Reviewed 2026-10-26
A practical starting point for Seedream 5.5
A useful image starts with a clear brief. State the subject, composition, lighting and exact wording; for edits, separate what should change from what should remain. This is an independent Seedream 5.5 workspace. The selected model and live quote identify each submitted task.
ByteDance Seed: model directory · Seedream 5.0 Pro: official introduction · Seedream 5.0 Lite: official introduction · Seedream 4.5: official overview
Choose generation or reference editing
Choose text-to-image for a new composition or reference editing when existing images must guide the result. Confirm which Seedream version your provider exposes, its accepted reference inputs and supported settings. A model-family name alone does not establish a runnable endpoint.
Preserve the actual model identifier in task records. Never substitute a failed task with another model without an explicit selection. Website accounts and direct provider credentials are separate.
Submit from your server
Store provider credentials on your server. Validate prompts, reference ownership, supported settings and account rights before submission. Apply rate limits and a spending ceiling.
The checklist below is deliberately non-executable: obtain the real model ID and request schema from your provider’s current documentation. Never expose a live credential in frontend code, examples or screenshots.
# Seedream integration checklist (not an executable request)
model_id: MODEL_ID_FROM_YOUR_PROVIDER
operation: text-to-image OR reference-edit
prompt: Your complete creative brief
references: Your permitted input image URLs, when required
settings: Only options documented for the selected model
# Keep credentials on your server. Confirm endpoint, availability,
# input limits and the live quote before submitting a billable task.
# Save the task ID and poll its status; do not repeat an ambiguous POST.Treat generation as a queue task
Save the provider request identifier when a submission succeeds. Poll status with a reasonable interval and fetch the result only after completion. A signed webhook can reduce polling, but verify its authenticity before changing task or billing state.
Retry safe status reads after temporary network failures. Do not blindly retry an ambiguous submission: a duplicate can create two billed tasks. Associate the request identifier with your application’s task and credit transaction so support can investigate a problem.
Validate output settings and references
Use only settings supported by the chosen endpoint. Pin the desired output format and aspect ratio instead of forwarding arbitrary browser fields. If you accept image URLs, check their scheme and length, and control which storage locations your application can access.
Store the final image in storage you control when the workflow requires durable access. Return a task status instead of holding an HTTP request open for the entire generation. Test failure, timeout and cancellation paths before opening paid access.
Questions before you start
Can I use a site subscription as a fal key?
No. Direct fal access requires your own provider account and credentials. Site subscriptions and provider billing are separate.
Should the browser call fal with my key?
No. Keep the credential on your server and apply validation and authorization before submission.