MineSkin V2
Today I am happy to announce the MineSkin API V2!
This update brings improvements in speed, reliability, and API response consistency, along with a new website experience. MineSkin V2 represents a full overhaul of the skin data generation process and MineSkin's infrastructure.
Here’s what’s new:
New Website
The website has been completely rebuilt to feel more intuitive and to support the new API features.
It’s currently in beta at beta.mineskin.org and will replace the current site once it’s ready.
Please share any feedback or report issues via the MineSkin Discord—it’s super helpful to know what works and what could be improved!
Also, if you haven’t seen it, I’ve launched a new Account Manager to make it easier to manage your API keys, linked Minecraft accounts, and more.
API Changes
tl;dr: Read the API documentation or check out the migration guide for an overview of the changes.
Unified /generate Endpoint
I’ve streamlined the old /generate/upload, /generate/url, and /generate/user requests into a single, simplified /v2/generate endpoint. It will automatically detect what you want to generate based on the content you provide.
Generator Queue
In MineSkin V1, requests were processed immediately, which could lead to slow response times (up to five seconds for some requests). Now, requests are added to a global queue managed by several worker instances. While you can still use /generate, I recommend the new POST /v2/queue, which returns either the existing skin data or a job UUID to track your request via GET /v2/queue/:jobId.
(I may add webhook support if there’s enough interest in it!)
V1 Compatibility
If you’re not ready to switch to V2 yet, you can enable a compatibility layer on V1 endpoints either by passing ?v2=true as a query parameter or by enabling it on your API key settings. This will act as a proxy to the new API and its features while retaining the old request and response format.
You can still use the V1 endpoints, but they will be deprecated in the (probably not very near) future.
True Private Skin Data
Previously, private skins were more “unlisted” than actually private, just excluded from the gallery and skin list. Now, skins can be truly private—only accessible through your API key and listed on the "My Skins" page.
Relaxed Rate Limits
With the new queue system, I’ve been able to relax the rate limits. Instead of a fixed delay between requests, you can submit multiple requests at once, which will process as queue spots open. Each user has a limit of five requests in the queue at a time.
Credits System
To improve queue management, MineSkin V2 now operates on a credit system: Each new skin generation uses one credit. You’ll receive 100 free credits per month plus 10 credits daily.
If you use up your credits, you can still generate skins, but requests are given lower priority. Here’s how to get more:
Extra Credits and Subscriptions
In my last post, I mentioned the need to help cover server costs to keep MineSkin free for most users. Thank you to everyone who shared feedback!
Here’s the new setup: MineSkin remains free for most users, with monthly and daily credits covering around 90% of users’ needs. Subscriptions are now available for those who want extra credits, ad-free browsing, private skin generation, early feature access, and faster concurrent generation. For more flexibility, you can also purchase credits as needed.
I’ve tried to keep prices as low as possible to cover server costs, with a small margin to keep MineSkin’s core functionality free and leave room for future expansion and payment processing fees.
In the future, I’m hoping to offer more options, like skin data with capes, auto-retries, and private Minecraft account pools for subscribers. For now, though, I’d love to hear your thoughts on these changes—I’m open to adjusting based on your feedback!
Important Note for Patreon Members: If you're currently a Patreon supporter or have been in the past, I'll be messaging you soon with details on how to claim your free subscription. Thank you for your support!
(If you supported MineSkin outside of Patreon, please reach out to me on Discord or via email.)
That’s it for now!
Thank you for using MineSkin, for your ongoing support, and for reading this post. Be sure to check out the new Website, API documentation, and hop on the MineSkin Discord if you have any thoughts or questions.
~ Haylee / inventivetalent