home-assistant.io/source/_integrations/image.mqtt.markdown

---
title: "MQTT Image"
description: "Instructions on how to use an MQTT image message as an Image within Home Assistant."
ha_category:
  - Image
ha_release: 2023.7
ha_iot_class: Configurable
ha_domain: mqtt
---

The `mqtt` image platform allows you to integrate the content of an image file sent through MQTT into Home Assistant as an image.
The `image` platform is a simplified version of the `camera` platform that only accepts images.
Every time a message under the `image_topic` in the configuration is received, the image displayed in Home Assistant will also be updated. Messages received on `image_topic` should contain the full contents of an image file, for example, a JPEG image, without any additional encoding or metadata.

This can be used with an application or a service capable of sending images through MQTT.

An alternative setup is to use the `url_topic` option to receive an image URL for a new picture to show.

## Configuration

To use an MQTT image entity in your installation, add the following to your {% term "`configuration.yaml`" %} file.
{% include integrations/restart_ha_after_config_inclusion.md %}

```yaml
# Example configuration.yaml entry
mqtt:
  - image:
      url_topic: mynas/status/url
```

Alternatively, a more advanced approach is to set it up via [MQTT discovery](/integrations/mqtt/#mqtt-discovery).

{% configuration %}
availability:
  description: A list of MQTT topics subscribed to receive availability (online/offline) updates. Must not be used together with `availability_topic`.
  required: false
  type: list
  keys:
    payload_available:
      description: The payload that represents the available state.
      required: false
      type: string
      default: online
    payload_not_available:
      description: The payload that represents the unavailable state.
      required: false
      type: string
      default: offline
    topic:
      description: An MQTT topic subscribed to receive availability (online/offline) updates.
      required: true
      type: string
    value_template:
      description: "Defines a [template](/docs/configuration/templating/#using-value-templates-with-mqtt) to extract device's availability from the `topic`. To determine the devices's availability result of this template will be compared to `payload_available` and `payload_not_available`."
      required: false
      type: template
availability_mode:
  description: When `availability` is configured, this controls the conditions needed to set the entity to `available`. Valid entries are `all`, `any`, and `latest`. If set to `all`, `payload_available` must be received on all configured availability topics before the entity is marked as online. If set to `any`, `payload_available` must be received on at least one configured availability topic before the entity is marked as online. If set to `latest`, the last `payload_available` or `payload_not_available` received on any configured availability topic controls the availability.
  required: false
  type: string
  default: latest
availability_template:
  description: "Defines a [template](/docs/configuration/templating/#using-value-templates-with-mqtt) to extract device's availability from the `availability_topic`. To determine the devices's availability result of this template will be compared to `payload_available` and `payload_not_available`."
  required: false
  type: template
availability_topic:
  description: The MQTT topic subscribed to receive availability (online/offline) updates. Must not be used together with `availability`.
  required: false
  type: string
content_type:
  description: The content type of and image data message received on `image_topic`. This option cannot be used with the `url_topic` because the content type is derived when downloading the image.
  required: false
  type: string
  default: image/jpeg
device:
  description: "Information about the device this image is a part of to tie it into the [device registry](https://developers.home-assistant.io/docs/en/device_registry_index.html). Only works through [MQTT discovery](/integrations/mqtt/#mqtt-discovery) and when [`unique_id`](#unique_id) is set. At least one of identifiers or connections must be present to identify the device."
  required: false
  type: map
  keys:
    configuration_url:
      description: 'A link to the webpage that can manage the configuration of this device. Can be either an `http://`, `https://` or an internal `homeassistant://` URL.'
      required: false
      type: string
    connections:
      description: 'A list of connections of the device to the outside world as a list of tuples `[connection_type, connection_identifier]`. For example the MAC address of a network interface: `"connections": [["mac", "02:5b:26:a8:dc:12"]]`.'
      required: false
      type: list
    hw_version:
      description: The hardware version of the device.
      required: false
      type: string
    identifiers:
      description: 'A list of IDs that uniquely identify the device. For example a serial number.'
      required: false
      type: [list, string]
    manufacturer:
      description: The manufacturer of the device.
      required: false
      type: string
    model:
      description: The model of the device.
      required: false
      type: string
    model_id:
      description: The model identifier of the device.
      required: false
      type: string
    name:
      description: The name of the device.
      required: false
      type: string
    serial_number:
      description: "The serial number of the device."
      required: false
      type: string
    suggested_area:
      description: 'Suggest an area if the device isn’t in one yet.'
      required: false
      type: string
    sw_version:
      description: The firmware version of the device.
      required: false
      type: string
    via_device:
      description: 'Identifier of a device that routes messages between this device and Home Assistant. Examples of such devices are hubs, or parent devices of a sub-device. This is used to show device topology in Home Assistant.'
      required: false
      type: string
enabled_by_default:
  description: Flag which defines if the entity should be enabled when first added.
  required: false
  type: boolean
  default: true
encoding:
  description: The encoding of the payloads received. Set to `""` to disable decoding of incoming payload. Use `image_encoding` to enable `Base64` decoding on `image_topic`.
  required: false
  type: string
  default: "utf-8"
entity_category:
  description: The [category](https://developers.home-assistant.io/docs/core/entity#generic-properties) of the entity.
  required: false
  type: string
entity_picture:
  description: "Picture URL for the entity."
  required: false
  type: string
icon:
  description: "[Icon](/docs/configuration/customizing-devices/#icon) for the entity."
  required: false
  type: icon
image_encoding:
  description: The encoding of the image payloads received. Set to `"b64"` to enable base64 decoding of image payload. If not set, the image payload must be raw binary data.
  required: false
  type: string
image_topic:
  description: The MQTT topic to subscribe to receive the image payload of the image to be downloaded. Ensure the `content_type` type option is set to the corresponding content type. This option cannot be used together with the `url_topic` option. But at least one of these option is required.
  required: exclusive
  type: string
json_attributes_template:
  description: Defines a [template](/docs/configuration/templating/#using-value-templates-with-mqtt) to extract the JSON dictionary from messages received on the `json_attributes_topic`.
  required: false
  type: template
json_attributes_topic:
  description: The MQTT topic subscribed to receive a JSON dictionary payload and then set as sensor attributes. Implies `force_update` of the current sensor state when a message is received on this topic.
  required: false
  type: string
name:
  description: The name of the image. Can be set to `null` if only the device name is relevant.
  required: false
  type: string
object_id:
  description: Used `object_id` instead of `name` for automatic generation of `entity_id`. This only works when the entity is added for the first time. When set, this overrides a user-customized Entity ID in case the entity was deleted and added again.
  required: false
  type: string
unique_id:
  description: An ID that uniquely identifies this image. If two images have the same unique ID Home Assistant will raise an exception. Required when used with device-based discovery.
  required: false
  type: string
url_template:
  description: Defines a [template](/docs/configuration/templating/#using-value-templates-with-mqtt) to extract the image URL from a message received at `url_topic`.
  required: false
  type: template
url_topic:
  description: The MQTT topic to subscribe to receive an image URL. A `url_template` option can extract the URL from the message. The `content_type` will be derived from the image when downloaded. This option cannot be used together with the `image_topic` option, but at least one of these options is required.
  required: exclusive
  type: string
{% endconfiguration %}

### Example receiving images from a URL

Add the configuration below to your {% term "`configuration.yaml`" %}.

To test it publish an image URL to the topic from the console:

```shell
mosquitto_pub -h <mqtt_broker> -t mynas/status/url -m "https://design.home-assistant.io/images/logo.png"
```

{% raw %}

```yaml
# Example configuration.yaml entry
mqtt:
  - image:
      url_topic: mynas/status/url
```

{% endraw %}

### Example receiving images from a file

Add the configuration below to your {% term "`configuration.yaml`" %}.

To test it, publish an image URL to the topic from the console:

```shell
mosquitto_pub -h <mqtt_broker> -t mynas/status/file -f <logo.png>
```

{% raw %}

```yaml
# Example configuration.yaml entry
mqtt:
  - image:
      image_topic: mynas/status/file
      content_type: image/png
```

{% endraw %}