JavaScript solution for transferring images from Airtable to WordPress media library via APIs

Other Questions Airtable
1

I need help creating a JavaScript script that can automatically move images from my Airtable database to WordPress. The goal is to download pictures from Airtable records and upload them to WordPress media library, then connect these images to the right posts that have empty image fields.

For instance, if I have a user profile for “Sarah Johnson” with an empty photo field, the script should grab her image from Airtable and populate that field in WordPress. I’m pretty new to programming and learning as I go, so any guidance would be awesome.

Here’s what I have so far for connecting to Airtable:

const airTable = new Airtable({ apiKey: 'YOUR_API_KEY' }).base('YOUR_BASE_ID');

const profileTable = airTable('PROFILES');

const fetchAllRecords = async() => {
    const data = await profileTable.select({
        maxRecords: 50,
        view: "Export View"
    }).firstPage();
    console.log(data);
};

fetchAllRecords();

const fetchSingleRecord = async(recordId) => {
    try {
        const singleRecord = await profileTable.find(recordId);
        console.log(singleRecord);
    } catch (error) {
        console.error(error);
    }
};

fetchSingleRecord('rec123456');
2

the file transfer between apis is def the hardest part. you’ll need to grab the image blob from airtable first, then upload it to wordpress’s media endpoint. dont forget to set the right headers for multipart/form-data. both platforms have rate limits, but airtable’s especially strict - add delays between calls or you’ll get blocked.

3

Did something similar last year and hit a few roadblocks you should know about. First, WordPress REST API auth - skip basic auth and use application passwords instead. Way more secure. The real pain is pulling images from Airtable attachment fields and pushing them to WordPress media endpoints.

Biggest headache? Large files timing out. Build in solid error handling and retry logic for failed uploads. Also validate image formats first - WordPress is picky about file types.

Don’t match records by name alone. I learned this the hard way when duplicates screwed everything up. Use a unique identifier field instead. And add a field to track processed images so you don’t upload duplicates on repeat runs.

WordPress media API gives you attachment IDs back - you’ll need those for featured images or custom fields.