a critical role in modern web development infrastructure by allowing developers and content managers to handle image manipulation dynamically rather than manually. As an "on-demand" service, it processes images in real-time as requested by the user or application. This capability is essential for optimizing website performance, as it allows for the automatic resizing, cropping, and formatting of images to fit different devices and layouts without requiring multiple physical copies of the same file to be stored.

Because it is open-source and written in Python, it offers a customizable and accessible solution for teams looking to implement efficient media handling workflows. Its classification as free software under the permissive MIT License encourages widespread adoption and contribution within the developer community. By delegating the heavy lifting of image processing to Thumbor, applications can reduce storage costs and simplify their media asset pipelines.

## Notable For
- **On-Demand Processing:** Unlike static image processing tools, Thumbor handles operations dynamically at the time of request.
- **Python Ecosystem:** It is a prominent image processing tool built specifically for the Python programming language.
- **Extensibility:** It supports various plugins and libraries, such as `thumbor-plugins-gifv`, enhancing its core capabilities.
- **Open Source:** It is fully open-source, allowing for community-driven improvements and transparency.

## Body

### Overview and Classification
Thumbor is a piece of software classified as "free software" designed for "on-demand image processing." It is written in the Python programming language. The project is copyrighted but distributed freely under the MIT License, permitting users to run, study, change, and distribute the software.

### Technical Architecture and Dependencies
Thumbor operates using several key software dependencies to manage its image processing and web server capabilities. It relies on **Tornado** (a Python web framework) for handling network requests. Image manipulation is managed through libraries such as **Pillow**, **piexif**, and **libthumbor**. Other notable dependencies include `derpconf` for configuration management, `statsd` for metrics, `pytz` for timezone handling, and `colorama` for terminal output formatting.

### Version History and Development
The project was initially published on **March 21, 2011**, with the release of version 0.1.0. Development has been active, with multiple stable versions released throughout 2014. Notable stable releases from that period include versions 4.0.4, 4.1.0, and up to 4.5.2. The source code is publicly hosted on GitHub, and the project is listed on the Python Package Index (PyPI) under the project name `thumbor`.

### Resources
- **Website:** The official website is accessible at `https://www.thumbor.org/`.
- **Documentation:** A comprehensive user manual is available in English at `https://thumbor.readthedocs.io/`.
- **Repository:** The source code repository is located at `https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor`.

## References

1. [Release 4.0.4. 2014](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.0.4)
2. [Release 4.1.0. 2014](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.1.0)
3. [Release 4.1.1. 2014](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.1.1)
4. [Release 4.1.2. 2014](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.1.2)
5. [Release 4.1.3. 2014](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.1.3)
6. [Release 4.2.1. 2014](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.2.1)
7. [Release 4.3.0. 2014](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.3.0)
8. [Release 4.4.0. 2014](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.4.0)
9. [Release 4.4.1. 2014](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.4.1)
10. [Release 4.5.2. 2014](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.5.2)
11. [Release 4.5.3. 2014](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.5.3)
12. [Release 4.5.4. 2014](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.5.4)
13. [Release 4.6.0. 2014](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.6.0)
14. [Release 4.7.0. 2014](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.7.0)
15. [Release 4.7.1. 2014](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.7.1)
16. [Release 4.8.0. 2014](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.8.0)
17. [Release 4.8.1. 2014](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.8.1)
18. [Release 4.8.2. 2015](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.8.2)
19. [Release 4.8.3. 2015](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.8.3)
20. [Release 4.8.5. 2015](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.8.5)
21. [Release 4.8.6. 2015](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.8.6)
22. [Release 4.9.0. 2015](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.9.0)
23. [Release 4.9.1. 2015](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.9.1)
24. [Release 4.10.0. 2015](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.10.0)
25. [Release 4.10.1. 2015](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.10.1)
26. [Release 4.10.2. 2015](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.10.2)
27. [Release 4.10.3. 2015](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.10.3)
28. [Release 4.11.0. 2015](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.11.0)
29. [Release 4.11.1. 2015](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.11.1)
30. [Release 4.12.0. 2015](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.12.0)
31. [Release 4.12.1. 2015](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.12.1)
32. [Release 4.12.2. 2015](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/4.12.2)
33. [Release 5.0.0. 2015](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/5.0.0)
34. [Release 5.0.1. 2015](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/5.0.1)
35. [Release 5.0.2. 2015](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/5.0.2)
36. [Release 5.0.3. 2015](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/5.0.3)
37. [Release 5.0.4. 2015](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/5.0.4)
38. [Release 5.0.5. 2015](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/5.0.5)
39. [Release 5.0.6. 2015](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/5.0.6)
40. [Release 5.1.0. 2015](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/5.1.0)
41. [Release 5.2.0. 2015](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/5.2.0)
42. [Release 5.2.1. 2015](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/5.2.1)
43. [Release 6.0.0. 2016](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/6.0.0)
44. [Release 6.0.1. 2016](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/6.0.1)
45. [Release 6.0.2. 2016](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/6.0.2)
46. [Release 6.1.0. 2016](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/6.1.0)
47. [Release 6.1.1. 2016](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/6.1.1)
48. [Release 6.1.2. 2016](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/6.1.2)
49. [Release 6.1.3. 2016](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/6.1.3)
50. [Release 6.1.4. 2016](https://github.com/thumbor/thumbor/releases/tag/6.1.4)