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Post Creation with Externals in BlueSky Social Network using BlueSky PHP SDK

· 3 min read
Eldar Shahmaliyev
Eldar Shahmaliyev
Maintainer of BlueSky SDK

Want to create engaging and interactive posts on the Bluesky network? With the BlueSky PHP SDK, it’s effortless. By adding external content (externals) and images, you can enrich your posts and make them more captivating.

In this post, you'll learn how to authenticate with the SDK and embed external links, thumbnails, and images into your posts.

Authentication​

The first step to accessing the Bluesky network is authentication. Use the SDK to log in with your username and password:

Authenticate with Your Credentials
<?php

use Atproto\Client;

$client = new Client();
$client->authenticate('handle', 'password'); // Replace with your Bluesky username and password

Once authenticated, you're ready to start creating posts! 🚀

Want to add external links, titles, descriptions, and even thumbnails to your posts? The SDK makes this simple. For instance, if you want to link to your personal blog or website, here's how you can do it:

Uploading a Thumbnail Image​

Upload an image to be used as a thumbnail for the external content:

Post image

<?php

$uploadedBlob = $client->com()->atproto()->repo()->uploadBlob()->forge()
    ->token($client->authenticated()->accessJwt())
    ->blob('path_of_image') // File path of the image to be uploaded
    ->send()
    ->blob();

This uploaded image will serve as the thumbnail for your external content.

Creating the External Content​

Add the URI, title, and description for the link, and use the uploaded image as the thumbnail:

<?php

$external = $client->app()->bsky()->embed()->external()->forge(
    'https://shahmal1yev.dev', // URI
    'Eldar Shahmaliyev\'s blog', // Title
    'A personal blog about cybersecurity and development.' // Description
)->thumb($uploadedBlob); // thumbnail

Creating the Post​

Add the prepared external content to your post and make it ready to share:

<?php

$post = $client->app()->bsky()->feed()->post()->forge()
    ->text('Come to my blog: ')
    ->link('https://shahmal1yev.dev', 'click here and read the posts')
    ->embed($external);

With these steps, you’re all set to add captivating external links to your Bluesky posts.

Adding Images​

Want to include one or multiple images in your posts? The SDK allows you to use the ImageCollection object for this purpose.

Creating an Image Collection​

First, upload the image and add it to an ImageCollection object:

<?php

use Atproto\Lexicons\App\Bsky\Embed\Collections\ImageCollection;
use Atproto\Lexicons\App\Bsky\Embed\Image;

$uploadedBlob = $client->com()->atproto()->repo()->uploadBlob()->forge()
    ->token($client->authenticated()->accessJwt())
    ->blob('path_of_image')
    ->send()
    ->blob();

$images = new ImageCollection([
    new Image(
        $uploadedBlob, // Blob
        'Alt text' // Image description
    )
]);

Adding Images to the Post​

Attach the image collection to your post and get it ready to share:

<?php

$post = $client->app()->bsky()->feed()->post()->forge()
    ->text('Check out my gallery: ')
    ->embed($images);

Sharing the Post​

The final step is to share your post on the Bluesky network. 🎉

<?php

$createRecord = $client->com()->atproto()->repo()->createRecord()->forge()
    ->record($post)
    ->repo($client->authenticated()->did())
    ->collection($post->nsid());

$response = $createRecord->send();

echo $response->uri();

Once the process is complete, your post will be live on the Bluesky network!

Conclusion​

Creating posts with the BlueSky PHP SDK is straightforward and offers a variety of options. Adding external content and enriching posts with images is a great way to capture your audience’s attention.