Open standard · Free software
Open Brand Exchange is an open standard for how retailers get product photos and article data from a brand: in a portal in the browser, as a zip or spreadsheet, or straight into their own software through one API. How the content gets into your portal is up to you.
{
"phase": "live",
"changes": [
{ "seq": 1042, "op": "delete",
"type": "asset",
"external_id": "KO-1001_NVY_2" },
{ "seq": 1043, "op": "upsert",
"type": "variant",
"external_id": "2000100101025",
"data": { "size": "M", … } }
],
"has_more": false
}How it works
Your content sits in your own portal. Buyers search it and download files in the browser; their software reads the same content through the API.
01 Portal
Buyers log in to your portal, paste the EANs from their order and download exactly what they need: one photo, one article or a zip of a whole selection.
02 API
Retailers' software fetches everything once and then only what changed, including what you withdraw. Every image arrives with its usage rights, embargo date and AI provenance.
{
"seq": 1051, "type": "asset", "op": "upsert",
"external_id": "KO-1003_RST_3",
"data": {
"role": "model",
"color_code": "RST",
"rights": {
"license": "retailer-use",
"channels": ["webshop", "marketplace", "social"],
"embargo_until": null
},
"provenance": { "ai_generated": true, "source": "generated" },
"renditions": {
"web": { "width": 1200, "height": 1500 },
"square": { "width": 1500, "height": 1500 },
"thumb": { "width": 480, "height": 600 }
}
}
}03 Your systems
The standard is about how retailers fetch. How your content gets into the portal is your choice: a nightly import from a web address, SFTP or S3, an export folder, or the obx command-line tool.
$ obx push ./export
Publishing to brands.kestrel.example (Kestrel, Kestrel Trail)
images: 27 checked, 3 uploaded (4.2 MB) in 3s
Done: rows: 40, images: 27 → new: 2 · updated: 3 · unchanged: 35# .github/workflows/publish.yml
on:
push:
paths: ["export/**"]
jobs:
publish:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- uses: openbrandexchange/obx-go/push-action@v0
with:
url: ${{ secrets.OBX_URL }}
token: ${{ secrets.OBX_TOKEN }}
folder: exportWho it is for
No more sending files around. Retailers fetch what they need, and you decide who gets what.
Every brand in one consistent format, in your browser or straight into your software.
Hosting
Three editions of the same portal. They pass the same conformance suite and speak the same API, so you can move from one to another.
Governance
Open Brand Exchange should belong to the brands, retailers and software vendors who use it, not to one company.
Version 0.1, written as OpenAPI 3.1 and JSON Schema under CC-BY-4.0. Anyone may implement it, commercially too.
61 automated checks in four profiles. Every implementation is tested the same way.
The SDK, the obx tool and the web interface are Apache-2.0. The three portal editions are AGPL-3.0, so improvements stay open.
The copyright, the name and the domain go to the Open Brand Exchange Foundation (in formation) once it is registered.
Report vulnerabilities privately to [email protected]. Security is one of the four conformance profiles.
This website sets no cookies, uses no trackers and loads nothing from other servers.
Developers
Three OpenAPI contracts, JSON Schemas, a fictional test brand and a conformance suite. The Go SDK and the obx tool are ready to use, and any HTTP client works.
$ curl https://brands.kestrel.example/.well-known/obx{
"obx_version": "0.1",
"publisher": { "name": "Kestrel Outfitters" },
"api_base": "https://brands.kestrel.example/obx/v1",
"portal_url": "https://brands.kestrel.example/",
"capabilities": ["changes", "products", "by_gtin",
"renditions", "exports", "webhooks"]
}FAQ
The standard and the software are free. If you host it yourself you pay only for your hosting. A provider charges its own prices, which you find on its own website.
Not for the basics. You can install a portal with one click, and a scheduled import from a web address, SFTP server or bucket needs no code. A developer helps if you want to connect your PIM or ERP directly.
No. Every brand runs its own portal, on its own domain if it likes. There is no central platform that holds your content.
You do. Retailers request access, and you approve or reject each request. You can also choose which brands a retailer sees and whether originals may be downloaded.
Set up your own portal, or tell us about your systems and retailers and help shape the first release.
Have a provider run it, or host it yourself for free with one click or one command. Hosting options
One CSV file and photos with a fixed name. Your PIM, ERP or a plain folder delivers them every night, with no manual work. Automation
Retailers log in, paste their EAN list and download. Their software fetches the same content through the standard API. For retailers