To process an individual file, you can choose from several available methods, including a direct POST request, Python code, and JavaScript/TypeScript code. Whether you’re using the Free Unstructured API, the Unstructured Serverless API, the Unstructured API on Azure/AWS, or your local deployment of the Unstructured API, the functionality is the same.

Choose your preferred method:

The API parameters for all these methods are documented on the API parameters page.

Unstructured recommends that you use the Unstructured Ingest CLI or the Unstructured Ingest Python library if any of the following apply to you:

  • You need to work with documents in cloud storage.
  • You want to cache the results of processing multiple files in batches.
  • You want more precise control over document-processing pipeline stages such as partitioning, chunking, filtering, staging, and embedding.

If you’d like to try out the Unstructured API interactively by using the Free Unstructured API to process a single file, you can do so by using the Swagger UI.

  1. Go to the Swagger UI.
  2. For Servers, select https://api.unstructured.io - Hosted API Free.
  3. Click Authorize.
  4. In the Available authorizations dialog box, for Value, enter your Free Unstructured API key. Get a Free Unstructured API key.
  5. Click Authorize.
  6. Click Close.
  7. Expand the POST section.
  8. In the Request body section, next to files, click Choose File.
  9. Browse to and select a file for the Free Unstructured API to process.
  10. Enter any other settings as desired. Learn how.
  11. At the end of the list of settings, click Execute.
  12. See the results in the Responses section below the Execute button.

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