BYOBanana No credits. No subscription. Runs in your browser.

Where your key, prompts, and AI images go

By Rareș T. Gosman · July 17, 2026

BYOBanana is a bring-your-own-key, or BYOK, AI image generator. You use your own Google AI Studio key, and the browser sends generation requests directly to Google's Gemini API.

That removes a BYOBanana account, credit system, and application backend from the request path. It does not make image generation local, offline, or fully private. Google still receives and processes the request.

Facts on this page were last verified on July 16, 2026.

The short answer

BYOBanana data flow

You
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  v
BYOBanana running in your browser
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  |  key + prompt + references + model settings
  v
Google Gemini API
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  |  generated image + response metadata
  v
BYOBanana running in your browser
  |
  v
Browser storage and your downloaded files

There is no BYOBanana application server between the browser and Google. Cloudflare serves the static site files, while the generation request goes from the browser to Google's Generative Language API.

This statement applies to prompts, reference images, generated images, and the API key. Ordinary web hosting may still receive standard page-request information such as an IP address and user agent. BYOBanana has no analytics or error-reporting scripts today. If that ever changes, this page will say so.

What no account means

AI image generator no account can mean two different things:

  1. No account anywhere
  2. No additional account for the generator

BYOBanana offers the second. You do not register with BYOBanana, but you need a Google account and a compatible Google AI Studio API key.

BYOBanana removes another login and subscription, not Google's authentication and billing requirements.

How the Google API key is handled

Validation

When you validate a key, the browser requests Google's model list. The key is sent to Google in the x-goog-api-key request header, not placed in the URL.

Default storage

The key stays in browser memory for the current page session. Reloading or closing the page clears an unremembered key.

Remember on this device

Remember is optional and off by default. If enabled, BYOBanana stores the key as plaintext in localStorage on this browser profile.

Plaintext localStorage is convenient, not a secure secret vault. Any JavaScript that runs on the same origin could potentially read it. Do not remember a key on a shared or untrusted device.

Content Security Policy

BYOBanana uses a Content Security Policy that limits browser fetch connections to the site itself and Google's Generative Language API. This reduces the available exfiltration surface. It is defense in depth, not a guarantee. Compromised same-origin code could still misuse a key or leak it through channels that CSP does not block.

What is stored in the browser

BYOBanana stores session data in IndexedDB so runs can survive a reload and appear in history.

That local data includes:

IndexedDB belongs to the browser profile on that device. Other people using the same unlocked profile may be able to open the site and see its stored history.

Use Clear history when you no longer need the runs. Also clear site data through the browser if the device is shared or being transferred.

What Google processes

Google receives the content required for the API request. Depending on the run, that can include:

Google returns generated content and usage metadata. BYOBanana cannot make that processing local because the selected image model runs on Google's servers.

Does Google use prompts and images to improve its products?

It depends on the Google service tier attached to your key and, in some cases, your region.

Google's terms stated on July 16, 2026:

BYOBanana does not choose your Google tier. Review the current Gemini API terms and zero data retention documentation for your project before uploading sensitive material.

Do not interpret paid as a permanent privacy guarantee. Terms and product behavior can change.

Is BYOBanana a private AI image generator?

Calling it private would promise too much. BYOBanana is a BYOK interface: requests go straight from your browser to Google, with no BYOBanana server in between.

Privacy advantages:

Limits:

Browser-based does not mean local AI. No BYOBanana account does not mean no Google account. BYOK does not mean zero data retention.

API costs and billing

BYOBanana does not sell credits. Google bills supported image generation through the project attached to your key.

BYOBanana estimates the run's cost before generation, based on the chosen model, size, number of recipes, and variants. The estimate can age as Google changes prices.

Check Google's current Gemini API pricing before a large run. Set billing alerts and quota limits in your own Google project.

Key-security guidance

Google advises developers not to hardcode operator-owned API keys in client-side production applications and recommends a backend proxy for those keys.

BYOBanana does not embed a site operator's key at all. You supply your own key and send it from your own browser. That avoids exposing one shared operator key, but it does not remove browser risk.

Practical precautions:

See Google's current API key guidance.

Google eligibility and regional terms

Google's Gemini API terms stated on July 16, 2026 that API users must be at least 18 and that the services are for professional or business purposes. The terms also place paid-service requirements on API clients made available in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Review the current terms for your location and use case. BYOBanana cannot determine eligibility for you.

Before using sensitive material

Ask these questions:

  1. Is my Google project on the intended free or paid tier?
  2. Have I read the current Google data-use terms for that tier and region?
  3. Does the prompt or reference contain personal, confidential, regulated, or client-owned material?
  4. Am I comfortable storing this run in this browser profile?
  5. Is Remember off if the device is shared?
  6. Are quotas and billing alerts configured?

If the answer is uncertain, do not upload the material yet.

Frequently asked questions

Does BYOBanana send my API key to its own server?

No BYOBanana application server or API proxy receives generation requests. The browser sends the key directly to Google's API. The static hosting provider still serves the page and may receive standard web-request information.

Do I need a BYOBanana account?

No. You need a Google account and Google AI Studio key, but there is no separate BYOBanana registration.

Is the key encrypted in browser storage?

No. The key remains in memory by default. If Remember is enabled, it is stored as plaintext in localStorage.

Are my prompts and images stored locally?

BYOBanana stores your prompts and settings, reference images, and generated images in browser IndexedDB. Google also receives the prompt and input content required to perform generation.

Can Google use my content to improve its products?

Google's stated treatment differs between unpaid and paid services. Review the current Gemini API terms for the tier attached to your key. BYOBanana does not control that tier or Google's policies.

Is image generation free?

BYOBanana has no subscription or credit charge. Google's supported image models may require paid API usage. Check the estimate in BYOBanana and Google's current pricing.

Does BYOBanana work offline?

No. The interface runs in the browser, but image generation requires a network request to Google's Gemini API.

Now you know where everything goes

Review the cost estimate and data flow, then decide whether the run fits your project.

Open BYOBanana

Google AI Studio key required. Google API charges apply.