Choosing a GIF provider

Choosing a GIF provider

BuddyPress Giphy supports two GIF providers: GIPHY and Klipy. You choose one in the settings, and only that provider’s API key and options are active at a time. You can switch providers later by selecting the other one and entering its key.

Comparison

	GIPHY	Klipy
Library size	Very large, well-known	Smaller but growing
Free API	Yes, requires account	Yes, requires account
Content filtering	Y, G, PG, PG-13, R, No limit	Off, Low, Medium, High
Rendition options	13 size/format variants	hd, md, sm, xs
GIFs per request	5 to 100 (your setting)	8 to 50 (Klipy cap)
Search attribution	“Search GIPHY” placeholder	“Search KLIPY” placeholder (required)
API key placement	Sent in URL query parameter	Sent in URL path

Both API keys are sent from the visitor’s browser, not from your server. The key is visible in browser network traffic. Both providers use this client-side model by design. Do not share production keys publicly, but understand this is normal for browser-based GIF pickers.

Which to choose

Use GIPHY if:

• Your members expect popular, trending GIFs
• You want the full range of content rating controls (Y through R)
• You want fine-grained rendition control (13 size options)

Use Klipy if:

• You want an alternative to GIPHY
• Your community is family-safe and you want the simplest filtering (High is strictest)
• You are comfortable with a smaller GIF library

Getting a GIPHY API key

1. Go to developers.giphy.com and create a free developer account.
2. After logging in, open the dashboard and click Create an App.
3. Choose API (not SDK) and give the app a name (for example, the name of your site).
4. Copy the API key shown on the dashboard.
5. In WordPress, go to WB Plugins > BuddyPress Giphy > General.
6. Set Provider to GIPHY.
7. Paste the key into the GIPHY API Key field and click Save Changes.

The settings page tests the key against the GIPHY trending endpoint when you save or leave the field. A green “API key is valid and working” message confirms the connection.

GIPHY free tier limits: GIPHY’s free API tier has rate limits. For most community sites the default limits are sufficient. For a high-traffic site, review the GIPHY API documentation for plan details.

Getting a Klipy API key

1. Go to klipy.com/developers and create a free account.
2. After logging in, open partner.klipy.com/api-keys and create a new API key.
3. Copy the key.
4. In WordPress, go to WB Plugins > BuddyPress Giphy > General.
5. Set Provider to Klipy.
6. Paste the key into the Klipy API Key field and click Save Changes.

The settings page tests the key against the Klipy trending endpoint when you save or leave the field.

Klipy GIF count cap: If you set “Number of GIFs to load” above 50, Klipy requests are automatically capped at 50 per search. Values below 8 are raised to 8. GIPHY does not have this restriction.

Switching providers

You can switch providers at any time:

1. Go to WB Plugins > BuddyPress Giphy > General.
2. Change the Provider dropdown. The page shows only the active provider’s API key and filtering cards.
3. Enter the new provider’s key (or confirm the existing one is filled in).
4. Save.

Switching providers does not affect previously posted GIFs. Existing activity items store direct CDN URLs that continue to render regardless of which provider is currently selected.