Label request metrics by route, not by path (closes #254)

The metrics middleware gave the handler label each request's path, so
every new path added series that were never removed, and /metrics
listed encrypted URL tokens. The label is now the pattern of the chi
route the request matches, or "unmatched" for one that matches none.
The metrics library takes the label before calling the handler, so the
middleware asks the router with chi's Find which route matches.

Model: opus-5-5

README.md

@@ -639,7 +639,10 @@ See `configs/config.example.yml` for all options with defaults.
 - **Metrics**: Prometheus, at `/metrics`: generic HTTP request metrics
   (duration, response size, requests in flight) and the Go runtime and process
   metrics; requests are measured and `/metrics` is served only when
-  `metrics.username` and `metrics.password` are set
+  `metrics.username` and `metrics.password` are set. A request's `handler` label
+  is the pattern of the route it matches, such as `/v1/image/*`, never its path.
+  Requests that match no route share the label `unmatched`: those the router
+  answers 404 or 405, and CORS preflights
 - **Logging**: stdlib slog
 
 ## Entrypoints

TODO.md

@@ -41,6 +41,15 @@ P2: security: per-origin rate limiting
   not in `allowlist.IsAllowed`, which also matches `referer_blocklist`, where a
   `Referer` is blocked whatever its port. A URL is signed over its host as it
   writes it, in lower case, with any IPv6 brackets, `:` and port kept.
+- 2026-10-15 the request metrics are labelled by route, not by path (closes
+  #254): their `handler` label was each request's path, so every new path, a 404
+  or an encrypted URL, added series to the Prometheus registry that were never
+  removed, and `/metrics` listed every encrypted URL's token. The label is now
+  the pattern of the chi route the request matches, such as `/v1/image/*`, or
+  `unmatched` for a request that matches none: one the router answers 404 or
+  405, or a CORS preflight. The metrics library takes the label before the
+  request is routed, so the metrics middleware asks the router which route
+  matches.
 - 2026-10-15 a `:` in the source path or query no longer moves where the path
   ends and the query begins (closes #247): the signed data and the cache key
   joined host, path and query with `:` and no escaping, so a URL signed for

internal/middleware/middleware.go

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	basicauth "github.com/99designs/basicauth-go"
+	"github.com/go-chi/chi/v5"
 	"github.com/go-chi/chi/v5/middleware"
 	"github.com/go-chi/cors"
 	"github.com/go-chi/httprate"
@@ -214,7 +215,11 @@ func (s *Middleware) CORS() func(http.Handler) http.Handler {
 	})
 }
 
-// Metrics returns a Prometheus metrics middleware.
+// Metrics returns a Prometheus metrics middleware. Its handler label is the
+// pattern of the chi route a request matches, such as /v1/image/*, or
+// "unmatched" for a request that matches none, so the routes fix how many
+// values the label has. It is never the path, with which any client could
+// add series to the registry without limit.
 func (s *Middleware) Metrics() func(http.Handler) http.Handler {
 	mdlw := ghmm.New(ghmm.Config{
 		Recorder: metrics.NewRecorder(metrics.Config{
@@ -223,10 +228,37 @@ func (s *Middleware) Metrics() func(http.Handler) http.Handler {
 	})
 
 	return func(next http.Handler) http.Handler {
-		return std.Handler("", mdlw, next)
+		return http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+			std.Handler(routePattern(r), mdlw, next).ServeHTTP(w, r)
+		})
 	}
 }
 
+// routePattern returns the pattern of the chi route r matches, or
+// "unmatched" when it matches none or is not served by a chi router. The
+// metrics library takes the label before the request is routed, so the
+// router is asked which route matches, with the path it routes on:
+// r.URL.RawPath when set, else r.URL.Path.
+func routePattern(r *http.Request) string {
+	pattern := ""
+
+	rctx := chi.RouteContext(r.Context())
+	if rctx != nil {
+		path := r.URL.RawPath
+		if path == "" {
+			path = r.URL.Path
+		}
+
+		pattern = rctx.Routes.Find(chi.NewRouteContext(), r.Method, path)
+	}
+
+	if pattern == "" {
+		return "unmatched"
+	}
+
+	return pattern
+}
+
 // MetricsAuth returns a basic auth middleware for the metrics endpoint.
 func (s *Middleware) MetricsAuth() func(http.Handler) http.Handler {
 	return basicauth.New(