Choose Your Interface
A decision guide for picking the right VIESUS interface — CLI, PDF Enhancer, Node.js module, C/C++ SDK, or Cloud API.
All VIESUS interfaces wrap the same enhancement engine and produce identical output for the same input and settings. The right choice depends on where your workflow runs, what you're processing, and how much infrastructure you want to manage.
Try on Cloud, run production on-premise. VIESUS Cloud is the fastest way to evaluate enhancement quality. Once you're happy with the results, on-premise is our recommendation for production — it runs locally, which is faster and more cost-efficient at scale. See Cloud vs on-premise below.
Quick decision
Cloud vs on-premise
Every interface produces the same enhancement, so the real decision is where it runs. VIESUS Cloud is the easiest way to try enhancement — no install, no GPU, and a free tier to evaluate. Once you're satisfied with the quality, we recommend running on-premise for production: it runs locally, which is roughly twice as fast and — since you're not paying for hosted infrastructure on every image — steadily cheaper the more you process.
How the costs compare depends on whether you need AI upscaling and at what volume:
VIESUS Cloud
None
~CHF 0.06 (4 credits; CHF 75 = 5,000 credits)
—
On-premise — no AI upscaling
None
—
Immediately
On-premise — GPU upgrade (RTX 4000 Ada)
~CHF 1,500
None
~25,000 images
On-premise — dedicated system (NVIDIA DGX Spark)
~CHF 4,000
None
~70,000 images
Indicative figures, as of 06/2026. Without AI upscaling, on-premise has no per-image cost and needs no special hardware, so it's cheaper than Cloud from the first image. With AI upscaling, past the break-even on-premise keeps getting cheaper while Cloud keeps charging per image — adding a GPU to an existing workstation is the lowest-cost entry; a dedicated system suits higher sustained volume.
Rule of thumb: evaluate on Cloud, run high volume on-premise.
Detailed comparison
VIESUS CLI
Best for: Automated batch processing of image files on Windows or Linux servers.
The viesus command-line tool reads a list of image paths (or individual files), applies enhancement, and writes output to a configurable destination. It is designed to be called from shell scripts, cron jobs, or orchestration tools.
Strengths:
Simple to integrate into any pipeline — no programming required
Scales by running multiple instances in parallel
Works on Windows and Linux (x64, arm64)
Supports Docker
Limitations:
File-based I/O only — images must be written to disk before and after processing
VIESUS PDF Enhancer
Best for: Processing PDFs with embedded images — photobooks, marketing print, catalogs.
The viesusPDF tool opens a PDF, locates embedded images, enhances each one, and writes a new PDF with the improved images. It supports hotfolder monitoring mode (watches a folder for new PDFs) and standalone mode (processes a specific file or folder).
Strengths:
Operates directly on PDFs without pre-extracting images
Hotfolder mode for fully automated print workflows
Generates XML processing reports per PDF
Limitations:
Processes images embedded in PDFs; not suitable for standalone image files
Not available as a Node.js module
VIESUS Node.js Module
Best for: JavaScript-based web servers, REST APIs, SaaS platforms where enhancement happens on upload.
The Node.js module is a native C++ addon that calls the VIESUS library in-process from Node.js. It uses a worker thread pool so enhancement runs off the main event loop without blocking.
Strengths:
In-process — no subprocess overhead
Worker thread pool keeps the event loop unblocked
Scales to multiple CPUs or GPUs by adjusting pool size
Limitations:
Linux only (Ubuntu 22.04+)
Requires CUDA 12.6 driver for GPU features
VIESUS C/C++ SDK
Best for: Existing C or C++ applications that need enhancement as a function call, not an external process.
The SDK exposes a C API via IsEnhance.h. Link against the VIESUS shared library and call enhancement directly from your code. Any language with a C FFI can wrap it.
Strengths:
No subprocess; minimal latency
Access to per-image analysis data (detected faces, scene type, correction strengths)
Any language with C FFI bindings can use it
Limitations:
Requires C/C++ integration effort
Access requires contacting Viesus AG
VIESUS Cloud
Best for: No-infrastructure integrations, testing AI upscaling, or pay-per-image billing.
VIESUS Cloud is a GraphQL API hosted by Viesus AG. Upload an image or PDF, trigger enhancement, and download the result. No library installation, no GUID, no server to manage.
Strengths:
No hardware or software setup
Free tier with 200 credits to evaluate (no credit card required)
AI upscaling without needing a local NVIDIA GPU
Credit-based billing — pay only for what you process
Limitations:
Requires internet access and file upload
Not suitable for air-gapped environments
Processing is subject to API rate limits and server availability
Platform support matrix
CLI
✓
✓
✓
—
PDF Enhancer
✓
✓
✓
—
Node.js Module
—
✓
✓
—
C/C++ SDK
✓
✓
✓
—
Cloud API
✓ (client)
✓ (client)
✓ (client)
✓ (client)
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