![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dosyawynu/image/upload/v1765508496/circuit-dashboard/posts/0ae2a04a-cebf-4bac-935e-1f5564d4448d/1765508496422.jpg)

*Image: Pexels*

Playing casino games is risky and even stressful at times, and doing so on blockchain-based platforms may feel even more threatening. After all, the technology is new, and it feels very vague and too complex for non-experts. Combine it with the fact that a lot of crypto-based transactions are very easy to screw up, and you will see why so many players are worried about the games they choose to interact with.

Provably Fair algorithms were designed as a cryptographic framework to ensure transparent and independently verifiable randomness — something that players worldwide need to feel at peace with when they decide to gamble. Before Provably Fair existed, a clear trust issue existed: players had no way to confirm that game results were unbiased or that casinos were not manipulating outcomes.

Not that casino games are strictly “fair” in every sense of the word — it is true and transparent that they are a specific way to ensure that the house gets its share, but that isn’t what players were concerned about. Provably Fair is here to ensure that there is no technical manipulation happening behind the curtains, and that the unpredictability is there.

## Trust in random number generation

For the longest time, online casinos have used closed-source RNG software, which gives players no technical visibility into how results are generated. 

As Edward Howarth, casino expert at [<u>DashTickets online casino magazine</u>](https://dashtickets.nz/), explains, it is very easy to see how that lack of transparency affected players’ trust and raised suspicions: any casino has a clear incentive to cheat, and there is no real way for a player to catch them doing that. Although this wasn’t necessarily the case most of the time, this atmosphere made casino play way more stressful for both parties.

​

While independent audits are a major part of the modern online casino industry, they only happen periodically, and they don’t offer a way to check individual game results, meaning that most players aren’t necessarily convinced by them.

## The main components of a Provably Fair system

So, what is Provably Fair, and how does it change the situation? While the system is a bit complex, it can be explained in simple terms. Provably Fair consists of three key components that enable players to check individual game results themselves and ensure no cheating.

### Server Seed

Server seed is a long string of random characters generated by the casino — it functions as one of the main randomness inputs. Understandably, the casino publishes only the hashed version of this seed before gameplay starts, meaning that it creates a cryptographic commitment that cannot be altered later without detection. Hashes cannot be reversed, so it is impossible for a player to know the server seed before it is revealed.

<img height="416" width="624" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dosyawynu/image/upload/v1765508447/circuit-dashboard/posts/0ae2a04a-cebf-4bac-935e-1f5564d4448d/1765508447303.jpg" />

*Image: Pexels*

### Client Seed

The client seed is another long string of characters produced on the player’s device — it is usually done automatically by the browser or mobile app. Combining a casino-generated seed with a player-generated one ensures that neither party can independently predict or manipulate outcomes.

### Nonce

Finally, a nonce is nothing but a simple counter that increments with each bet. It is a crucial part of the system, because using a new nonce for every round eliminates duplicate seed combinations and ensures that every result is derived from a unique input.

## How the Provably Fair process works

After the seeds have been generated, the system combines them and runs them through a cryptographic hash function. The result is then transformed into a game outcome — the key part here is that this result uses a predefined mathematical formula that is publicly documented.

​

After the casino rotates the server seed, the original one is revealed to players, who can then verify every prior round by generating the same hash values and checking that they match the results. The reason behind casinos rotating server seeds is simple — they need to maintain security and prevent long-term prediction attempts.

​

One-way hashing ensures the casino cannot change outcomes retroactively because any modified seed would produce a different hash than the original one, and that is easy to see right away. At the same time, deterministic algorithms will always produce identical results from identical inputs, which means that players will always be able to recreate every game round after the seed reveal.

## How players can verify results

Now that we’ve established the basics of how cryptographic encryption and its key parameters work, the most important question is how an average, non-tech-savvy player can verify results.

<img height="351" width="624" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dosyawynu/image/upload/v1765508418/circuit-dashboard/posts/0ae2a04a-cebf-4bac-935e-1f5564d4448d/1765508418612.jpg" />

*Image: Pexels*

First of all, any player can use SHA-256 calculators to manually input the server seed, client seed, and nonce and confirm that the hash output matches the casino’s game history. With many guides available online, this is by far one of the most reliable ways to do it, especially if a player wants to ensure no involvement from casinos or third parties.

​

Some gambling websites provide their own internal verification interfaces where players can input their seeds and review every past game round. It is a simple and convenient way to check the maths, but some players don’t like the idea of a [<u>casino providing these kinds of services</u>](https://blablablastudios.com/) (even if they are reliable and correct) since the website may pursue its own interests.

​

Finally, a player can rely on independent websites and open-source scripts to verify outcomes, as long as they trust the source well enough.

## Limitations and misunderstandings

As Edward Howarth notes, one of the key things any player needs to understand about Provably Fair algorithms is that they guarantee fair randomness, but not fair gameplay rules or payout percentages. The casinos still retain full control over game logic, RTP settings, and how often server seeds rotate.

To put it simply, modern online casinos can make great profits without having to blatantly cheat — all of their games are designed in a way to ensure that players inevitably lose more than they win over the long term.

If a player is worried that the casino does manipulate client-side code or misrepresents their implementation, they have to rely on audits and third-party checks to detect fraud — not the tools or statements provided by the casino itself, as it has all the incentives to misinform them. It is also worth noting that multiplayer games like poker require additional measures to prevent collusion or card-stealing attacks — Provably Fair alone won’t cut it.

Finally, it is worth noting that if a casino doesn’t handle technical implementation challenges well, Provably Fair may lose its purpose — leaking seeds, not using proper randomness sources, or misapplying hashing functions invalidates the system entirely. Players should only rely on casinos that rely on open-source code, third-party audits, and transparent commitment schemes.

## The importance of Provably Fair systems

While Provably Fair is not a universal solution to the problem of trust in the casino industry, it achieves a lot by empowering players directly. It creates a higher industry standard and pressures casinos to adopt more open systems, even if that isn’t something that the owners were initially planning to do. While the system has its limitations, it is currently one of the few transparency mechanisms available, and relying on it makes a lot of sense.

<p><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dosyawynu/image/upload/v1765508496/circuit-dashboard/posts/0ae2a04a-cebf-4bac-935e-1f5564d4448d/1765508496422.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p><em>Image: Pexels</em></p>
<p>Playing casino games is risky and even stressful at times, and doing so on blockchain-based platforms may feel even more threatening. After all, the technology is new, and it feels very vague and too complex for non-experts. Combine it with the fact that a lot of crypto-based transactions are very easy to screw up, and you will see why so many players are worried about the games they choose to interact with.</p>
<p>Provably Fair algorithms were designed as a cryptographic framework to ensure transparent and independently verifiable randomness — something that players worldwide need to feel at peace with when they decide to gamble. Before Provably Fair existed, a clear trust issue existed: players had no way to confirm that game results were unbiased or that casinos were not manipulating outcomes.</p>
<p>Not that casino games are strictly “fair” in every sense of the word — it is true and transparent that they are a specific way to ensure that the house gets its share, but that isn’t what players were concerned about. Provably Fair is here to ensure that there is no technical manipulation happening behind the curtains, and that the unpredictability is there.</p>
<h2 id="trust-in-random-number-generation">Trust in random number generation</h2>
<p>For the longest time, online casinos have used closed-source RNG software, which gives players no technical visibility into how results are generated. </p>
<p>As Edward Howarth, casino expert at <a href="https://dashtickets.nz/"><u>DashTickets online casino magazine</u></a>, explains, it is very easy to see how that lack of transparency affected players’ trust and raised suspicions: any casino has a clear incentive to cheat, and there is no real way for a player to catch them doing that. Although this wasn’t necessarily the case most of the time, this atmosphere made casino play way more stressful for both parties.</p>
<p>​</p>
<p>While independent audits are a major part of the modern online casino industry, they only happen periodically, and they don’t offer a way to check individual game results, meaning that most players aren’t necessarily convinced by them.</p>
<h2 id="the-main-components-of-a-provably-fair-system">The main components of a Provably Fair system</h2>
<p>So, what is Provably Fair, and how does it change the situation? While the system is a bit complex, it can be explained in simple terms. Provably Fair consists of three key components that enable players to check individual game results themselves and ensure no cheating.</p>
<h3 id="server-seed">Server Seed</h3>
<p>Server seed is a long string of random characters generated by the casino — it functions as one of the main randomness inputs. Understandably, the casino publishes only the hashed version of this seed before gameplay starts, meaning that it creates a cryptographic commitment that cannot be altered later without detection. Hashes cannot be reversed, so it is impossible for a player to know the server seed before it is revealed.</p>
<img height="416" width="624" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dosyawynu/image/upload/v1765508447/circuit-dashboard/posts/0ae2a04a-cebf-4bac-935e-1f5564d4448d/1765508447303.jpg">
<p><em>Image: Pexels</em></p>
<h3 id="client-seed">Client Seed</h3>
<p>The client seed is another long string of characters produced on the player’s device — it is usually done automatically by the browser or mobile app. Combining a casino-generated seed with a player-generated one ensures that neither party can independently predict or manipulate outcomes.</p>
<h3 id="nonce">Nonce</h3>
<p>Finally, a nonce is nothing but a simple counter that increments with each bet. It is a crucial part of the system, because using a new nonce for every round eliminates duplicate seed combinations and ensures that every result is derived from a unique input.</p>
<h2 id="how-the-provably-fair-process-works">How the Provably Fair process works</h2>
<p>After the seeds have been generated, the system combines them and runs them through a cryptographic hash function. The result is then transformed into a game outcome — the key part here is that this result uses a predefined mathematical formula that is publicly documented.</p>
<p>​</p>
<p>After the casino rotates the server seed, the original one is revealed to players, who can then verify every prior round by generating the same hash values and checking that they match the results. The reason behind casinos rotating server seeds is simple — they need to maintain security and prevent long-term prediction attempts.</p>
<p>​</p>
<p>One-way hashing ensures the casino cannot change outcomes retroactively because any modified seed would produce a different hash than the original one, and that is easy to see right away. At the same time, deterministic algorithms will always produce identical results from identical inputs, which means that players will always be able to recreate every game round after the seed reveal.</p>
<h2 id="how-players-can-verify-results">How players can verify results</h2>
<p>Now that we’ve established the basics of how cryptographic encryption and its key parameters work, the most important question is how an average, non-tech-savvy player can verify results.</p>
<img height="351" width="624" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dosyawynu/image/upload/v1765508418/circuit-dashboard/posts/0ae2a04a-cebf-4bac-935e-1f5564d4448d/1765508418612.jpg">
<p><em>Image: Pexels</em></p>
<p>First of all, any player can use SHA-256 calculators to manually input the server seed, client seed, and nonce and confirm that the hash output matches the casino’s game history. With many guides available online, this is by far one of the most reliable ways to do it, especially if a player wants to ensure no involvement from casinos or third parties.</p>
<p>​</p>
<p>Some gambling websites provide their own internal verification interfaces where players can input their seeds and review every past game round. It is a simple and convenient way to check the maths, but some players don’t like the idea of a <a href="https://blablablastudios.com/"><u>casino providing these kinds of services</u></a> (even if they are reliable and correct) since the website may pursue its own interests.</p>
<p>​</p>
<p>Finally, a player can rely on independent websites and open-source scripts to verify outcomes, as long as they trust the source well enough.</p>
<h2 id="limitations-and-misunderstandings">Limitations and misunderstandings</h2>
<p>As Edward Howarth notes, one of the key things any player needs to understand about Provably Fair algorithms is that they guarantee fair randomness, but not fair gameplay rules or payout percentages. The casinos still retain full control over game logic, RTP settings, and how often server seeds rotate.</p>
<p>To put it simply, modern online casinos can make great profits without having to blatantly cheat — all of their games are designed in a way to ensure that players inevitably lose more than they win over the long term.</p>
<p>If a player is worried that the casino does manipulate client-side code or misrepresents their implementation, they have to rely on audits and third-party checks to detect fraud — not the tools or statements provided by the casino itself, as it has all the incentives to misinform them. It is also worth noting that multiplayer games like poker require additional measures to prevent collusion or card-stealing attacks — Provably Fair alone won’t cut it.</p>
<p>Finally, it is worth noting that if a casino doesn’t handle technical implementation challenges well, Provably Fair may lose its purpose — leaking seeds, not using proper randomness sources, or misapplying hashing functions invalidates the system entirely. Players should only rely on casinos that rely on open-source code, third-party audits, and transparent commitment schemes.</p>
<h2 id="the-importance-of-provably-fair-systems">The importance of Provably Fair systems</h2>
<p>While Provably Fair is not a universal solution to the problem of trust in the casino industry, it achieves a lot by empowering players directly. It creates a higher industry standard and pressures casinos to adopt more open systems, even if that isn’t something that the owners were initially planning to do. While the system has its limitations, it is currently one of the few transparency mechanisms available, and relying on it makes a lot of sense.</p>

With many players losing their trust in online gaming, Provably Fair seems to be one of the few answers to that issue. Here’s how it works and what it can achieve.

How do algorithms such as Provably Fair work?

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dosyawynu/image/upload/v1765505793/circuit-dashboard/posts/0ae2a04a-cebf-4bac-935e-1f5564d4448d/1765505793614.jpg)

As businesses and developers increasingly rely on high-quality visuals for digital content creation, the demand for AI image generators has risen sharply. Traditional image creation methods are often time-consuming, costly, and require dedicated design teams. This has led many to turn to AI-powered image generation APIs as a more efficient alternative.

Among the available options, Z Image API and Nano Banana Pro API stand out as two popular choices for developers seeking fast and scalable AI image generation. Both APIs offer unique features, such as bilingual text rendering, advanced semantic understanding, and the ability to create photorealistic images at scale. However, each caters to different needs and use cases, making it crucial for developers to choose the one that aligns best with their project requirements.In this guide, we will compare Z Image API and Nano Banana Pro API, exploring their core features and integration processes. 

## **Z Image API: Key Features and Benefits for Developers**

### **Bilingual Text Rendering for Seamless Multilingual Content**

The[<u> Z-Image-Turbo API</u>](https://kie.ai/z-image)<u> </u>excels in rendering sharp and accurate bilingual text in both English and Chinese, making it ideal for global applications. Whether you're designing posters, advertisements, or social media graphics, this feature ensures that text is clear, well-formatted, and culturally relevant. Z Image API's ability to seamlessly integrate text with photorealistic images sets it apart from many other image generation models, providing a high degree of versatility for businesses targeting multilingual audiences.

### **Rich World Knowledge for Accurate and Diverse Image Generation**

One of the standout capabilities of Z Image API is its robust world knowledge and deep understanding of cultural contexts. The API can generate images based on a wide range of themes, including famous landmarks, well-known personalities, and specific environments. Whether you're generating historical landmarks or culturally significant scenes, Z Image API ensures the resulting images are contextually accurate and visually realistic, making it a powerful tool for industries like tourism, education, and advertising.

### **Enhanced Semantic Understanding with Advanced Prompt Engineering**

Using its Powerful Prompt Enhancer (PE), Z Image API applies deep semantic understanding to interpret complex instructions. This feature allows the API to handle tasks requiring logical reasoning or complex concepts, such as visualizing abstract problems or recreating nuanced art forms. The structured reasoning chains help the model produce images that align precisely with intricate requests. This level of creativity and understanding is a significant advantage for developers needing more sophisticated image generation beyond simple prompts.

### **Efficient Performance with Low Resource Requirements**

Despite using only 6 billion parameters, Z Image API generates photorealistic images that rival those produced by much larger models. What sets it apart is its resource efficiency—the API can run smoothly on consumer-grade GPUs with as little as 16GB of VRAM, making it accessible to a wider range of users. This low resource requirement means that developers and businesses don't need expensive, high-end infrastructure to leverage AI image generation technology, democratizing access to advanced imaging capabilities.

### **Affordable Pricing with High Value**

One of the standout benefits of Z Image API is its affordable pricing. Starting at just $0.004 per image, it offers excellent value for businesses of all sizes. With a pay-per-use model, there are no hefty subscription fees, making it an ideal choice for startups, small businesses, and developers looking for cost-effective AI image generation solutions. The pricing structure ensures that developers can scale their usage as needed without worrying about high upfront costs, offering a flexible, budget-friendly approach to AI-powered content creation.

## **Key Advantages of Nano Banana Pro API for Developers**

### **World Knowledge and Advanced Prompt Understanding**

Nano Banana Pro API stands out with its ability to generate highly accurate and contextually rich images based on world knowledge and semantic understanding. Leveraging enhanced reasoning capabilities and real-time data, it can generate visuals that are not only realistic but also deeply aligned with the context of the prompt. This makes it ideal for applications requiring contextual accuracy and real-world relevance, such as advertising, educational content, and cultural imagery.

### **Precise Text Rendering and Multilingual Localization**

One of the key strengths of Nano Banana Pro API is its ability to generate clear and readable multilingual text directly within images. This feature is crucial for global businesses looking to produce localized content for diverse markets. Whether it's social media graphics, product labels, or advertising materials, the API ensures that the text is accurate and appropriately formatted in various languages, offering seamless multilingual support for global audiences.

### **Multi-Image Fusion and Consistency**

The multi-image fusion feature of Nano Banana Pro API allows developers to input up to 14 images at once while maintaining image consistency across multiple subjects. This capability is particularly valuable for projects that require visual coherence, such as fashion shoots, virtual tours, or group photos. The API ensures that the likeness and similarity of up to 5 individuals in the images remain consistent, making it ideal for applications where precision in visual similarity is critical.

### **Advanced Local Editing Capabilities**

Nano Banana Pro API offers sophisticated local editing features that allow developers to refine and modify specific elements of an image with high precision. From adjusting camera angles, changing focal points, to color grading and lighting manipulation, this feature provides complete creative control. The ability to modify the physical attributes of an image, such as light and shadow effects, is particularly useful for advertising, cinematic visuals, or any project requiring highly customized imagery with precise artistic direction.

### **High-Resolution Image Generation (1K, 2K, 4K)**

With support for 1K, 2K, or 4K resolution, Nano Banana Pro API allows developers to generate high-quality images suited for a variety of uses, from web content to print materials. The ability to create detailed visuals with superior clarity and sharpness makes it ideal for industries where image quality is paramount, such as graphic design, film production, and e-commerce.

\*\*\*\* 

## **Which API Best Fits Developer Needs?**

When choosing between Z Image API and Nano Banana Pro API, the decision comes down to the specific needs of the project. Z Image API offers fast image generation with photorealistic quality, making it ideal for high-volume, real-time applications where quick turnaround is essential. It’s best for developers needing speed and realistic visuals with minimal setup. On the other hand, Nano Banana Pro API shines in creative control, offering advanced editing features and the ability to handle multi-image fusion, making it perfect for artistic projects or tasks that require more complex customizations. If you need flexibility and high-end editing, Nano Banana Pro API is the way to go, while Z Image API remains the go-to choice for fast, high-quality image generation.

## **Why Choose Kie.ai for AI Image Integrating?**

### **Affordable API Pricing for Scalable Solutions**

Kie.ai offers competitive pricing for both Z Image API and Nano Banana Pro API, with a pay-per-use model that ensures businesses only pay for the images they generate. For Z Image API, pricing starts as low as $0.004 per image, making it highly cost-effective for businesses of all sizes. For Nano Banana Pro API, the pricing is also flexible. It starts at $0.09 per image for 1K and 2K resolutions, and $0.12 per image for 4K resolution. This allows businesses to select the right resolution for their needs while maintaining cost efficiency, making it ideal for high-quality image generation at scale.

### **Free Trial for New Users**

Kie.ai provides a free trial for new users, giving you the opportunity to explore the full range of features offered by Z Image API and Nano Banana Pro API. This allows you to test the APIs’ capabilities and integration without any financial commitment, helping you decide which tool best suits your development needs.

### **Easy Integration with Developer-Friendly Documentation**

Integrating Z Image API or Nano Banana Pro API into your platform is simple with Kie.ai. The platform offers comprehensive documentation and clear, step-by-step guides, enabling developers to seamlessly integrate AI image generation into their applications. This makes getting started with either API quick and hassle-free.

## **How to Integrate Z Image API on Kie.ai**

Integrating the Z Image API into your platform using Kie.ai is straightforward and developer-friendly. Follow these simple steps to begin generating high-quality images with minimal effort.

### **Step 1: Sign Up and Obtain Your Z Image API Key**

The first step is to create an account on Kie.ai. Once registered, you will receive your unique Z Image API key. This key is essential for authenticating your requests and ensuring secure communication between your platform and the API. Keep this key safe, as it is used to access all of Z Image API's capabilities.

### **Step 2: Make a Request to Create an Image Generation Task**

To generate an image, send a POST request to the Z Image API with the required input parameters. This includes the text prompt  as well as optional parameters like aspect ratio or callback URL. These parameters will define how the generated image should look, whether it's for social media graphics, product visuals, or custom designs.

### **Step 3: Monitor Task Status and Retrieve the Image**

After submitting your task, you can monitor its status by querying the task with a GET request. By providing the task ID, you can check whether the image generation task is still in progress or if it has been completed. Once the task is finished, you’ll receive a URL link to the generated image, ready for use in your application.

## **Making the Right Choice for Project: Z Image API vs. Nano Banana Pro API**

When deciding between Z Image API and Nano Banana Pro API, it is essential to consider the specific needs of your project. Z Image API excels in speed and photorealistic image generation, making it ideal for businesses that require quick results and high-quality visuals. On the other hand, Nano Banana Pro API offers more creative control with its advanced features like multi-image fusion and advanced editing capabilities, making it perfect for projects that need a higher degree of customization and artistic flexibility. Both APIs have their strengths, and the choice ultimately depends on whether you need fast, scalable image generation or more in-depth creative control.

<p><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dosyawynu/image/upload/v1765505793/circuit-dashboard/posts/0ae2a04a-cebf-4bac-935e-1f5564d4448d/1765505793614.jpg" alt=""></p>
<p>As businesses and developers increasingly rely on high-quality visuals for digital content creation, the demand for AI image generators has risen sharply. Traditional image creation methods are often time-consuming, costly, and require dedicated design teams. This has led many to turn to AI-powered image generation APIs as a more efficient alternative.</p>
<p>Among the available options, Z Image API and Nano Banana Pro API stand out as two popular choices for developers seeking fast and scalable AI image generation. Both APIs offer unique features, such as bilingual text rendering, advanced semantic understanding, and the ability to create photorealistic images at scale. However, each caters to different needs and use cases, making it crucial for developers to choose the one that aligns best with their project requirements.In this guide, we will compare Z Image API and Nano Banana Pro API, exploring their core features and integration processes. </p>
<h2 id="z-image-api-key-features-and-benefits-for-developers"><strong>Z Image API: Key Features and Benefits for Developers</strong></h2>
<h3 id="bilingual-text-rendering-for-seamless-multilingual-content"><strong>Bilingual Text Rendering for Seamless Multilingual Content</strong></h3>
<p>The<a href="https://kie.ai/z-image"><u> Z-Image-Turbo API</u></a><u> </u>excels in rendering sharp and accurate bilingual text in both English and Chinese, making it ideal for global applications. Whether you're designing posters, advertisements, or social media graphics, this feature ensures that text is clear, well-formatted, and culturally relevant. Z Image API's ability to seamlessly integrate text with photorealistic images sets it apart from many other image generation models, providing a high degree of versatility for businesses targeting multilingual audiences.</p>
<h3 id="rich-world-knowledge-for-accurate-and-diverse-image-generation"><strong>Rich World Knowledge for Accurate and Diverse Image Generation</strong></h3>
<p>One of the standout capabilities of Z Image API is its robust world knowledge and deep understanding of cultural contexts. The API can generate images based on a wide range of themes, including famous landmarks, well-known personalities, and specific environments. Whether you're generating historical landmarks or culturally significant scenes, Z Image API ensures the resulting images are contextually accurate and visually realistic, making it a powerful tool for industries like tourism, education, and advertising.</p>
<h3 id="enhanced-semantic-understanding-with-advanced-prompt-engineering"><strong>Enhanced Semantic Understanding with Advanced Prompt Engineering</strong></h3>
<p>Using its Powerful Prompt Enhancer (PE), Z Image API applies deep semantic understanding to interpret complex instructions. This feature allows the API to handle tasks requiring logical reasoning or complex concepts, such as visualizing abstract problems or recreating nuanced art forms. The structured reasoning chains help the model produce images that align precisely with intricate requests. This level of creativity and understanding is a significant advantage for developers needing more sophisticated image generation beyond simple prompts.</p>
<h3 id="efficient-performance-with-low-resource-requirements"><strong>Efficient Performance with Low Resource Requirements</strong></h3>
<p>Despite using only 6 billion parameters, Z Image API generates photorealistic images that rival those produced by much larger models. What sets it apart is its resource efficiency—the API can run smoothly on consumer-grade GPUs with as little as 16GB of VRAM, making it accessible to a wider range of users. This low resource requirement means that developers and businesses don't need expensive, high-end infrastructure to leverage AI image generation technology, democratizing access to advanced imaging capabilities.</p>
<h3 id="affordable-pricing-with-high-value"><strong>Affordable Pricing with High Value</strong></h3>
<p>One of the standout benefits of Z Image API is its affordable pricing. Starting at just $0.004 per image, it offers excellent value for businesses of all sizes. With a pay-per-use model, there are no hefty subscription fees, making it an ideal choice for startups, small businesses, and developers looking for cost-effective AI image generation solutions. The pricing structure ensures that developers can scale their usage as needed without worrying about high upfront costs, offering a flexible, budget-friendly approach to AI-powered content creation.</p>
<h2 id="key-advantages-of-nano-banana-pro-api-for-developers"><strong>Key Advantages of Nano Banana Pro API for Developers</strong></h2>
<h3 id="world-knowledge-and-advanced-prompt-understanding"><strong>World Knowledge and Advanced Prompt Understanding</strong></h3>
<p>Nano Banana Pro API stands out with its ability to generate highly accurate and contextually rich images based on world knowledge and semantic understanding. Leveraging enhanced reasoning capabilities and real-time data, it can generate visuals that are not only realistic but also deeply aligned with the context of the prompt. This makes it ideal for applications requiring contextual accuracy and real-world relevance, such as advertising, educational content, and cultural imagery.</p>
<h3 id="precise-text-rendering-and-multilingual-localization"><strong>Precise Text Rendering and Multilingual Localization</strong></h3>
<p>One of the key strengths of Nano Banana Pro API is its ability to generate clear and readable multilingual text directly within images. This feature is crucial for global businesses looking to produce localized content for diverse markets. Whether it's social media graphics, product labels, or advertising materials, the API ensures that the text is accurate and appropriately formatted in various languages, offering seamless multilingual support for global audiences.</p>
<h3 id="multi-image-fusion-and-consistency"><strong>Multi-Image Fusion and Consistency</strong></h3>
<p>The multi-image fusion feature of Nano Banana Pro API allows developers to input up to 14 images at once while maintaining image consistency across multiple subjects. This capability is particularly valuable for projects that require visual coherence, such as fashion shoots, virtual tours, or group photos. The API ensures that the likeness and similarity of up to 5 individuals in the images remain consistent, making it ideal for applications where precision in visual similarity is critical.</p>
<h3 id="advanced-local-editing-capabilities"><strong>Advanced Local Editing Capabilities</strong></h3>
<p>Nano Banana Pro API offers sophisticated local editing features that allow developers to refine and modify specific elements of an image with high precision. From adjusting camera angles, changing focal points, to color grading and lighting manipulation, this feature provides complete creative control. The ability to modify the physical attributes of an image, such as light and shadow effects, is particularly useful for advertising, cinematic visuals, or any project requiring highly customized imagery with precise artistic direction.</p>
<h3 id="high-resolution-image-generation-1k-2k-4k"><strong>High-Resolution Image Generation (1K, 2K, 4K)</strong></h3>
<p>With support for 1K, 2K, or 4K resolution, Nano Banana Pro API allows developers to generate high-quality images suited for a variety of uses, from web content to print materials. The ability to create detailed visuals with superior clarity and sharpness makes it ideal for industries where image quality is paramount, such as graphic design, film production, and e-commerce.</p>
<p>**** </p>
<h2 id="which-api-best-fits-developer-needs"><strong>Which API Best Fits Developer Needs?</strong></h2>
<p>When choosing between Z Image API and Nano Banana Pro API, the decision comes down to the specific needs of the project. Z Image API offers fast image generation with photorealistic quality, making it ideal for high-volume, real-time applications where quick turnaround is essential. It’s best for developers needing speed and realistic visuals with minimal setup. On the other hand, Nano Banana Pro API shines in creative control, offering advanced editing features and the ability to handle multi-image fusion, making it perfect for artistic projects or tasks that require more complex customizations. If you need flexibility and high-end editing, Nano Banana Pro API is the way to go, while Z Image API remains the go-to choice for fast, high-quality image generation.</p>
<h2 id="why-choose-kieai-for-ai-image-integrating"><strong>Why Choose Kie.ai for AI Image Integrating?</strong></h2>
<h3 id="affordable-api-pricing-for-scalable-solutions"><strong>Affordable API Pricing for Scalable Solutions</strong></h3>
<p>Kie.ai offers competitive pricing for both Z Image API and Nano Banana Pro API, with a pay-per-use model that ensures businesses only pay for the images they generate. For Z Image API, pricing starts as low as $0.004 per image, making it highly cost-effective for businesses of all sizes. For Nano Banana Pro API, the pricing is also flexible. It starts at $0.09 per image for 1K and 2K resolutions, and $0.12 per image for 4K resolution. This allows businesses to select the right resolution for their needs while maintaining cost efficiency, making it ideal for high-quality image generation at scale.</p>
<h3 id="free-trial-for-new-users"><strong>Free Trial for New Users</strong></h3>
<p>Kie.ai provides a free trial for new users, giving you the opportunity to explore the full range of features offered by Z Image API and Nano Banana Pro API. This allows you to test the APIs’ capabilities and integration without any financial commitment, helping you decide which tool best suits your development needs.</p>
<h3 id="easy-integration-with-developer-friendly-documentation"><strong>Easy Integration with Developer-Friendly Documentation</strong></h3>
<p>Integrating Z Image API or Nano Banana Pro API into your platform is simple with Kie.ai. The platform offers comprehensive documentation and clear, step-by-step guides, enabling developers to seamlessly integrate AI image generation into their applications. This makes getting started with either API quick and hassle-free.</p>
<h2 id="how-to-integrate-z-image-api-on-kieai"><strong>How to Integrate Z Image API on Kie.ai</strong></h2>
<p>Integrating the Z Image API into your platform using Kie.ai is straightforward and developer-friendly. Follow these simple steps to begin generating high-quality images with minimal effort.</p>
<h3 id="step-1-sign-up-and-obtain-your-z-image-api-key"><strong>Step 1: Sign Up and Obtain Your Z Image API Key</strong></h3>
<p>The first step is to create an account on Kie.ai. Once registered, you will receive your unique Z Image API key. This key is essential for authenticating your requests and ensuring secure communication between your platform and the API. Keep this key safe, as it is used to access all of Z Image API's capabilities.</p>
<h3 id="step-2-make-a-request-to-create-an-image-generation-task"><strong>Step 2: Make a Request to Create an Image Generation Task</strong></h3>
<p>To generate an image, send a POST request to the Z Image API with the required input parameters. This includes the text prompt  as well as optional parameters like aspect ratio or callback URL. These parameters will define how the generated image should look, whether it's for social media graphics, product visuals, or custom designs.</p>
<h3 id="step-3-monitor-task-status-and-retrieve-the-image"><strong>Step 3: Monitor Task Status and Retrieve the Image</strong></h3>
<p>After submitting your task, you can monitor its status by querying the task with a GET request. By providing the task ID, you can check whether the image generation task is still in progress or if it has been completed. Once the task is finished, you’ll receive a URL link to the generated image, ready for use in your application.</p>
<h2 id="making-the-right-choice-for-project-z-image-api-vs-nano-banana-pro-api"><strong>Making the Right Choice for Project: Z Image API vs. Nano Banana Pro API</strong></h2>
<p>When deciding between Z Image API and Nano Banana Pro API, it is essential to consider the specific needs of your project. Z Image API excels in speed and photorealistic image generation, making it ideal for businesses that require quick results and high-quality visuals. On the other hand, Nano Banana Pro API offers more creative control with its advanced features like multi-image fusion and advanced editing capabilities, making it perfect for projects that need a higher degree of customization and artistic flexibility. Both APIs have their strengths, and the choice ultimately depends on whether you need fast, scalable image generation or more in-depth creative control.</p>

Compare Z Image API and Nano Banana Pro API to find the best AI image model for your needs. Explore their features and performance to make the best choice for your development projects.

Z Image API vs. Nano Banana Pro API on Kie.ai: Which is More Suitable for Developers

Customer onboarding is one of the most important processes for a business, as it sets the first impression of the relationship between the company and the customer. A truly excellent initial setup for new customers often cultivates profound satisfaction, which naturally fosters lasting client allegiance. Learning Management Systems (LMS) truly simplify and speed up this entire process.

We'll explain how [<u>customer training LMS</u>](https://elearningindustry.com/directory/software-categories/learning-management-systems/use-cases/customer-training) platforms help new customers get started smoothly. This easy start often leads to customers sticking around for good. Let's explore the key ways LMS platforms transform the customer onboarding experience.

## **Streamlining the Onboarding Process**

That is why an LMS can dramatically make the onboarding process easier. Businesses can avoid manual training sessions by automating them. Automation frees companies from the burden of planning. Instead, they can focus their energy on expanding their customer base, developing new products, or improving their operations. Clients have access to learning whenever they want, which makes it a more personalized experience at their own time.

## **Consistency in Training**

One of the major advantages of an LMS is that it provides consistency. Everyone gets the same quality content, ensuring uniformity in product or service understanding. Having standard directions stops errors and clears up any potential misunderstandings. When every customer gets the same clear guidance, it builds trust and makes future visits much smoother.

## **Interactive Learning Experience**

LMSs are often rich with interactive components like quizzes, videos, and simulations. These parts spark enthusiasm, so folks really get into their studies and grasp the material. Using interactive content really makes information stick, so people remember it longer. Get your clients involved in their lessons; they'll feel more capable and ready.

## **Tracking Progress and Feedback**

Well, tracking how customers are moving through the onboarding process is an essential aspect of the process. Learning systems always include features that track what people do and how well they perform. Imagine your business finding out exactly what's tripping up your customers. You can then step in with the perfect resources to lift them up. People can easily share what they think about using the learning system. Their ideas help us make everything better. This cycle of feedback will gradually improve the onboarding process.

## **Scalability and Flexibility**

More customers mean more onboarding needs. An LMS can easily accommodate this growth. It doesn't sacrifice the training quality for most users. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, scalable training solutions are essential for growing businesses to maintain consistent customer experiences. LMS also allows businesses the flexibility to update and change content when needed. People get current lessons. Everything they learn applies right now, keeping the content relevant and up-to-date.

## **Cost-Effective Solution**

An LMS can also save you some bucks. Conventional training approaches typically require high levels of resources, both human and material. An LMS removes the requirement for physical resources. In the case of digital content, content can be repurposed and kept current, which reduces many of the costs from printing and distribution of physical copies. Bringing new staff on board happens much quicker now, a method that's both economically prudent and environmentally sound.

## **Enhancing Customer Satisfaction**

An effective onboarding journey can increase your customer satisfaction. Customers are less likely to leave with a bad taste in their mouth if they know how to use a product or service. This is where LMS platforms come into play, making it easier for customers to understand products via thorough training provided through a handy interface. Businesses with happy customers have a higher chance of getting repeat buyers and brand promoters.

## **Building a Community**

LMS platforms can help create a community feeling in customers, too. You'll often find interactive tools on the learning platform. These include discussion forums and group collaboration features, perfect for swapping experiences with others. Customers can easily link up with fellow professionals, swap their most successful methods, and support one another through shared challenges.

## **Analytics and Improvement**

LMS platforms have useful analytical capabilities. Have you discovered any intriguing trends or areas that require attention? Businesses get right into their data. They pinpoint what actions brought success and what just didn't hit the mark. Tracking customer progress through learning modules reveals where the content shines or struggles. This lets companies sharpen lessons and truly grab people's attention. Ensuring continuous improvement through analytics means that the onboarding process will only become better as needs change over time.

## **Conclusion**

The benefits of including an LMS in the customer onboarding process are significant. They tackle both making operations efficient and elevating how pleased your customers are. Picture training that cuts through the noise, making your team eager to learn and bringing solid gains directly to your business and its happy customers. Companies can use an LMS to create such a positive experience that customers become true fans, always choosing to come back.

<p>Customer onboarding is one of the most important processes for a business, as it sets the first impression of the relationship between the company and the customer. A truly excellent initial setup for new customers often cultivates profound satisfaction, which naturally fosters lasting client allegiance. Learning Management Systems (LMS) truly simplify and speed up this entire process.</p>
<p>We'll explain how <a href="https://elearningindustry.com/directory/software-categories/learning-management-systems/use-cases/customer-training"><u>customer training LMS</u></a> platforms help new customers get started smoothly. This easy start often leads to customers sticking around for good. Let's explore the key ways LMS platforms transform the customer onboarding experience.</p>
<h2 id="streamlining-the-onboarding-process"><strong>Streamlining the Onboarding Process</strong></h2>
<p>That is why an LMS can dramatically make the onboarding process easier. Businesses can avoid manual training sessions by automating them. Automation frees companies from the burden of planning. Instead, they can focus their energy on expanding their customer base, developing new products, or improving their operations. Clients have access to learning whenever they want, which makes it a more personalized experience at their own time.</p>
<h2 id="consistency-in-training"><strong>Consistency in Training</strong></h2>
<p>One of the major advantages of an LMS is that it provides consistency. Everyone gets the same quality content, ensuring uniformity in product or service understanding. Having standard directions stops errors and clears up any potential misunderstandings. When every customer gets the same clear guidance, it builds trust and makes future visits much smoother.</p>
<h2 id="interactive-learning-experience"><strong>Interactive Learning Experience</strong></h2>
<p>LMSs are often rich with interactive components like quizzes, videos, and simulations. These parts spark enthusiasm, so folks really get into their studies and grasp the material. Using interactive content really makes information stick, so people remember it longer. Get your clients involved in their lessons; they'll feel more capable and ready.</p>
<h2 id="tracking-progress-and-feedback"><strong>Tracking Progress and Feedback</strong></h2>
<p>Well, tracking how customers are moving through the onboarding process is an essential aspect of the process. Learning systems always include features that track what people do and how well they perform. Imagine your business finding out exactly what's tripping up your customers. You can then step in with the perfect resources to lift them up. People can easily share what they think about using the learning system. Their ideas help us make everything better. This cycle of feedback will gradually improve the onboarding process.</p>
<h2 id="scalability-and-flexibility"><strong>Scalability and Flexibility</strong></h2>
<p>More customers mean more onboarding needs. An LMS can easily accommodate this growth. It doesn't sacrifice the training quality for most users. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, scalable training solutions are essential for growing businesses to maintain consistent customer experiences. LMS also allows businesses the flexibility to update and change content when needed. People get current lessons. Everything they learn applies right now, keeping the content relevant and up-to-date.</p>
<h2 id="cost-effective-solution"><strong>Cost-Effective Solution</strong></h2>
<p>An LMS can also save you some bucks. Conventional training approaches typically require high levels of resources, both human and material. An LMS removes the requirement for physical resources. In the case of digital content, content can be repurposed and kept current, which reduces many of the costs from printing and distribution of physical copies. Bringing new staff on board happens much quicker now, a method that's both economically prudent and environmentally sound.</p>
<h2 id="enhancing-customer-satisfaction"><strong>Enhancing Customer Satisfaction</strong></h2>
<p>An effective onboarding journey can increase your customer satisfaction. Customers are less likely to leave with a bad taste in their mouth if they know how to use a product or service. This is where LMS platforms come into play, making it easier for customers to understand products via thorough training provided through a handy interface. Businesses with happy customers have a higher chance of getting repeat buyers and brand promoters.</p>
<h2 id="building-a-community"><strong>Building a Community</strong></h2>
<p>LMS platforms can help create a community feeling in customers, too. You'll often find interactive tools on the learning platform. These include discussion forums and group collaboration features, perfect for swapping experiences with others. Customers can easily link up with fellow professionals, swap their most successful methods, and support one another through shared challenges.</p>
<h2 id="analytics-and-improvement"><strong>Analytics and Improvement</strong></h2>
<p>LMS platforms have useful analytical capabilities. Have you discovered any intriguing trends or areas that require attention? Businesses get right into their data. They pinpoint what actions brought success and what just didn't hit the mark. Tracking customer progress through learning modules reveals where the content shines or struggles. This lets companies sharpen lessons and truly grab people's attention. Ensuring continuous improvement through analytics means that the onboarding process will only become better as needs change over time.</p>
<h2 id="conclusion"><strong>Conclusion</strong></h2>
<p>The benefits of including an LMS in the customer onboarding process are significant. They tackle both making operations efficient and elevating how pleased your customers are. Picture training that cuts through the noise, making your team eager to learn and bringing solid gains directly to your business and its happy customers. Companies can use an LMS to create such a positive experience that customers become true fans, always choosing to come back.</p>

How LMS Platforms Improve Customer Onboarding

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dosyawynu/image/upload/v1765184699/circuit-dashboard/posts/0ae2a04a-cebf-4bac-935e-1f5564d4448d/1765184699674.jpg)Source: DepositPhotos

If we are honest with ourselves, the “good old days” of IT security weren’t actually that good. But if one thing is for sure, they were certainly a whole lot simpler. You had your servers (usually on-site), you had firewalls set up, and that meant you had your perimeter that you could focus all your defenses on. 

It’s the classic castle and moat strategy. If you were inside the network, you’re trusted. Outside, you’re treated as a potential threat. Easy. 

However, when we fast forward to today, that castle wall is useless. What you find in its place instead is a sprawling, decentralized metropolis, with a complex mixture of legacy apps, virtual machines, cloud containers, and SaaS applications handling all kinds of sensitive data. 

This is the hybrid cloud reality. On the one hand, it gives businesses a massive amount of flexibility, agility, and scalability. The kind that companies of the past could only have dreamed of. But on the other hand, it gives security teams a big headache to deal with, since a whole new world of potential vulnerabilities has been opened up. 

How exactly are you supposed to secure an infrastructure that lives everywhere and nowhere at the same time? If you’re feeling overwhelmed at this point, you’re not on your own. In this guide, we will show you that with the right approach, you can build a setup that’s safer, easier to run, and ready for whatever your team needs next.

## What Hybrid Cloud Security Really Means

Before we get into some of the best practices, let’s quickly clear up one important thing. [<u>Hybrid cloud security </u>](https://www.checkpoint.com/cyber-hub/cloud-security/what-is-hybrid-cloud/)is not a single tool or product that you can plug-and-play in your organization. It’s a strategy. 

In most cases, a hybrid setup usually connects one or more public cloud platforms, all of your on-premises infrastructure, and any other services (such as apps) that you can run across both. 

With this type of setup, security becomes more about how you can best protect your data as it moves between these different locations. It’s a task that’s much easier said than done.

To have a truly comprehensive hybrid security strategy, you need to cover things like identity and [<u>access controls</u>](https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/security/business/security-101/what-is-access-control), data protection, workload isolation, continuous monitoring, and incident response plans. If all of these things sound familiar, it’s because none of them are particularly new or revolutionary concepts. 

The difference with cloud hybrid setups is that they bring together a bunch of complex moving parts, and that means there’s a significantly heightened chance of something slipping through the net. 

## Why Hybrid Cloud Security Matters More Than Ever

When IT stacks were all built in one location, you could protect them with one mighty firewall. Today’s systems don’t really work the same way. 

If compliance is essential to you, maybe you should adopt a sensible strategy and store all your sensitive and high-risk data on-prem so you’re sitting pretty when an audit comes along. Yet your devs still run their workloads on AWS or Azure, your finance teams use a couple of different SaaS platforms, and marketing signs up for a few new AI-powered tools every quarter. 

This is by no means an uncommon setup. But the result is a collage of tools and locations, which means companies are juggling many more endpoints, identity risks, confusion over who owns which part of security, and a higher chance of valuable credentials floating around in the ether. 

And from a hacker’s standpoint, they don’t really care where your data lives. They just follow the most straightforward path and keep poking and prodding until they find a weakness. 

## What A Strong Hybrid Cloud Security Strategy Looks Like

Now that we have set the stage, let’s run through some of the core pillars of a valuable and effective hybrid security strategy. 

### **Identity And Access Controls**

Identity is the new perimeter in this cloud-first world. Instead of firewalls keeping malicious threats out, the safest way to protect your network and its data is to ensure that only the right people can access it at the right time. 

Some ways this is done include using single sign-on (SSO), so your team isn’t juggling 12 passwords, enforcing [<u>multi-factor authentication (MFA)</u>](https://javascript.plainenglish.io/secure-your-node-js-apis-implementing-multi-factor-authentication-mfa-the-right-way-4f204d5c0b21) wherever possible, and applying least-privilege access. Hence, people only see what they need, and permissions are regularly rotated and reviewed.

## Protecting Data Across Every Environment

When you’re using a hybrid setup, your data is bound to move around a lot. Because of this, you need to keep it secure when it is in three key states:

* **In transit:** Encrypt everything that travels between cloud and on-prem.
* **At rest:** Use strong encryption for storage, backups, and databases.
* **In use:** Add safeguards like tokenisation or masking for sensitive fields.

The goal here is to ensure that if anyone manages to intercept your data, they can’t read it.

## Workload Isolation And Segmentation

This is one of the parts that teams skip, simply because it requires a bit of legwork and organization to set it up. The objective here is to break workloads into small enough units so that, if a breach occurs, it doesn’t become a full-blown crisis.

Segmentation allows you to keep critical workloads in one lane, testing environments in another, and external-facing systems somewhere else entirely. That way, if one area gets compromised, the attacker can’t wander into your core systems unnoticed.

Think of it as keeping your valuables in a safe rather than leaving them on the kitchen counter.

## A Clear Incident Response Plan

There is no bulletproof cybersecurity strategy. Hybrid setups can be immensely complex, and sometimes, you may not have the capacity to plug every hole. Because of this, you need to be ready for when things do go wrong and someone manages to breach your systems. 

Instead of everyone panicking, you need clear guidelines and policies for:

1. Who gets notified first
2. Which systems must be isolated immediately
3. How to communicate with the broader company
4. What evidence must be collected
5. How recovery should happen

Hybrid cloud breaches can happen in the blink of an eye, and your team needs to be well-drilled and ready to react if an incident occurs. 

## Final Word

Securing a hybrid cloud stack can feel like you’re taking on a mammoth task. And in some cases, you’d be right. Hybrid setups can be very complex, and they force you to unlearn decades of perimeter-based" habits that have kept your company safe for so long. 

But the principles are relatively simple. You’re moving from static defenses, such as firewalls, to dynamic defenses, such as identity and encryption. 

You don’t need to figure it all out in one day. Just start small and don’t bite off more than you can chew. Get your identity checks in order, then get more visibility into what data you actually have, and who should be accessing it (and when). Do these things, and you’re already well ahead of the pack.

<p><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dosyawynu/image/upload/v1765184699/circuit-dashboard/posts/0ae2a04a-cebf-4bac-935e-1f5564d4448d/1765184699674.jpg" alt="">Source: DepositPhotos</p>
<p>If we are honest with ourselves, the “good old days” of IT security weren’t actually that good. But if one thing is for sure, they were certainly a whole lot simpler. You had your servers (usually on-site), you had firewalls set up, and that meant you had your perimeter that you could focus all your defenses on. </p>
<p>It’s the classic castle and moat strategy. If you were inside the network, you’re trusted. Outside, you’re treated as a potential threat. Easy. </p>
<p>However, when we fast forward to today, that castle wall is useless. What you find in its place instead is a sprawling, decentralized metropolis, with a complex mixture of legacy apps, virtual machines, cloud containers, and SaaS applications handling all kinds of sensitive data. </p>
<p>This is the hybrid cloud reality. On the one hand, it gives businesses a massive amount of flexibility, agility, and scalability. The kind that companies of the past could only have dreamed of. But on the other hand, it gives security teams a big headache to deal with, since a whole new world of potential vulnerabilities has been opened up. </p>
<p>How exactly are you supposed to secure an infrastructure that lives everywhere and nowhere at the same time? If you’re feeling overwhelmed at this point, you’re not on your own. In this guide, we will show you that with the right approach, you can build a setup that’s safer, easier to run, and ready for whatever your team needs next.</p>
<h2 id="what-hybrid-cloud-security-really-means">What Hybrid Cloud Security Really Means</h2>
<p>Before we get into some of the best practices, let’s quickly clear up one important thing. <a href="https://www.checkpoint.com/cyber-hub/cloud-security/what-is-hybrid-cloud/"><u>Hybrid cloud security </u></a>is not a single tool or product that you can plug-and-play in your organization. It’s a strategy. </p>
<p>In most cases, a hybrid setup usually connects one or more public cloud platforms, all of your on-premises infrastructure, and any other services (such as apps) that you can run across both. </p>
<p>With this type of setup, security becomes more about how you can best protect your data as it moves between these different locations. It’s a task that’s much easier said than done.</p>
<p>To have a truly comprehensive hybrid security strategy, you need to cover things like identity and <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/security/business/security-101/what-is-access-control"><u>access controls</u></a>, data protection, workload isolation, continuous monitoring, and incident response plans. If all of these things sound familiar, it’s because none of them are particularly new or revolutionary concepts. </p>
<p>The difference with cloud hybrid setups is that they bring together a bunch of complex moving parts, and that means there’s a significantly heightened chance of something slipping through the net. </p>
<h2 id="why-hybrid-cloud-security-matters-more-than-ever">Why Hybrid Cloud Security Matters More Than Ever</h2>
<p>When IT stacks were all built in one location, you could protect them with one mighty firewall. Today’s systems don’t really work the same way. </p>
<p>If compliance is essential to you, maybe you should adopt a sensible strategy and store all your sensitive and high-risk data on-prem so you’re sitting pretty when an audit comes along. Yet your devs still run their workloads on AWS or Azure, your finance teams use a couple of different SaaS platforms, and marketing signs up for a few new AI-powered tools every quarter. </p>
<p>This is by no means an uncommon setup. But the result is a collage of tools and locations, which means companies are juggling many more endpoints, identity risks, confusion over who owns which part of security, and a higher chance of valuable credentials floating around in the ether. </p>
<p>And from a hacker’s standpoint, they don’t really care where your data lives. They just follow the most straightforward path and keep poking and prodding until they find a weakness. </p>
<h2 id="what-a-strong-hybrid-cloud-security-strategy-looks-like">What A Strong Hybrid Cloud Security Strategy Looks Like</h2>
<p>Now that we have set the stage, let’s run through some of the core pillars of a valuable and effective hybrid security strategy. </p>
<h3 id="identity-and-access-controls"><strong>Identity And Access Controls</strong></h3>
<p>Identity is the new perimeter in this cloud-first world. Instead of firewalls keeping malicious threats out, the safest way to protect your network and its data is to ensure that only the right people can access it at the right time. </p>
<p>Some ways this is done include using single sign-on (SSO), so your team isn’t juggling 12 passwords, enforcing <a href="https://javascript.plainenglish.io/secure-your-node-js-apis-implementing-multi-factor-authentication-mfa-the-right-way-4f204d5c0b21"><u>multi-factor authentication (MFA)</u></a> wherever possible, and applying least-privilege access. Hence, people only see what they need, and permissions are regularly rotated and reviewed.</p>
<h2 id="protecting-data-across-every-environment">Protecting Data Across Every Environment</h2>
<p>When you’re using a hybrid setup, your data is bound to move around a lot. Because of this, you need to keep it secure when it is in three key states:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>In transit:</strong> Encrypt everything that travels between cloud and on-prem.</li>
<li><strong>At rest:</strong> Use strong encryption for storage, backups, and databases.</li>
<li><strong>In use:</strong> Add safeguards like tokenisation or masking for sensitive fields.</li>
</ul>
<p>The goal here is to ensure that if anyone manages to intercept your data, they can’t read it.</p>
<h2 id="workload-isolation-and-segmentation">Workload Isolation And Segmentation</h2>
<p>This is one of the parts that teams skip, simply because it requires a bit of legwork and organization to set it up. The objective here is to break workloads into small enough units so that, if a breach occurs, it doesn’t become a full-blown crisis.</p>
<p>Segmentation allows you to keep critical workloads in one lane, testing environments in another, and external-facing systems somewhere else entirely. That way, if one area gets compromised, the attacker can’t wander into your core systems unnoticed.</p>
<p>Think of it as keeping your valuables in a safe rather than leaving them on the kitchen counter.</p>
<h2 id="a-clear-incident-response-plan">A Clear Incident Response Plan</h2>
<p>There is no bulletproof cybersecurity strategy. Hybrid setups can be immensely complex, and sometimes, you may not have the capacity to plug every hole. Because of this, you need to be ready for when things do go wrong and someone manages to breach your systems. </p>
<p>Instead of everyone panicking, you need clear guidelines and policies for:</p>
<ol>
<li>Who gets notified first</li>
<li>Which systems must be isolated immediately</li>
<li>How to communicate with the broader company</li>
<li>What evidence must be collected</li>
<li>How recovery should happen</li>
</ol>
<p>Hybrid cloud breaches can happen in the blink of an eye, and your team needs to be well-drilled and ready to react if an incident occurs. </p>
<h2 id="final-word">Final Word</h2>
<p>Securing a hybrid cloud stack can feel like you’re taking on a mammoth task. And in some cases, you’d be right. Hybrid setups can be very complex, and they force you to unlearn decades of perimeter-based" habits that have kept your company safe for so long. </p>
<p>But the principles are relatively simple. You’re moving from static defenses, such as firewalls, to dynamic defenses, such as identity and encryption. </p>
<p>You don’t need to figure it all out in one day. Just start small and don’t bite off more than you can chew. Get your identity checks in order, then get more visibility into what data you actually have, and who should be accessing it (and when). Do these things, and you’re already well ahead of the pack.</p>

The Simple Guide to Hybrid Cloud Security for Today’s IT Stack

By creating short-form content, interactive stories, and enticing visuals, brands work to grab attention in a highly competitive digital market. Video content continues to grow in popularity and engagement as online audiences actively seek to watch rather than read or look at static images. For brands, the creation of high-quality, impactful videos and visuals is a necessary skill. Video editing software is fundamental to this process. Quality and engagement are enhanced to deliver polished and impactful visuals every time a reliable [<u>video editor</u>](https://clideo.com/video-editor) is used to publish social media clips, explain products, or showcase stories of customers.  

Businesses can increase the aesthetic value, increase meaningful engagement and overall experience of their content, and improve the visibility of their brands on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn all by Raw video footage.  

## **The Rise of Video as a Branding Essential**  

As is apparent from the analytics on YouTube and insights from the Guardian, the consumption of video content continues to grow. Billions of hours of video are watched every day and in crowded digital markets, brands that produce high quality video content, pulled from the editing stream, are much easier to stand out and capture the audience's attention.  

No competitors are adding video content as a core component to their branding strategy and in turn editing tools are becoming more essential and staples in the marketing industry. A video's presentation and overall quality are big factors to consider for professionalism and emotional engagement - video editing tools already available make adding and refining arbitrary to a video stream highly accessible.

## **How Video Editing Tools Enhance Your Brand Visibility Online**

### **1. Establishing a Distinct Brand Identity**

Consistency is at the core of establishing a brand identity, and video editing tools allow creators to customize their videos consistently, by: 

* Using brand-specific colour pallete
* Incorporating company fonts throughout the videos
* Keeping a uniform editing style through template video and image transitions
* Including watermarks and logos
* Having a set brand audio cue that will create audio recognition

Using the same editing tools to create video compilation will allow your audience to develop brand recognition and help your videos stand out from the competition.

### **2. Retaining Attention**

In the realm of digital marketing, attention is currency. Video editing softwares allow the creators to: 

* Include engaging intro templates
* Add animated text 
* Incorporate jump cuts throughout the videos for a fast pace
* Highlight important sections of the video
* Bolding text is a great way to draw attention to sections of the video

Editable video templates for fast paced videos are a great way to capture audience attention.

### **3. Transforming Raw Footage into Unique Content**

Taking social videos often poses challenges, such as the video looking dull and amateur to the audience. Basic editing tools can enhance social videos by: 

* Color correction
* Balancing audio throughout the video and removing background noise
* Incorporate creative transitions
* Adding video time manipulation to create slow motion or a fast time-lapse

Overall, enhancing social videos helps make the videos more engaging by making the video enjoyable to watch. This encourages the audience to share the videos.

### **4. Allows for Optimization Across Multiple Platforms**  

Every digital platform has unique specifications when it comes to video content. For instance:

* TikTok and Instagram Reels require vertical video formats.  
* YouTube videos need to be shot horizontally.  
* Square video formats are often preferred for Facebook and LinkedIn.  

Video editing tools for example, those offered by [<u>clideo.com</u>](https://clideo.com) are invaluable for brands to resize, crop, and reformat videos to conform to requested platform specifications. This ensures that content performs better in the algorithm and crosses all channels in good quality.  

## **Why Editing Tools Make Content More Professional**  

### **More Effective Storytelling**  

With good video editing tools available, marketers can refine the pace of a video, structure important messaging, and seamlessly interconnect the video’s beginning, middle, and end. This leads to communication that flows seamlessly, making it more effective on an emotional level, both of which are important for branding.  

### **Increased Viewer Retention**  

Trust is key to brand engagement and polished videos produce the trustworthy image of a company. Expect to lose brand engagement if videos are poorly made. Balanced sound, smooth transitions, and clean cuts are the hallmarks of a quality video and keep audiences engaged.  

### **Enhanced SEO Performance**  

Video content is known to enhance the visibility of a page in search engines. According to [<u>Wikipedia’s</u>](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_marketing) digital marketing insights, a well-optimized video improves a page’s ranking because:  

* Users are more likely to spend time on a page that has video content.  
* Search engines prioritize pages that contain multimedia content.  
* Engagement on a page significantly impacts the importance a search engine algorithm attributes to the page.  

Editing tools enhance the quality of videos that users want to watch and that search engines want to promote.

## **Practical Applications of Video Editing for Business Marketing**

Why do businesses use video editing for marketing these days?

1. **Product Videos**

Product videos are effective in explaining the functionalities, and in helping customers make informed purchasing decisions.

1. **Branding**

Improved relatability and trust through humanization of the brand.

1. **Testimonial Videos**

Customer testimonial videos are visually appealing and more professional.

1. **Marketing**

Social Media videos need to be edited in trendy styles for fast paced short videos.

1. **Promotional Videos**

Community engagement can be highlighted through promotional videos.

## **Ethics of Video editing**

Brand visibility is of paramount importance, and video editing is the most accessible medium for brand visibility. Everyone can use video editing software, and everyone has access to it, like online video editing software. Even small businesses can compete visually with large businesses.

## **Conclusions**

There is no denying that as digital strategies continue to grow, so does the importance of video in each brand's strategy and communication. No, brands will need to invest in video editing software to produce consistent and high quality work that is memorable. With the helping hands of video creation services like Clideo, marketers of all ranges will be able to create content that is sure to engage and elevate the brands overall visibility.

<p>By creating short-form content, interactive stories, and enticing visuals, brands work to grab attention in a highly competitive digital market. Video content continues to grow in popularity and engagement as online audiences actively seek to watch rather than read or look at static images. For brands, the creation of high-quality, impactful videos and visuals is a necessary skill. Video editing software is fundamental to this process. Quality and engagement are enhanced to deliver polished and impactful visuals every time a reliable <a href="https://clideo.com/video-editor"><u>video editor</u></a> is used to publish social media clips, explain products, or showcase stories of customers.  </p>
<p>Businesses can increase the aesthetic value, increase meaningful engagement and overall experience of their content, and improve the visibility of their brands on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn all by Raw video footage.  </p>
<h2 id="the-rise-of-video-as-a-branding-essential"><strong>The Rise of Video as a Branding Essential</strong>  </h2>
<p>As is apparent from the analytics on YouTube and insights from the Guardian, the consumption of video content continues to grow. Billions of hours of video are watched every day and in crowded digital markets, brands that produce high quality video content, pulled from the editing stream, are much easier to stand out and capture the audience's attention.  </p>
<p>No competitors are adding video content as a core component to their branding strategy and in turn editing tools are becoming more essential and staples in the marketing industry. A video's presentation and overall quality are big factors to consider for professionalism and emotional engagement - video editing tools already available make adding and refining arbitrary to a video stream highly accessible.</p>
<h2 id="how-video-editing-tools-enhance-your-brand-visibility-online"><strong>How Video Editing Tools Enhance Your Brand Visibility Online</strong></h2>
<h3 id="1-establishing-a-distinct-brand-identity"><strong>1. Establishing a Distinct Brand Identity</strong></h3>
<p>Consistency is at the core of establishing a brand identity, and video editing tools allow creators to customize their videos consistently, by: </p>
<ul>
<li>Using brand-specific colour pallete</li>
<li>Incorporating company fonts throughout the videos</li>
<li>Keeping a uniform editing style through template video and image transitions</li>
<li>Including watermarks and logos</li>
<li>Having a set brand audio cue that will create audio recognition</li>
</ul>
<p>Using the same editing tools to create video compilation will allow your audience to develop brand recognition and help your videos stand out from the competition.</p>
<h3 id="2-retaining-attention"><strong>2. Retaining Attention</strong></h3>
<p>In the realm of digital marketing, attention is currency. Video editing softwares allow the creators to: </p>
<ul>
<li>Include engaging intro templates</li>
<li>Add animated text </li>
<li>Incorporate jump cuts throughout the videos for a fast pace</li>
<li>Highlight important sections of the video</li>
<li>Bolding text is a great way to draw attention to sections of the video</li>
</ul>
<p>Editable video templates for fast paced videos are a great way to capture audience attention.</p>
<h3 id="3-transforming-raw-footage-into-unique-content"><strong>3. Transforming Raw Footage into Unique Content</strong></h3>
<p>Taking social videos often poses challenges, such as the video looking dull and amateur to the audience. Basic editing tools can enhance social videos by: </p>
<ul>
<li>Color correction</li>
<li>Balancing audio throughout the video and removing background noise</li>
<li>Incorporate creative transitions</li>
<li>Adding video time manipulation to create slow motion or a fast time-lapse</li>
</ul>
<p>Overall, enhancing social videos helps make the videos more engaging by making the video enjoyable to watch. This encourages the audience to share the videos.</p>
<h3 id="4-allows-for-optimization-across-multiple-platforms"><strong>4. Allows for Optimization Across Multiple Platforms</strong>  </h3>
<p>Every digital platform has unique specifications when it comes to video content. For instance:</p>
<ul>
<li>TikTok and Instagram Reels require vertical video formats.  </li>
<li>YouTube videos need to be shot horizontally.  </li>
<li>Square video formats are often preferred for Facebook and LinkedIn.  </li>
</ul>
<p>Video editing tools for example, those offered by <a href="https://clideo.com"><u>clideo.com</u></a> are invaluable for brands to resize, crop, and reformat videos to conform to requested platform specifications. This ensures that content performs better in the algorithm and crosses all channels in good quality.  </p>
<h2 id="why-editing-tools-make-content-more-professional"><strong>Why Editing Tools Make Content More Professional</strong>  </h2>
<h3 id="more-effective-storytelling"><strong>More Effective Storytelling</strong>  </h3>
<p>With good video editing tools available, marketers can refine the pace of a video, structure important messaging, and seamlessly interconnect the video’s beginning, middle, and end. This leads to communication that flows seamlessly, making it more effective on an emotional level, both of which are important for branding.  </p>
<h3 id="increased-viewer-retention"><strong>Increased Viewer Retention</strong>  </h3>
<p>Trust is key to brand engagement and polished videos produce the trustworthy image of a company. Expect to lose brand engagement if videos are poorly made. Balanced sound, smooth transitions, and clean cuts are the hallmarks of a quality video and keep audiences engaged.  </p>
<h3 id="enhanced-seo-performance"><strong>Enhanced SEO Performance</strong>  </h3>
<p>Video content is known to enhance the visibility of a page in search engines. According to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_marketing"><u>Wikipedia’s</u></a> digital marketing insights, a well-optimized video improves a page’s ranking because:  </p>
<ul>
<li>Users are more likely to spend time on a page that has video content.  </li>
<li>Search engines prioritize pages that contain multimedia content.  </li>
<li>Engagement on a page significantly impacts the importance a search engine algorithm attributes to the page.  </li>
</ul>
<p>Editing tools enhance the quality of videos that users want to watch and that search engines want to promote.</p>
<h2 id="practical-applications-of-video-editing-for-business-marketing"><strong>Practical Applications of Video Editing for Business Marketing</strong></h2>
<p>Why do businesses use video editing for marketing these days?</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Product Videos</strong></li>
</ol>
<p>Product videos are effective in explaining the functionalities, and in helping customers make informed purchasing decisions.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Branding</strong></li>
</ol>
<p>Improved relatability and trust through humanization of the brand.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Testimonial Videos</strong></li>
</ol>
<p>Customer testimonial videos are visually appealing and more professional.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Marketing</strong></li>
</ol>
<p>Social Media videos need to be edited in trendy styles for fast paced short videos.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Promotional Videos</strong></li>
</ol>
<p>Community engagement can be highlighted through promotional videos.</p>
<h2 id="ethics-of-video-editing"><strong>Ethics of Video editing</strong></h2>
<p>Brand visibility is of paramount importance, and video editing is the most accessible medium for brand visibility. Everyone can use video editing software, and everyone has access to it, like online video editing software. Even small businesses can compete visually with large businesses.</p>
<h2 id="conclusions"><strong>Conclusions</strong></h2>
<p>There is no denying that as digital strategies continue to grow, so does the importance of video in each brand's strategy and communication. No, brands will need to invest in video editing software to produce consistent and high quality work that is memorable. With the helping hands of video creation services like Clideo, marketers of all ranges will be able to create content that is sure to engage and elevate the brands overall visibility.</p>

Why Video Editing Software Matters for Brand Visibility

Swiper still rules the feature list, but its core + styles weigh in around 80 KB min (≈ 25 KB gzip). If you’d rather spend those bytes on i18n, analytics or CSS vars, try one of these leaner carousels — all MIT‑licensed except where noted, all boasting 1 k+ GitHub stars.

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*lSigVpBAar1bc-aDMEzryg.png)

One’s bloated. One’s built to move.

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*1XqNliGKAdxHcormAj3Low.png)

\* Size excludes the optional Slick theme CSS.
† Flickity is free for OSS, but requires a commercial license for paid projects.

### 1. Keen Slider — pixel‑perfect “app” swipes

* **DX**: Replace `<SwiperSlide>` with a plain `<div>` and import the `useKeenSlider` hook. That’s it.

Quick start

```
import { useKeenSlider } from "keen-slider/react";export default function Gallery() {  const [sliderRef] = useKeenSlider(    { loop: true, mode: "free-snap", slideChanged: s => console.log(s.details()) }  );  return (    <div ref={sliderRef} className="keen-slider h-64">      {[1,2,3,4].map(n => (        <div key={n} className="keen-slider__slide flex items-center justify-center text-4xl">          {n}        </div>      ))}    </div>  );}
```

Extra patterns you’ll love

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*jHXnBqvycGpRVHajrISV3g.png)

Table with patterns

* **Fun fact**: Originally crafted for industrial touch‑terminals so grape pickers could browse data in gloves — hence its obsession with gesture accuracy.

### 2. Embla Carousel — build‑it‑your‑way

* **DX**: You get a tiny core; every extra (looping, autoplay, wheel gestures) is an opt‑in plugin.

Minimal React shell

```
import useEmblaCarousel from "embla-carousel-react";import Autoplay from "embla-carousel-autoplay";const options = { align: "start", loop: true };const plugins = [Autoplay({ delay: 3000 })];function Headlines({ articles }) {  const [viewportRef] = useEmblaCarousel(options, plugins);  return (    <section className="overflow-hidden" ref={viewportRef}>      <div className="flex">        {articles.map(a => (          <a key={a.id} className="flex-none w-full md:w-1/2 lg:w-1/3 pr-6" href={a.url}>            <img src={a.img} className="rounded-xl" />            <h3>{a.title}</h3>          </a>        ))}      </div>    </section>  );}
```

**Why pick Embla?**

* **Plugin model** — only pay for what you import: wheel gestures, drag‑free, 3D tilt, autoplay, parallax, etc.
* **Headless** — layout entirely yours (CSS Grid, Tailwind, anything).
* **Docs you can edit** — every code snippet sits in a live CodeSandbox PR.

*Pro tip*: Combine `embla-carousel-solid` or `embla-carousel-svelte` in micro‑frontends — you’ll share physics while mixing frameworks.

### 3. [Glide.js](https://Glide.js) — the happy medium

* **DX**: Few options (`gap`, `peek`, `perView`) deliver 90 % of use‑cases. Works in ES modules, no build step needed.

ESM‑only install

```
npm i @glidejs/glide
```

```
import Glide from "@glidejs/glide";const glide = new Glide(".glide", {  perView: 3,  gap: 24,  peek: { before: 50, after: 50 },  animationDuration: 600,}).mount();
```

Recipes

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*iIDKEGqir-r5N8B6llfUHg.png)

Scenario examples

**Fun fact**: Glide’s creator open‑sourced it after using the very first version on a Polish newspaper site back in 2013 — it’s been in production ever since.

### 4. React Slick — least friction for newcomers

* **DX**: Just `<Slider settings={…}>`; no custom CSS required. Huge snippet library on CodeSandbox.

Classic example with custom arrows

```
import Slider from "react-slick";import "slick-carousel/slick/slick.css";const NextArrow = props => <button {...props} className="right-2">›</button>;const PrevArrow = props => <button {...props} className="left-2">‹</button>;export default function LogoStrip({ logos }) {  const settings = {    arrows: true,    slidesToShow: 5,    infinite: true,    nextArrow: <NextArrow />,    prevArrow: <PrevArrow />,    responsive: [      { breakpoint: 1024, settings: { slidesToShow: 3 } },      { breakpoint: 640, settings: { slidesToShow: 2, arrows: false } },    ],  };  return <Slider {...settings}>{logos.map(l => <img key={l} src={l} />)}</Slider>;}
```

**When Slick shines**

* **Training junior devs** — API mirrors jQuery Slick docs from 2015, tons of snippets.
* **SSR &** [**Next.js**](https://Next.js) — proven workarounds (`import dynamic`) and examples for hydration issues.
* **Legacy hand‑off** — jQuery/Slick and React Slick share the same option names, easing rewrites page‑by‑page.

**Fun fact**: Under the hood it’s a React port of the jQuery “Slick” slider, so blog posts from 2015 still help.

### 5. Flickity — delightfully “springy”

* **DX**: Vanilla JS + a thin `react-flickity-component` wrapper. Known for polished “rubber‑band” drag inertia.

React wrapper

```
import Flickity from "react-flickity-component";import "flickity/css/flickity.css";const flickityOptions = {  cellAlign: "left",  contain: true,  wrapAround: true,  groupCells: 2,  pageDots: false,};export function Portfolio({ shots }) {  return (    <Flickity options={flickityOptions} className="overflow-visible">      {shots.map(s => (        <figure key={s.id} className="mr-4 w-80">          <img src={s.img} className="rounded-2xl" />          <figcaption className="mt-2">{s.caption}</figcaption>        </figure>      ))}    </Flickity>  );}
```

**Why users stay**

* **Rubber‑band feel** — subtle “spring” easing distinguishes it from any CSS‑only slider.
* **GroupCells** — grid‑like carousels for product cards with two lines of config.
* **Masonry compatibility** — share the optional `masonry` add‑on for Pinterest‑style layouts.

*Heads‑up*: Commercial license is $99 one‑off — still cheaper than shipping Mb‑heavy bundles every month.

* **Fun fact**: Its author added the elastic effect after a late‑night pinball session; users kept it as a signature.

### Choosing quickly

* **Need 1‑hour migration from Swiper?** Keen Slider.
* **Want granular control & plugins?** Embla.
* **Prefer long‑term stability?** [Glide.js](https://Glide.js).
* **Teaching juniors / doing SSR?** React Slick.
* **Obsessed with tactile feel?** Flickity.

Any of these will shave \~40‑50 KB off a Swiper‑based bundle without costing users a single gesture.

### Thank you for being a part of the community

*Before you go:***️️**

* Follow us: [**X**](https://x.com/inPlainEngHQ) | [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/inplainenglish/) | [**YouTube**](https://www.youtube.com/@InPlainEnglish) | [**Newsletter**](https://newsletter.plainenglish.io/) | [**Podcast**](https://open.spotify.com/show/7qxylRWKhvZwMz2WuEoua0) | [**Differ**](https://differ.blog/inplainenglish) | [**Twitch**](https://twitch.tv/inplainenglish)
* [**Check out CoFeed, the smart way to stay up-to-date with the latest in tech**](https://cofeed.app/) **🧪**
* [**Start your own free AI-powered blog on Differ**](https://differ.blog/) 🚀
* [**Join our content creators community on Discord**](https://discord.gg/in-plain-english-709094664682340443) 🧑🏻‍💻
* For more content, visit [**plainenglish.io**](https://plainenglish.io/) + [**stackademic.com**](https://stackademic.com/)

<p>Swiper still rules the feature list, but its core + styles weigh in around 80 KB min (≈ 25 KB gzip). If you’d rather spend those bytes on i18n, analytics or CSS vars, try one of these leaner carousels — all MIT‑licensed except where noted, all boasting 1 k+ GitHub stars.</p>
<p><img src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*lSigVpBAar1bc-aDMEzryg.png" alt=""></p>
<p>One’s bloated. One’s built to move.</p>
<p><img src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*1XqNliGKAdxHcormAj3Low.png" alt=""></p>
<p>* Size excludes the optional Slick theme CSS.
† Flickity is free for OSS, but requires a commercial license for paid projects.</p>
<h3 id="1-keen-sliderpixelperfect-appswipes">1. Keen Slider — pixel‑perfect “app” swipes</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>DX</strong>: Replace <code>&#x3C;SwiperSlide></code> with a plain <code>&#x3C;div></code> and import the <code>useKeenSlider</code> hook. That’s it.</li>
</ul>
<p>Quick start</p>
<pre><code class="code-highlight"><span class="code-line line-number" line="1">import { useKeenSlider } from "keen-slider/react";export default function Gallery() {  const [sliderRef] = useKeenSlider(    { loop: true, mode: "free-snap", slideChanged: s => console.log(s.details()) }  );  return (    &#x3C;div ref={sliderRef} className="keen-slider h-64">      {[1,2,3,4].map(n => (        &#x3C;div key={n} className="keen-slider__slide flex items-center justify-center text-4xl">          {n}        &#x3C;/div>      ))}    &#x3C;/div>  );}
</span></code></pre>
<p>Extra patterns you’ll love</p>
<p><img src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*jHXnBqvycGpRVHajrISV3g.png" alt=""></p>
<p>Table with patterns</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Fun fact</strong>: Originally crafted for industrial touch‑terminals so grape pickers could browse data in gloves — hence its obsession with gesture accuracy.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="2-embla-carouselbuildityourway">2. Embla Carousel — build‑it‑your‑way</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>DX</strong>: You get a tiny core; every extra (looping, autoplay, wheel gestures) is an opt‑in plugin.</li>
</ul>
<p>Minimal React shell</p>
<pre><code class="code-highlight"><span class="code-line line-number" line="1">import useEmblaCarousel from "embla-carousel-react";import Autoplay from "embla-carousel-autoplay";const options = { align: "start", loop: true };const plugins = [Autoplay({ delay: 3000 })];function Headlines({ articles }) {  const [viewportRef] = useEmblaCarousel(options, plugins);  return (    &#x3C;section className="overflow-hidden" ref={viewportRef}>      &#x3C;div className="flex">        {articles.map(a => (          &#x3C;a key={a.id} className="flex-none w-full md:w-1/2 lg:w-1/3 pr-6" href={a.url}>            &#x3C;img src={a.img} className="rounded-xl" />            &#x3C;h3>{a.title}&#x3C;/h3>          &#x3C;/a>        ))}      &#x3C;/div>    &#x3C;/section>  );}
</span></code></pre>
<p><strong>Why pick Embla?</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Plugin model</strong> — only pay for what you import: wheel gestures, drag‑free, 3D tilt, autoplay, parallax, etc.</li>
<li><strong>Headless</strong> — layout entirely yours (CSS Grid, Tailwind, anything).</li>
<li><strong>Docs you can edit</strong> — every code snippet sits in a live CodeSandbox PR.</li>
</ul>
<p><em>Pro tip</em>: Combine <code>embla-carousel-solid</code> or <code>embla-carousel-svelte</code> in micro‑frontends — you’ll share physics while mixing frameworks.</p>
<h3 id="3-glidejsthe-happymedium">3. <a href="https://Glide.js">Glide.js</a> — the happy medium</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>DX</strong>: Few options (<code>gap</code>, <code>peek</code>, <code>perView</code>) deliver 90 % of use‑cases. Works in ES modules, no build step needed.</li>
</ul>
<p>ESM‑only install</p>
<pre><code class="code-highlight"><span class="code-line line-number" line="1">npm i @glidejs/glide
</span></code></pre>
<pre><code class="code-highlight"><span class="code-line line-number" line="1">import Glide from "@glidejs/glide";const glide = new Glide(".glide", {  perView: 3,  gap: 24,  peek: { before: 50, after: 50 },  animationDuration: 600,}).mount();
</span></code></pre>
<p>Recipes</p>
<p><img src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*iIDKEGqir-r5N8B6llfUHg.png" alt=""></p>
<p>Scenario examples</p>
<p><strong>Fun fact</strong>: Glide’s creator open‑sourced it after using the very first version on a Polish newspaper site back in 2013 — it’s been in production ever since.</p>
<h3 id="4-react-slickleast-friction-for-newcomers">4. React Slick — least friction for newcomers</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>DX</strong>: Just <code>&#x3C;Slider settings={…}></code>; no custom CSS required. Huge snippet library on CodeSandbox.</li>
</ul>
<p>Classic example with custom arrows</p>
<pre><code class="code-highlight"><span class="code-line line-number" line="1">import Slider from "react-slick";import "slick-carousel/slick/slick.css";const NextArrow = props => &#x3C;button {...props} className="right-2">›&#x3C;/button>;const PrevArrow = props => &#x3C;button {...props} className="left-2">‹&#x3C;/button>;export default function LogoStrip({ logos }) {  const settings = {    arrows: true,    slidesToShow: 5,    infinite: true,    nextArrow: &#x3C;NextArrow />,    prevArrow: &#x3C;PrevArrow />,    responsive: [      { breakpoint: 1024, settings: { slidesToShow: 3 } },      { breakpoint: 640, settings: { slidesToShow: 2, arrows: false } },    ],  };  return &#x3C;Slider {...settings}>{logos.map(l => &#x3C;img key={l} src={l} />)}&#x3C;/Slider>;}
</span></code></pre>
<p><strong>When Slick shines</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Training junior devs</strong> — API mirrors jQuery Slick docs from 2015, tons of snippets.</li>
<li><strong>SSR &#x26;</strong> <a href="https://Next.js"><strong>Next.js</strong></a> — proven workarounds (<code>import dynamic</code>) and examples for hydration issues.</li>
<li><strong>Legacy hand‑off</strong> — jQuery/Slick and React Slick share the same option names, easing rewrites page‑by‑page.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Fun fact</strong>: Under the hood it’s a React port of the jQuery “Slick” slider, so blog posts from 2015 still help.</p>
<h3 id="5-flickitydelightfully-springy">5. Flickity — delightfully “springy”</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>DX</strong>: Vanilla JS + a thin <code>react-flickity-component</code> wrapper. Known for polished “rubber‑band” drag inertia.</li>
</ul>
<p>React wrapper</p>
<pre><code class="code-highlight"><span class="code-line line-number" line="1">import Flickity from "react-flickity-component";import "flickity/css/flickity.css";const flickityOptions = {  cellAlign: "left",  contain: true,  wrapAround: true,  groupCells: 2,  pageDots: false,};export function Portfolio({ shots }) {  return (    &#x3C;Flickity options={flickityOptions} className="overflow-visible">      {shots.map(s => (        &#x3C;figure key={s.id} className="mr-4 w-80">          &#x3C;img src={s.img} className="rounded-2xl" />          &#x3C;figcaption className="mt-2">{s.caption}&#x3C;/figcaption>        &#x3C;/figure>      ))}    &#x3C;/Flickity>  );}
</span></code></pre>
<p><strong>Why users stay</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Rubber‑band feel</strong> — subtle “spring” easing distinguishes it from any CSS‑only slider.</li>
<li><strong>GroupCells</strong> — grid‑like carousels for product cards with two lines of config.</li>
<li><strong>Masonry compatibility</strong> — share the optional <code>masonry</code> add‑on for Pinterest‑style layouts.</li>
</ul>
<p><em>Heads‑up</em>: Commercial license is $99 one‑off — still cheaper than shipping Mb‑heavy bundles every month.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Fun fact</strong>: Its author added the elastic effect after a late‑night pinball session; users kept it as a signature.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="choosing-quickly">Choosing quickly</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>Need 1‑hour migration from Swiper?</strong> Keen Slider.</li>
<li><strong>Want granular control &#x26; plugins?</strong> Embla.</li>
<li><strong>Prefer long‑term stability?</strong> <a href="https://Glide.js">Glide.js</a>.</li>
<li><strong>Teaching juniors / doing SSR?</strong> React Slick.</li>
<li><strong>Obsessed with tactile feel?</strong> Flickity.</li>
</ul>
<p>Any of these will shave ~40‑50 KB off a Swiper‑based bundle without costing users a single gesture.</p>
<h3 id="thank-you-for-being-a-part-of-the-community">Thank you for being a part of the community</h3>
<p>*Before you go:*<strong>️️</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Follow us: <a href="https://x.com/inPlainEngHQ"><strong>X</strong></a> | <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/inplainenglish/"><strong>LinkedIn</strong></a> | <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@InPlainEnglish"><strong>YouTube</strong></a> | <a href="https://newsletter.plainenglish.io/"><strong>Newsletter</strong></a> | <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/7qxylRWKhvZwMz2WuEoua0"><strong>Podcast</strong></a> | <a href="https://differ.blog/inplainenglish"><strong>Differ</strong></a> | <a href="https://twitch.tv/inplainenglish"><strong>Twitch</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="https://cofeed.app/"><strong>Check out CoFeed, the smart way to stay up-to-date with the latest in tech</strong></a> <strong>🧪</strong></li>
<li><a href="https://differ.blog/"><strong>Start your own free AI-powered blog on Differ</strong></a> 🚀</li>
<li><a href="https://discord.gg/in-plain-english-709094664682340443"><strong>Join our content creators community on Discord</strong></a> 🧑🏻‍💻</li>
<li>For more content, visit <a href="https://plainenglish.io/"><strong>plainenglish.io</strong></a> + <a href="https://stackademic.com/"><strong>stackademic.com</strong></a></li>
</ul>

Top 5 Lightweight Swiper Alternatives Every React Dev Should Know in 2025

Stop Shipping 80 KB for a Slider

*By Kostiantyn Shurupov, an expert in digital marketing and affiliate business development*

### **Abstract**

In many companies, affiliate marketing is still perceived as a set of “hacks” and one-off deals with partners. As a result, decisions are made based on feelings rather than data, and the program either does not scale or turns into a source of uncontrolled expenses. Meanwhile, in highly competitive and regulated niches, it is precisely the affiliate channel that can become the main source of predictable growth — provided that it is built as a system: with clear metrics, transparent analytics, and constant experiments.

The article examines how to transform affiliate marketing from a “black box” into a controllable growth mechanism. It covers basic metrics (EPC, CR, LTV, payback), principles of funnel construction, approaches to A/B testing of landings and creatives, as well as practices for working with partners as a distributed experimental laboratory. Current data on the affiliate marketing market and the online gaming industry are provided, illustrating the scale and potential of this channel.

**Keywords:** data; affiliate marketing; experiment; A/B testing; analytics; funnel; online gaming; poker; EPC; LTV

### **Introduction**

The global affiliate marketing market is growing, amounting to tens of billions of dollars and providing a significant share of online sales. In parallel, the online gaming and poker markets are developing, where competition for the user is especially intense, and regulatory restrictions require careful work with communication and data.

In such an environment, affiliate marketing works only in one format — as a system. Its core is data: without transparent analytics, a correct attribution window, and an understanding of user economics, any program turns into an argument about whether the partner is doing a good job or not.

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*WTHMkA8VeBsfm6M8IOkDpA.png)

### **1. Metrics Without Which the System Does Not Work**&#xA;&#xA;

The basic set of metrics for the affiliate channel is fairly compact:

**CR (Conversion Rate)** — conversion from clicks into the target action (registration, deposit, subscription).

**EPC (Earnings Per Click)** — earnings per click for the partner, the key indicator of an offer’s attractiveness.

**ARPU / ARPPU** — average revenue per user / per paying user.

**LTV** — total revenue from a user over their lifetime.

**Payback Period** — the payback time of marketing investments.

These metrics make it possible to link two worlds — the business and the partners: the partner sees EPC and conversion, the business sees CAC and payback. If the data is transparent, a space for constructive dialogue emerges: you can discuss landing page tests, offer changes, traffic segmentation.

### 2. **The Funnel as an Object of Analysis, Not a “Black Box”**

A typical mistake is to look only at the top of the funnel (clicks and registrations) and the final result (deposits, payments), while ignoring what happens between them. In practice when working with the affiliate channel in highly competitive niches, two layers of analysis are especially important.

### 2.1. Micro-conversions

The funnel is broken down into micro-steps:

* landing page view;
* click on the CTA;
* start of registration;
* completion of registration;
* first entry into the product;
* first target action (deposit, subscription, purchase);
* repeated target action.

Each step is measured by partner, geo, and traffic sources. This makes it possible, for example, to see that some partners bring an audience that clicks well but “drops off” at registration, or vice versa — rarely reaches the landing page but converts well afterwards.

### 2.2. Separating Product and Marketing Problems

If conversion drops at the registration step, the probability of a product problem is high: a complicated form, bugs, lack of localization.
If users register but do not reach the first payment — the question is about onboarding and the value proposition.

Such separation makes the conversation with a partner constructive: instead of the abstract “traffic is weak,” specific hypotheses and experiments are discussed.

### 3. **Experiments: How to Test Offers, Landings, and Creatives**

The affiliate channel offers a unique opportunity to run distributed experiments: dozens of partners simultaneously test different combinations of “source — creative — landing — offer.”

Key principles:

* **Limited number of variables.** Only one element changes in each experiment: the landing headline, the wording of the offer, or the visual.
* **Sufficient volume.** The experiment continues until a statistically significant number of clicks and conversions is reached, not until the first “nice-looking” result.
* **Unified attribution windows.** The same conversion crediting rules apply for all partners; otherwise comparing results becomes meaningless.

On the X-axis are the landing variants, on the Y-axis — the conversion from click to registration. This visualization makes it easy to communicate to product and partners which hypothesis “won” and which elements should be scaled.

### 4. Online Games and Poker: The Affiliate Channel as a Growth Laboratory

Online games and poker are examples of categories where affiliate marketing is especially important. The global online gambling market is valued at tens of billions of dollars, with steady growth expected through the end of the decade.

The online poker market is also growing: the global volume, estimated at several billion dollars in 2024, is projected to double by 2030.

From the standpoint of data and experiments, such markets are convenient: user LTV is high, there are many events inside the product, and user behavior lends itself well to quantitative analysis. This makes it possible to:

* build segmented partner reward models (different rates for different player cohorts);
* test changes in product economics (rake, bonuses, missions) on limited volumes of affiliate traffic;
* quickly see the effect of changes in the funnel and communication.

### Conclusion

Affiliate marketing ceases to be a collection of disparate deals and becomes an engineered growth system where decisions are made based on data. Clearly defined metrics, a detailed funnel, continuous experiments with creatives and offers, as well as working with partners as full participants in the product process, make it possible to achieve predictable results even in complex and regulated niches.

In an environment where traffic costs are rising and regulators are tightening requirements, exactly this approach — systematic, data-driven — gives a business the chance to scale the affiliate channel without losing manageability and profitability.

1. Ahrefs / Authority Hacker. Affiliate Marketing Statistics 2024.[Ahrefs](https://ahrefs.com/blog/affiliate-marketing-statistics/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
2. Wix. Affiliate marketing statistics and facts for 2025.[wix.com](https://www.wix.com/blog/affiliate-marketing-statistics?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
3. [ResearchAndMarkets.com](https://ResearchAndMarkets.com). Online Gambling Industry Report 2025.[Business Wire](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250924101188/en/Online-Gambling-Industry-Report-2025---Global-Market-Trends-Regulation-Forecast-2024-2033---ResearchAndMarkets.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
4. Yahoo Finance. Online Poker Global Strategic Business Report 2025–2030.[Yahoo Финансы](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/online-poker-global-strategic-business-095300195.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
5. Industry reviews on A/B testing and performance marketing

<p><em>By Kostiantyn Shurupov, an expert in digital marketing and affiliate business development</em></p>
<h3 id="abstract"><strong>Abstract</strong></h3>
<p>In many companies, affiliate marketing is still perceived as a set of “hacks” and one-off deals with partners. As a result, decisions are made based on feelings rather than data, and the program either does not scale or turns into a source of uncontrolled expenses. Meanwhile, in highly competitive and regulated niches, it is precisely the affiliate channel that can become the main source of predictable growth — provided that it is built as a system: with clear metrics, transparent analytics, and constant experiments.</p>
<p>The article examines how to transform affiliate marketing from a “black box” into a controllable growth mechanism. It covers basic metrics (EPC, CR, LTV, payback), principles of funnel construction, approaches to A/B testing of landings and creatives, as well as practices for working with partners as a distributed experimental laboratory. Current data on the affiliate marketing market and the online gaming industry are provided, illustrating the scale and potential of this channel.</p>
<p><strong>Keywords:</strong> data; affiliate marketing; experiment; A/B testing; analytics; funnel; online gaming; poker; EPC; LTV</p>
<h3 id="introduction"><strong>Introduction</strong></h3>
<p>The global affiliate marketing market is growing, amounting to tens of billions of dollars and providing a significant share of online sales. In parallel, the online gaming and poker markets are developing, where competition for the user is especially intense, and regulatory restrictions require careful work with communication and data.</p>
<p>In such an environment, affiliate marketing works only in one format — as a system. Its core is data: without transparent analytics, a correct attribution window, and an understanding of user economics, any program turns into an argument about whether the partner is doing a good job or not.</p>
<p><img src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*WTHMkA8VeBsfm6M8IOkDpA.png" alt=""></p>
<h3 id="1-metrics-without-which-the-system-does-not-work"><strong>1. Metrics Without Which the System Does Not Work</strong>

</h3>
<p>The basic set of metrics for the affiliate channel is fairly compact:</p>
<p><strong>CR (Conversion Rate)</strong> — conversion from clicks into the target action (registration, deposit, subscription).</p>
<p><strong>EPC (Earnings Per Click)</strong> — earnings per click for the partner, the key indicator of an offer’s attractiveness.</p>
<p><strong>ARPU / ARPPU</strong> — average revenue per user / per paying user.</p>
<p><strong>LTV</strong> — total revenue from a user over their lifetime.</p>
<p><strong>Payback Period</strong> — the payback time of marketing investments.</p>
<p>These metrics make it possible to link two worlds — the business and the partners: the partner sees EPC and conversion, the business sees CAC and payback. If the data is transparent, a space for constructive dialogue emerges: you can discuss landing page tests, offer changes, traffic segmentation.</p>
<h3 id="2-the-funnel-as-an-object-of-analysis-not-a-blackbox">2. <strong>The Funnel as an Object of Analysis, Not a “Black Box”</strong></h3>
<p>A typical mistake is to look only at the top of the funnel (clicks and registrations) and the final result (deposits, payments), while ignoring what happens between them. In practice when working with the affiliate channel in highly competitive niches, two layers of analysis are especially important.</p>
<h3 id="21-micro-conversions">2.1. Micro-conversions</h3>
<p>The funnel is broken down into micro-steps:</p>
<ul>
<li>landing page view;</li>
<li>click on the CTA;</li>
<li>start of registration;</li>
<li>completion of registration;</li>
<li>first entry into the product;</li>
<li>first target action (deposit, subscription, purchase);</li>
<li>repeated target action.</li>
</ul>
<p>Each step is measured by partner, geo, and traffic sources. This makes it possible, for example, to see that some partners bring an audience that clicks well but “drops off” at registration, or vice versa — rarely reaches the landing page but converts well afterwards.</p>
<h3 id="22-separating-product-and-marketing-problems">2.2. Separating Product and Marketing Problems</h3>
<p>If conversion drops at the registration step, the probability of a product problem is high: a complicated form, bugs, lack of localization.
If users register but do not reach the first payment — the question is about onboarding and the value proposition.</p>
<p>Such separation makes the conversation with a partner constructive: instead of the abstract “traffic is weak,” specific hypotheses and experiments are discussed.</p>
<h3 id="3-experiments-how-to-test-offers-landings-and-creatives">3. <strong>Experiments: How to Test Offers, Landings, and Creatives</strong></h3>
<p>The affiliate channel offers a unique opportunity to run distributed experiments: dozens of partners simultaneously test different combinations of “source — creative — landing — offer.”</p>
<p>Key principles:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Limited number of variables.</strong> Only one element changes in each experiment: the landing headline, the wording of the offer, or the visual.</li>
<li><strong>Sufficient volume.</strong> The experiment continues until a statistically significant number of clicks and conversions is reached, not until the first “nice-looking” result.</li>
<li><strong>Unified attribution windows.</strong> The same conversion crediting rules apply for all partners; otherwise comparing results becomes meaningless.</li>
</ul>
<p>On the X-axis are the landing variants, on the Y-axis — the conversion from click to registration. This visualization makes it easy to communicate to product and partners which hypothesis “won” and which elements should be scaled.</p>
<h3 id="4-online-games-and-poker-the-affiliate-channel-as-a-growth-laboratory">4. Online Games and Poker: The Affiliate Channel as a Growth Laboratory</h3>
<p>Online games and poker are examples of categories where affiliate marketing is especially important. The global online gambling market is valued at tens of billions of dollars, with steady growth expected through the end of the decade.</p>
<p>The online poker market is also growing: the global volume, estimated at several billion dollars in 2024, is projected to double by 2030.</p>
<p>From the standpoint of data and experiments, such markets are convenient: user LTV is high, there are many events inside the product, and user behavior lends itself well to quantitative analysis. This makes it possible to:</p>
<ul>
<li>build segmented partner reward models (different rates for different player cohorts);</li>
<li>test changes in product economics (rake, bonuses, missions) on limited volumes of affiliate traffic;</li>
<li>quickly see the effect of changes in the funnel and communication.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h3>
<p>Affiliate marketing ceases to be a collection of disparate deals and becomes an engineered growth system where decisions are made based on data. Clearly defined metrics, a detailed funnel, continuous experiments with creatives and offers, as well as working with partners as full participants in the product process, make it possible to achieve predictable results even in complex and regulated niches.</p>
<p>In an environment where traffic costs are rising and regulators are tightening requirements, exactly this approach — systematic, data-driven — gives a business the chance to scale the affiliate channel without losing manageability and profitability.</p>
<ol>
<li>Ahrefs / Authority Hacker. Affiliate Marketing Statistics 2024.<a href="https://ahrefs.com/blog/affiliate-marketing-statistics/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">Ahrefs</a></li>
<li>Wix. Affiliate marketing statistics and facts for 2025.<a href="https://www.wix.com/blog/affiliate-marketing-statistics?utm_source=chatgpt.com">wix.com</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ResearchAndMarkets.com">ResearchAndMarkets.com</a>. Online Gambling Industry Report 2025.<a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250924101188/en/Online-Gambling-Industry-Report-2025---Global-Market-Trends-Regulation-Forecast-2024-2033---ResearchAndMarkets.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com">Business Wire</a></li>
<li>Yahoo Finance. Online Poker Global Strategic Business Report 2025–2030.<a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/online-poker-global-strategic-business-095300195.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com">Yahoo Финансы</a></li>
<li>Industry reviews on A/B testing and performance marketing</li>
</ol>

How Data and Experiments Turn Affiliate Marketing into a Controllable Growth System

#### Implementation Plan:

* Use AWS Systems Manager to take action on AWS resources, EC2 instances in this case.
* Create maintenance windows to schedule and automate the start and stop of EC2 instances. This will automatically perform tasks in a defined time window.
* Register the EC2 instance(s) as targets. The schedule/window applies to these targets.
* Registering tasks, these tasks will be performed on the targets.
* IAM role which SSM assumes and is allowed to make changes to the EC2 instances.

#### IAM role:

* Trust relationship

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*Xc6mftzJBIUEeEmRFyKD3g.png)

* Permissions
  \- Use built-in permissions policy [AmazonSSMAutomationRole](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/aws-managed-policy/latest/reference/AmazonSSMAutomationRole.html):

```
{    "Version": "2012-10-17",    "Statement": [        {            "Effect": "Allow",            "Action": [                "lambda:InvokeFunction"            ],            "Resource": [                "arn:aws:lambda:*:*:function:Automation*"            ]        },        {            "Effect": "Allow",            "Action": [                "ec2:CreateImage",                "ec2:CopyImage",                "ec2:DeregisterImage",                "ec2:DescribeImages",                "ec2:DeleteSnapshot",                "ec2:StartInstances",  --> Ec2 start instance allow action                "ec2:RunInstances",                "ec2:StopInstances",   --> Ec2 stop instance allow action                "ec2:TerminateInstances",                "ec2:DescribeInstanceStatus",                "ec2:CreateTags",                "ec2:DeleteTags",                "ec2:DescribeTags",                "cloudformation:CreateStack",                "cloudformation:DescribeStackEvents",                "cloudformation:DescribeStacks",                "cloudformation:UpdateStack",                "cloudformation:DeleteStack"            ],            "Resource": [                "*"            ]        },        {            "Effect": "Allow",            "Action": [                "ssm:*"            ],            "Resource": [                "*"            ]        },        {            "Effect": "Allow",            "Action": [                "sns:Publish"            ],            "Resource": [                "arn:aws:sns:*:*:Automation*"            ]        }    ]}
```

#### Systems Manager Maintenance Windows

* I used Maintenance Windows sub-feature of Change Management under Systems Manager to start and stop the EC2 instances.
* **Schedule:**

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*beFnpWIfS8MRcO0vTBrCBw.png)

* **Targets:**
  \- Here we have a few options. I chose to select instance manually since I only had once instance to work with. It auto populates all the running instances.

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*-0brAU_HfVSKS9osWGtcYw.png)

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*fKMOoYJZmSnA9gRe3CTWaQ.png)

\- A **resource group** can also be selected in case resources are grouped together based on a criteria.
 - The selection criteria in these set of screenshots are:
**Resource Types → AWS::EC2::Instance**
**Tags → Key:env , value:dev**

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*UxaehQBtSWXYj2hcta6aBQ.png)

The resources fulfilling the criteria can then be selected after selecting the Preview group resources option:

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*LFT6jUJ5YIHCLA3uNelRKg.png)

#### Tasks:

* Navigate to tasks:

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*H5b2eeHorQnagHqPMyA5XQ.png)

* Select the Automation Document:
  \- I selected EC2 Start Instance document

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*XunRjyIL1gO9_u_ldxifhg.png)

-Since our target type is `INSTANCE`, `{{RESOURCE_ID}}` parameter yields the instance ID only. When the maintenance window task runs, it passes the correct values instead of the pseudo parameter placeholders. More information [here](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/systems-manager/latest/userguide/maintenance-window-tasks-pseudo-parameters.html#pseudo-parameters).

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*BHnSnjGlkEvSZF6eDatoww.png)

#### Additional Pointers:

* Execution history of tasks can be checked under the history tab:

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*t1gtfUqZsVwKf9HSiPP_Lg.png)

* If for some reason, the schedule needs to be changed, click on edit in the window description tab:

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*Ox0phC8yrHnr_oaQJcYSQg.png)

The current schedule is set to run everyday at 9:15 AM :

**cron(0 15 9 ? \* \* \*)**

This can be changed, for example, to run at 11:30 PM everyday:

**cron(0 30 23 ? \* \* \*)**

#### Testing:

* Stop Instance maintenance window:
  \- At a set schedule, the task execution starts and the instance stops as shown in the screenshots below:

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*h066wHZznkk0_1N-dBj-6A.png)

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*1v_lytqYAVuPFOyqzKjozg.png)

* Start Instance maintenance window:
  \- At a set schedule, the task execution starts and the instance goes into a running state again as shown in the screenshots below:

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*NpkspcCPwP4N35K4Ki5C8g.png)

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*TdlZH7AYg1vDqHWtLoBNag.png)

#### For further reading:

* I will implement this feature in my upcoming blog [here](https://medium.com/p/e58612d35f83/edit).
* I will also be making sure that:
  \- Docker service on the instance keeps running after the instance is stopped and started following the schedule.
  \- Docker container keeps running and serving the web application as usual even after the instance is re-started.

Thanks for reading!

<h4 id="implementation-plan">Implementation Plan:</h4>
<ul>
<li>Use AWS Systems Manager to take action on AWS resources, EC2 instances in this case.</li>
<li>Create maintenance windows to schedule and automate the start and stop of EC2 instances. This will automatically perform tasks in a defined time window.</li>
<li>Register the EC2 instance(s) as targets. The schedule/window applies to these targets.</li>
<li>Registering tasks, these tasks will be performed on the targets.</li>
<li>IAM role which SSM assumes and is allowed to make changes to the EC2 instances.</li>
</ul>
<h4 id="iam-role">IAM role:</h4>
<ul>
<li>Trust relationship</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*Xc6mftzJBIUEeEmRFyKD3g.png" alt=""></p>
<ul>
<li>Permissions
- Use built-in permissions policy <a href="https://docs.aws.amazon.com/aws-managed-policy/latest/reference/AmazonSSMAutomationRole.html">AmazonSSMAutomationRole</a>:</li>
</ul>
<pre><code class="code-highlight"><span class="code-line line-number" line="1">{    "Version": "2012-10-17",    "Statement": [        {            "Effect": "Allow",            "Action": [                "lambda:InvokeFunction"            ],            "Resource": [                "arn:aws:lambda:*:*:function:Automation*"            ]        },        {            "Effect": "Allow",            "Action": [                "ec2:CreateImage",                "ec2:CopyImage",                "ec2:DeregisterImage",                "ec2:DescribeImages",                "ec2:DeleteSnapshot",                "ec2:StartInstances",  --> Ec2 start instance allow action                "ec2:RunInstances",                "ec2:StopInstances",   --> Ec2 stop instance allow action                "ec2:TerminateInstances",                "ec2:DescribeInstanceStatus",                "ec2:CreateTags",                "ec2:DeleteTags",                "ec2:DescribeTags",                "cloudformation:CreateStack",                "cloudformation:DescribeStackEvents",                "cloudformation:DescribeStacks",                "cloudformation:UpdateStack",                "cloudformation:DeleteStack"            ],            "Resource": [                "*"            ]        },        {            "Effect": "Allow",            "Action": [                "ssm:*"            ],            "Resource": [                "*"            ]        },        {            "Effect": "Allow",            "Action": [                "sns:Publish"            ],            "Resource": [                "arn:aws:sns:*:*:Automation*"            ]        }    ]}
</span></code></pre>
<h4 id="systems-manager-maintenance-windows">Systems Manager Maintenance Windows</h4>
<ul>
<li>I used Maintenance Windows sub-feature of Change Management under Systems Manager to start and stop the EC2 instances.</li>
<li><strong>Schedule:</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><img src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*beFnpWIfS8MRcO0vTBrCBw.png" alt=""></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Targets:</strong>
- Here we have a few options. I chose to select instance manually since I only had once instance to work with. It auto populates all the running instances.</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*-0brAU_HfVSKS9osWGtcYw.png" alt=""></p>
<p><img src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*fKMOoYJZmSnA9gRe3CTWaQ.png" alt=""></p>
<p>- A <strong>resource group</strong> can also be selected in case resources are grouped together based on a criteria.
 - The selection criteria in these set of screenshots are:
<strong>Resource Types → AWS::EC2::Instance</strong>
<strong>Tags → Key:env , value:dev</strong></p>
<p><img src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*UxaehQBtSWXYj2hcta6aBQ.png" alt=""></p>
<p>The resources fulfilling the criteria can then be selected after selecting the Preview group resources option:</p>
<p><img src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*LFT6jUJ5YIHCLA3uNelRKg.png" alt=""></p>
<h4 id="tasks">Tasks:</h4>
<ul>
<li>Navigate to tasks:</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*H5b2eeHorQnagHqPMyA5XQ.png" alt=""></p>
<ul>
<li>Select the Automation Document:
- I selected EC2 Start Instance document</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*XunRjyIL1gO9_u_ldxifhg.png" alt=""></p>
<p>-Since our target type is <code>INSTANCE</code>, <code>{{RESOURCE_ID}}</code> parameter yields the instance ID only. When the maintenance window task runs, it passes the correct values instead of the pseudo parameter placeholders. More information <a href="https://docs.aws.amazon.com/systems-manager/latest/userguide/maintenance-window-tasks-pseudo-parameters.html#pseudo-parameters">here</a>.</p>
<p><img src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*BHnSnjGlkEvSZF6eDatoww.png" alt=""></p>
<h4 id="additional-pointers">Additional Pointers:</h4>
<ul>
<li>Execution history of tasks can be checked under the history tab:</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*t1gtfUqZsVwKf9HSiPP_Lg.png" alt=""></p>
<ul>
<li>If for some reason, the schedule needs to be changed, click on edit in the window description tab:</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*Ox0phC8yrHnr_oaQJcYSQg.png" alt=""></p>
<p>The current schedule is set to run everyday at 9:15 AM :</p>
<p><strong>cron(0 15 9 ? * * *)</strong></p>
<p>This can be changed, for example, to run at 11:30 PM everyday:</p>
<p><strong>cron(0 30 23 ? * * *)</strong></p>
<h4 id="testing">Testing:</h4>
<ul>
<li>Stop Instance maintenance window:
- At a set schedule, the task execution starts and the instance stops as shown in the screenshots below:</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*h066wHZznkk0_1N-dBj-6A.png" alt=""></p>
<p><img src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*1v_lytqYAVuPFOyqzKjozg.png" alt=""></p>
<ul>
<li>Start Instance maintenance window:
- At a set schedule, the task execution starts and the instance goes into a running state again as shown in the screenshots below:</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*NpkspcCPwP4N35K4Ki5C8g.png" alt=""></p>
<p><img src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*TdlZH7AYg1vDqHWtLoBNag.png" alt=""></p>
<h4 id="for-furtherreading">For further reading:</h4>
<ul>
<li>I will implement this feature in my upcoming blog <a href="https://medium.com/p/e58612d35f83/edit">here</a>.</li>
<li>I will also be making sure that:
- Docker service on the instance keeps running after the instance is stopped and started following the schedule.
- Docker container keeps running and serving the web application as usual even after the instance is re-started.</li>
</ul>
<p>Thanks for reading!</p>

Automating the Start and Stop state of EC2 instance

Building a SaaS MVP with Python in Under a Year

The Solo AI Founder

### **Introduction**

Prompt engineering — the craft of designing inputs for AI language models — has a huge impact on the quality and consistency of the model’s output. Traditionally, prompts are written in plain natural language. However, a new approach called **JSON prompting** has been gaining traction among developers and AI enthusiasts . Instead of writing a request as free-form text, the idea is to structure the prompt as a JSON object with explicit fields. Proponents claim this technique yields more precise and reliable responses, especially for technical or structured tasks, while skeptics caution that it’s not a magic bullet for every situation . In this article, we’ll explore what regular (plain text) prompts are versus JSON-formatted prompts, how they differ, and how to use JSON prompts effectively — complete with examples, benefits, and limitations.

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*XeZgEVWWtBmAIXJZg8VmAQ.jpeg)

Photo by [Ferenc Almasi](https://unsplash.com/@flowforfrank?utm_content=creditCopyText\&utm_medium=referral\&utm_source=unsplash) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/black-and-yellow-printed-paper-HfFoo4d061A?utm_content=creditCopyText\&utm_medium=referral\&utm_source=unsplash)

***

### What is a Regular Prompt?

A **regular prompt** (or plain-text prompt) is simply a query or instruction given to an AI model in natural language. For example, a user might ask: *“Summarize the customer feedback about shipping delays.”* This kind of prompt relies on the model’s ability to interpret human language and figure out the task from context. Regular prompts are easy for humans to write, but they can sometimes be *ambiguous or inconsistent*. The model might misunderstand the request or produce outputs in an unpredictable format if the prompt isn’t specific enough. In other words, traditional prompting often feels like conversing with a “brilliant but inconsistent colleague” — you may get insightful answers, but their format and focus can vary . Developers using plain prompts sometimes struggle when they need the AI’s output to be strictly structured or directly parsed by software, since natural language responses can be verbose or inconsistent.

### What is a JSON Prompt?

A **JSON prompt** is a prompt written as a JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) object, using keys and values to explicitly define the request. Instead of a free-form sentence, you “fill out” a structured template — much like entering parameters into a form . In a JSON prompt, each aspect of the task is a field. For instance, the same request above in JSON format could look like:

```
{  "task": "summarize",  "topic": "customer feedback",  "focus": "shipping delays"}
```

This format is **machine-readable and unambiguous**. Each key tells the model what kind of information or constraint you’re providing — e.g. “task” specifies the action, “topic” provides the subject matter, and “focus” might narrow down the aspect to emphasize . The model still ultimately sees a textual input (the JSON is text), but because the input is highly structured, the model can recognize the pattern and intent more easily. As one source puts it, *“Not English. Not vibes. Just clear instructions.”* — JSON prompts remove the guesswork by providing a rigid template of the user’s intent.

### Example: Plain vs. JSON Prompt

To make the difference concrete, consider a simple task. A regular prompt might say:

*“Can you write a tweet about dopamine detox?”*

In contrast, a JSON-formatted prompt for the same request could be:

```
{  "task": "write a tweet",  "topic": "dopamine detox",  "style": "viral",  "length": "under 280 characters"}
```

In the plain prompt, the model has to parse the sentence and may or may not infer the desired style or length. In the JSON prompt, we explicitly specified the style (“viral” tone) and length constraint. The JSON version is **clear, modular, and explicitly structured**, leaving less room for interpretation . You can already see how the JSON prompt acts like a mini-specification: the model is being instructed exactly what to do (write a tweet) and under what conditions (on the topic of dopamine detox, in a viral style, within 280 characters).

***

### Why Use JSON Prompts? (Benefits)

Using JSON to structure a prompt offers several **advantages** for certain applications:

* **Clarity and Reduced Ambiguity:** JSON prompts significantly reduce ambiguity in instructions. By breaking down the request into discrete fields, you eliminate the vagueness that natural language can have . The model doesn’t have to “guess” your intent or the format of the answer — you’re telling it exactly what you want in a structured way. This often leads to more *precise and on-point outputs*.
* **Consistency and Format Compliance:** When you need the AI’s output in a specific format or to include certain elements, JSON prompting helps enforce that. The structured input serves like a *contract* for the output structure . In fact, many have reported that responses become far more consistent with the desired format. One informal report noted that using JSON formatting made the responses **80–90% more accurate and format-compliant** (e.g. following instructions like “give me 5 bullet points” exactly) .
* **Leverages Model Training Biases:** Large language models have been trained on not just natural language, but also on *lots of structured data*: code, JSON, YAML, XML, configuration files, etc. This means they have seen patterns of keys, values, and structured syntax during training . When you present a prompt in JSON, the model likely recognizes it as a familiar pattern (similar to data or code) and treats it as a high-signal input. In other words, *“Models like GPT learn from code, documentation, APIs, and organized data. JSON looks similar to what they were trained with, so they treat it as higher-signal”* . The model doesn’t have to work as hard to parse your intent from a narrative sentence; instead, the structure directly maps to what it should do. This often *reduces the chance of misunderstanding* and can even reduce off-topic or “hallucinated” content, since the model is being funneled into a clear pattern .
* **Easier Post-Processing and Integration:** For developers, having the AI output follow a structure is gold. While the prompt format and output format are not the same thing, they’re related — if you prompt in JSON form, you’re implicitly guiding the model to output information in a structured manner too. Many find that JSON prompts make it easier to parse the results (sometimes you can even instruct the model to answer in JSON). In production systems, this is invaluable: *“JSON prompting ensures that LLMs behave like dependable APIs”* , meaning you can reliably extract fields from the response. This reduces the need for complex string parsing or regex on AI output. In fact, recognizing this trend, AI providers have started offering **native support for structured outputs**.
* **Reusability and Modular Prompt Design:** JSON prompts encourage you to separate *content* from *instructions*. This modular design means you can reuse prompt templates. For example, you might have a generic prompt like *“Write a scientific summary using the provided context”* and then feed different JSON blocks as the context (containing the study details, audience, tone, etc.) . By doing so, you create a flexible “prompting system” where the JSON defines the variables and the actual prompt can remain constant. This is extremely useful in enterprise settings — you can plug in new data (different product info, different user profiles, etc.) into a JSON template without rewriting the entire prompt each time .

***

### How to Write a JSON Prompt

Using JSON in a prompt might feel unusual at first, but it essentially involves translating a request into a structured **key-value specification**. Here are some guidelines and best practices for writing effective JSON prompts :

1. **Identify the Key Parameters:** Break down your task into elements like *action, subject, style, format, constraints, etc.* Each of these becomes a key in the JSON. Choose clear, descriptive key names. For example, use “task” for the action you want (e.g., “summarize”, “translate”), “topic” or “input” for the content to act on, “tone” for the style of writing, “length” for any length or format requirements, and so on. If the task involves an output format or specific fields, you can include a key like “output\_format” or even a nested schema. The idea is to **be explicit** about everything. A regular prompt that says *“Write a summary of this article for college students in 100 words”* can be turned into JSON as:

```
{  "task": "summarize article",  "audience": "college students",  "length": "100 words",  "tone": "curious"}
```

2\. **Use Nested Objects for Structure (if needed):** JSON allows hierarchy. If your prompt has subcomponents or if the content can be grouped logically, use nested JSON objects. This can be useful for complex prompts. For example, suppose you want an AI to generate a Twitter thread with a specific structure: a hook, a body, and a call-to-action. You might nest those requirements under a "structure" key, like:

```
{  "task": "write a thread",  "platform": "twitter",  "structure": {    "hook": "strong, short, curiosity-driven",    "body": "3 core insights with examples",    "cta": "ask a question to spark replies"  },  "topic": "founder productivity systems"}
```

This nested JSON clearly organizes the prompt’s requirements . The model can see that under “structure”, it has specific instructions for different parts of the output. Nesting can help when there are categories of instructions or when you want to include example data separately from the main instruction.

3\. **Keep it Valid and Lean:** Make sure your JSON syntax is correct (proper quotes, braces, etc.), because a malformed JSON might confuse the model (and won’t be parseable for you either!). Also, while adding structure, avoid unnecessary complexity. Use only as many fields as needed to convey your requirements. The goal is clarity, so don’t go overboard with deeply nested structures that might overwhelm the model. For instance, five to ten well-chosen fields might describe most tasks. If you have a very complex instruction set, consider whether it can be broken into multiple steps or prompts. **Use comments or descriptions sparingly**, if at all – remember the model sees everything, and extra fluff in the prompt can introduce ambiguity. Stick to the "key": "value" pairs of actual importance.

```
{  "task": "recommend books",  "topic": "thinking clearly",  "audience": "entrepreneurs",  "output_format": "list of 5 with one-sentence summaries"}
```

This structured prompt explicitly asks for a list of 5 book recommendations on the topic of “thinking clearly” for an audience of entrepreneurs, and even specifies that each should have a one-sentence summary . By running both versions (the plain request vs the JSON), users have found that *“the second one is sharper, easier to understand, and more on point.”* The model, when given the JSON, is more likely to output exactly five bullet points, each with a concise description, because the prompt itself laid out that expectation clearly.

**Tip:** You can actually include the input text (if any) within the JSON as well. For instance, if the task is to improve some given writing, you can do: {“task”: “improve writing”, “input”: “\<\<\<text>>>”, “criteria”: “make it concise and clear”}. This way, the model sees both the instruction and the text to act on in one structured blob. Many prompt engineers use delimiters or special markers even within JSON to clearly denote where the content is, but the key idea is to keep everything organized.

***

### Limitations and When Not to Use JSON Prompts

While JSON-style prompting can be powerful, it’s **not a silver bullet** for all situations. There are important caveats and scenarios where a regular prompt may be more appropriate:

* **Creative or Free-Form Tasks:** If you ask the model for highly creative output (a poem, a story, an expressive essay) but wrap the prompt in a rigid JSON, you might stifle the model’s creativity. JSON syntax can put the model into a more literal, code-like frame of mind. In fact, the founder of PromptLayer noted an example: *“Asking for ‘Write a love note and return it in JSON with key note’ produces worse results than simply ‘Write a love note.’”* The model essentially “switched into technical mode” upon seeing the JSON structure, which hurt the creative quality of the output. This phenomenon is sometimes called a **context switching penalty** — the model’s style and thinking shift when you force a different format.
* **Unnecessary Complexity and Token Overhead:** JSON prompts, by nature, include extra characters (braces, quotes, keys) that a plain prompt wouldn’t have. This overhead can be non-trivial. Each character and token in the prompt counts toward the model’s context limit and can slightly increase processing time and cost. An OpenAI researcher pointed out that JSON can introduce a lot of “noise” for the model: *whitespace and punctuation consume tokens, special characters have to be escaped, and the model has to keep track of all those brackets* . In some cases, you might achieve the same clarity by just writing a well-formatted plain prompt or using Markdown lists, without the extra JSON syntax. Indeed, others have found that **Markdown or other lightweight structure often performs just as well or better** for certain tasks, since it’s less verbose and something models handle naturally too . The key is to avoid structuring the prompt in a more complicated way than the task actually requires.
* **Pushing the Model into the Wrong Distribution:** Large language models have different “modes” of behavior. When you wrap everything in JSON, you implicitly signal the model to treat this like data or code. That’s great for getting a structured response, but not great if you want a conversational or narrative style output. Over-structuring can constrain **nuanced reasoning or stylistic richness**. As one analysis put it, forcing JSON output can make the model pattern-match to technical documentation styles rather than natural human communication . So if the goal is a friendly chat or an open-ended brainstorm, a JSON prompt might make the responses too terse or formulaic.
* **Not Always Statistically Better:** While anecdotal reports and some studies praise JSON prompting, it’s not universally superior in all metrics. A research study in 2025 compared JSON prompting with other prompt styles (like YAML and a specialized CSV-based format) across tasks like parsing receipts and medical records. Interestingly, a highly compact **Hybrid CSV/Prefix** format slightly outperformed JSON in accuracy for those tasks (82% vs 74% accuracy on average), and was more efficient in terms of tokens and time . The differences weren’t always statistically significant, but the point is that *JSON wasn’t the absolute winner in every case*.

***

### Conclusion & Summary

Regular prompts and JSON prompts are two different approaches to communicating with AI models, each with its own strengths. A regular prompt is written in natural language — it’s intuitive and flexible, but can be prone to ambiguity. A JSON prompt, on the other hand, turns your request into a structured specification — it’s explicit and precise, helping the AI to understand exactly what you want in a more deterministic way.

The rise of JSON prompting reflects a broader trend: as AI systems are increasingly used in **production and automation**, we require their outputs to be predictable and easy to integrate. JSON prompts bring a taste of **software engineering discipline** to AI querying, making the model’s behavior more like an API that returns structured data . This can dramatically cut down on errors, misinterpretations, and the time spent cleaning up AI output. In technical workflows (for instance, multi-step data processing or feeding AI outputs into databases), this reliability often “beats brilliance” — a slightly less eloquent but structured answer is usually more useful than a creative ramble that a program can’t parse .

However, JSON prompting is not about magically improving the model’s intelligence or creativity — it’s about improving **communication and consistency**. Critics rightly point out that it doesn’t make the core model *better*; it just makes the instructions clearer, which in turn can make results more consistently aligned with what you asked for . The real power comes when you as a developer or researcher harness the technique appropriately: know when to use it and when not to. As with any tool in AI, experimentation is key. Try formatting some of your prompts as JSON and compare the outputs to plain prompts. As one guide suggested, build small evaluations to see if JSON prompts help or hurt for your particular use case . Over time, you’ll develop an intuition for which parts of a task benefit from structure and which thrive with a bit of freedom.

In closing, JSON prompting is an exciting development in prompt engineering that bridges the gap between natural language flexibility and structured data precision. It offers a way to speak to AI models in a language they can follow with little ambiguity. Use it to **command** the AI when you need strict adherence and repeatability , but don’t be afraid to stick with regular prompts for those imaginative, open-ended conversations where a little unpredictability can be a good thing. By understanding the difference between regular and JSON prompts and wielding each in the right context, you can get the most out of AI models — whether you’re generating creative content or building robust AI-powered systems.

### A message from our Founder

**Hey,** [**Sunil**](https://linkedin.com/in/sunilsandhu) **here.** I wanted to take a moment to thank you for reading until the end and for being a part of this community.

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Stop Wasting Tokens: JSON Prompts That 10× Your LLM Accuracy

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How do algorithms such as Provably Fair work?

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Why Video Editing Software Matters for Brand Visibility

Top 5 Lightweight Swiper Alternatives Every React Dev Should Know in 2025

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Automating the Start and Stop state of EC2 instance

The Solo AI Founder

Stop Wasting Tokens: JSON Prompts That 10× Your LLM Accuracy