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Get a media-library asset by ID

GET
/v1/assets/{asset_id}
const asset = await bird.assets.get("ast_01krdgeqcxet5s7t44vh8rt9mg");
console.log(asset.url);
Response200
{
  "created_at": "2026-05-20T09:14:52Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-05-25T16:42:01Z",
  "id": "ast_01krdgeqcxet5s7t44vh8rt9mg",
  "kind": "image",
  "folder_id": "asf_01krdgeqcxet5s7t44vh8rt9mg"
}

Returns one media-library asset. An asset that has been removed from the library is returned with deleted_at set rather than as a missing resource, because its URL keeps serving and messages already sent still reference it.

Parameters

asset_idstring

ID of the asset.

Response Payload

created_at
string
required
updated_at
string
required
id
string
required
url
string
required

The asset's permanent public URL. Safe to embed or link in sent messages; for a document the usable form is a link.

thumbnail_url
nullable string
required

A small preview of the asset, for rendering a picker or a grid. Intended for your own interfaces rather than for embedding in messages. Null for every kind but image: generating a preview of a video, an audio file, or a document would mean rendering its contents, which the library does not do. Show an icon for the kind instead.

name
string
required

The asset's display name. Defaults to the uploaded file's name.

content_type
string
required

The stored file's media type, determined from its contents.

kind
string
required

The category a media-library asset's type falls into. Use it to group or filter a mixed library.

  • image: covers PNG, JPEG, and GIF.
  • video: covers MP4, WebM, and QuickTime.
  • audio: covers MP3, M4A, Ogg, and WAV.
  • document: covers PDF.

Possible values (may grow over time): image, video, audio, document

size_bytes
integer
required

The stored file's size in bytes. Images are re-encoded on upload, so for those this can differ from the size of the file you sent. Every other kind is stored byte-for-byte.

width
nullable integer
required

The stored image's width in pixels. Null for every kind but image.

height
nullable integer
required

The stored image's height in pixels. Null for every kind but image.

alt_text
nullable string
required

Default alternative text describing the asset, carried along whenever it is placed. Most mail clients block images by default, so for an image this is often the only thing a recipient reads.

folder_id
nullable string
required

The folder the asset is filed in, or null when it sits at the top level of the library. Filing an asset never changes its URL.

deleted_at
nullable string
required

When the asset was removed from the library, or null if it is still listed. A removed asset keeps serving at its original URL.

Related resources

Continue with the documentation, guides and examples for this topic.

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