Remove the unused cache lifetime setting (closes #69)

CacheConfig.CacheTTL was set to DefaultCacheTTL (24 hours) and never
read, so cached images never expired. Remove the field, the constant
and the line that set it. Cached source and transformed images stay
until eviction removes them to keep the cache within cache_max_bytes.

A new test caches a source and a transformed image, sets every time
pixa stores for them two days back (database rows, metadata files and
file times), and checks that both are still served from the cache
without a new upstream fetch.

Existing tests lose only the CacheTTL line of their cache config.

Model: opus-5-5

TODO.md

@@ -30,6 +30,11 @@ P2: security: per-origin rate limiting
 
 # Completed Steps
 
+- 2026-10-13 the unused cache lifetime is removed (closes #69):
+  `CacheConfig.CacheTTL`, which pixad set to `DefaultCacheTTL` (24 hours), was
+  never read, so cached images never expired. The field and the constant are
+  removed. Cached source and transformed images stay until eviction removes them
+  to keep the cache within `cache_max_bytes`.
 - 2026-10-13 SVG sources are refused, and `orig` is never saved as JPEG in place
   of the source's own format (closes #68): the upstream fetch no longer accepts
   `image/svg+xml`, which libvips would render. Both image routes answer 415 for

internal/handlers/handlers.go

@@ -106,7 +106,6 @@ func (s *Handlers) WaitForProcessing(ctx context.Context) int {
 func newCacheConfig(cfg *config.Config, log *slog.Logger) imgcache.CacheConfig {
 	return imgcache.CacheConfig{
 		StateDir:           cfg.StateDir,
-		CacheTTL:           imgcache.DefaultCacheTTL,
 		NegativeTTL:        imgcache.DefaultNegativeTTL,
 		MaxBytes:           cfg.CacheMaxBytes,
 		UseDefaultMaxBytes: !cfg.CacheMaxBytesExplicit,

internal/handlers/handlers_internal_test.go

@@ -47,7 +47,6 @@ func setupTestHandler(t *testing.T) *testFixtures {
 
 	cache, err := imgcache.NewCache(db, imgcache.CacheConfig{
 		StateDir:    tmpDir,
-		CacheTTL:    time.Hour,
 		NegativeTTL: 5 * time.Minute,
 	})
 	if err != nil {

internal/handlers/image_cache_control_internal_test.go

@@ -31,7 +31,6 @@ func newSignedHostServer(
 
 	cache, err := imgcache.NewCache(setupTestDB(t), imgcache.CacheConfig{
 		StateDir:    t.TempDir(),
-		CacheTTL:    time.Hour,
 		NegativeTTL: 5 * time.Minute,
 	})
 	if err != nil {

internal/handlers/image_errors_internal_test.go

@@ -29,7 +29,6 @@ func newImageRoute(t *testing.T, fetcher httpfetcher.Fetcher) http.Handler {
 
 	cache, err := imgcache.NewCache(setupTestDB(t), imgcache.CacheConfig{
 		StateDir:    t.TempDir(),
-		CacheTTL:    time.Hour,
 		NegativeTTL: 5 * time.Minute,
 	})
 	if err != nil {

internal/handlers/referer_blocklist_internal_test.go

@@ -49,7 +49,6 @@ func newRefererRoutes(t *testing.T) (http.Handler, *Handlers, *countingFetcher)
 
 	cache, err := imgcache.NewCache(setupTestDB(t), imgcache.CacheConfig{
 		StateDir:    t.TempDir(),
-		CacheTTL:    time.Hour,
 		NegativeTTL: 5 * time.Minute,
 	})
 	if err != nil {

internal/imgcache/cache.go

@@ -35,7 +35,6 @@ const metaCacheSize = 10000
 // CacheConfig holds cache configuration.
 type CacheConfig struct {
 	StateDir    string
-	CacheTTL    time.Duration
 	NegativeTTL time.Duration
 
 	// MaxBytes is the disk cache size limit in bytes that eviction

internal/imgcache/cache_internal_test.go

@@ -102,7 +102,6 @@ func setupTestCache(t *testing.T) *Cache {
 
 	cache, err := NewCache(db, CacheConfig{
 		StateDir:    tmpDir,
-		CacheTTL:    time.Hour,
 		NegativeTTL: 5 * time.Minute,
 	})
 	if err != nil {
@@ -241,7 +240,6 @@ func TestCache_NegativeCacheExpiry(t *testing.T) {
 	// Very short negative TTL for testing
 	cache, err := NewCache(db, CacheConfig{
 		StateDir:    tmpDir,
-		CacheTTL:    time.Hour,
 		NegativeTTL: 1 * time.Millisecond,
 	})
 	if err != nil {

internal/imgcache/eviction_internal_test.go

@@ -70,7 +70,6 @@ func newEvictionTestCache(t *testing.T, maxBytes int64) (*Cache, string) {
 	// backwards compatibility with existing fixtures.
 	cache, err := NewCache(db, CacheConfig{
 		StateDir:         tmpDir,
-		CacheTTL:         time.Hour,
 		NegativeTTL:      5 * time.Minute,
 		MaxBytes:         maxBytes,
 		DisableDiskCache: maxBytes == 0,

internal/imgcache/module.go

@@ -4,6 +4,5 @@ import "time"
 
 // CacheConfig defaults.
 const (
-	DefaultCacheTTL    = 24 * time.Hour
 	DefaultNegativeTTL = 5 * time.Minute
 )

internal/imgcache/negative_cache_internal_test.go

@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ func TestNegativeCache_StoreAndCheck(t *testing.T) {
 
 	cache, err := NewCache(db, CacheConfig{
 		StateDir:    dir,
-		CacheTTL:    time.Hour,
 		NegativeTTL: 5 * time.Minute,
 	})
 	if err != nil {
@@ -63,7 +62,6 @@ func TestNegativeCache_Expired(t *testing.T) {
 
 	cache, err := NewCache(db, CacheConfig{
 		StateDir:    dir,
-		CacheTTL:    time.Hour,
 		NegativeTTL: 1 * time.Millisecond, // very short TTL
 	})
 	if err != nil {

internal/imgcache/service_internal_test.go

@@ -2,7 +2,9 @@ package imgcache
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
 	"io"
+	"os"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
@@ -430,6 +432,172 @@ func TestService_Get_Caching(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestService_Get_ServesSourceAndVariantCachedTwoDaysAgo caches a source and
+// a variant of it and sets back two days every time pixa stored for them.
+// For the source: fetched_at in source_metadata, fetched_at and
+// last_accessed_at in source_content, the fetched_at in its metadata file,
+// and the access and modification times of its file and of its metadata
+// file. For the variant: created_at and last_accessed_at in variant_content,
+// the created_at in its .meta file, and the access and modification times of
+// its file and of its .meta file. It then checks that the variant is still
+// served from the cache and that a new variant is made from the cached source
+// without fetching it again.
+//
+// Left at the present: the files' status change and birth times, which a
+// program cannot set, and the times of the directories holding the files,
+// which other entries share. The source's stored response headers are empty,
+// as the mock fetcher sends none. expires_at, etag and last_modified in
+// source_metadata and in the metadata file are never written, nor are the
+// request_cache and output_content tables.
+func TestService_Get_ServesSourceAndVariantCachedTwoDaysAgo(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	svc, fixtures := SetupTestService(t)
+	variant := photoVariant(fixtures, 85, FitCover)
+
+	resp, err := svc.Get(t.Context(), variant)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Get() first request error = %v", err)
+	}
+
+	_ = resp.Content.Close()
+
+	twoDaysAgo := time.Now().AddDate(0, 0, -2)
+	backdateSource(t, svc.cache, variant, twoDaysAgo)
+	backdateVariant(t, svc.cache, variant, twoDaysAgo)
+
+	resp, err = svc.Get(t.Context(), variant)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Get() of the cached variant error = %v", err)
+	}
+
+	_ = resp.Content.Close()
+
+	if resp.CacheStatus != CacheHit {
+		t.Errorf("cached variant CacheStatus = %q, want %q",
+			resp.CacheStatus, CacheHit)
+	}
+
+	// Another quality is a new variant, made from the cached source
+	resp, err = svc.Get(t.Context(), photoVariant(fixtures, 40, FitCover))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Get() of a new variant error = %v", err)
+	}
+
+	_ = resp.Content.Close()
+
+	fetches := readCacheStatsCounters(t, svc.cache).upstreamFetchCount
+	if fetches != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("upstream fetches = %d, want 1", fetches)
+	}
+}
+
+// backdateSource sets every time pixa stored for req's cached source to when,
+// as listed on TestService_Get_ServesSourceAndVariantCachedTwoDaysAgo.
+func backdateSource(
+	t *testing.T, cache *Cache, req *ImageRequest, when time.Time,
+) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	pathHash := HashPath(req.SourcePath + "?" + req.SourceQuery)
+
+	meta, err := cache.srcMetadata.Load(req.SourceHost, pathHash)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("reading the source's metadata file: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	meta.FetchedAt = when.Unix()
+
+	err = cache.srcMetadata.Store(req.SourceHost, pathHash, meta)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("writing the source's metadata file: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	dbTime := when.UTC().Format(sqliteTimestampFormat)
+
+	updateOneRow(t, cache, `
+		UPDATE source_metadata SET fetched_at = ?
+		WHERE source_host = ? AND source_path = ? AND source_query = ?
+	`, dbTime, req.SourceHost, req.SourcePath, req.SourceQuery)
+	updateOneRow(t, cache,
+		`UPDATE source_content SET fetched_at = ? WHERE content_hash = ?`,
+		dbTime, meta.ContentHash)
+	setSourceLastAccessed(t, cache, ContentHash(meta.ContentHash), when)
+
+	for _, path := range []string{
+		cache.srcContent.hashToPath(ContentHash(meta.ContentHash)),
+		cache.srcMetadata.metaPath(req.SourceHost, pathHash),
+	} {
+		err = os.Chtimes(path, when, when)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("setting back the times of %s: %v", path, err)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// backdateVariant sets every time pixa stored for the cached variant req asks
+// for to when, as listed on
+// TestService_Get_ServesSourceAndVariantCachedTwoDaysAgo.
+func backdateVariant(
+	t *testing.T, cache *Cache, req *ImageRequest, when time.Time,
+) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	key := CacheKey(req)
+
+	content, size, contentType, err := cache.variants.LoadWithMeta(key)
+	if err != nil || contentType == "" {
+		t.Fatalf("reading the variant's .meta file: content type %q, error %v",
+			contentType, err)
+	}
+
+	_ = content.Close()
+
+	meta, err := json.Marshal(VariantMeta{
+		ContentType: contentType,
+		Size:        size,
+		CreatedAt:   when.Unix(),
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("encoding the variant's .meta file: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	path := cache.variants.keyToPath(key)
+
+	err = os.WriteFile(path+variantMetaSuffix, meta, StorageFilePerm)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("writing the variant's .meta file: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	updateOneRow(t, cache,
+		`UPDATE variant_content SET created_at = ? WHERE cache_key = ?`,
+		when.UTC().Format(sqliteTimestampFormat), string(key))
+	setVariantLastAccessed(t, cache, key, when)
+
+	for _, file := range []string{path, path + variantMetaSuffix} {
+		err = os.Chtimes(file, when, when)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("setting back the times of %s: %v", file, err)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// updateOneRow runs the UPDATE statement query and fails the test unless it
+// changed exactly one row.
+func updateOneRow(t *testing.T, cache *Cache, query string, args ...any) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	result, err := cache.db.ExecContext(t.Context(), query, args...)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("%s: %v", query, err)
+	}
+
+	rows, err := result.RowsAffected()
+	if err != nil || rows != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("%s: rows = %d, error = %v, want 1 row", query, rows, err)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestService_Get_DifferentSizes(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 

internal/imgcache/stats_internal_test.go

@@ -43,7 +43,6 @@ func TestStats_HitRateIsRatio(t *testing.T) {
 
 	cache, err := NewCache(db, CacheConfig{
 		StateDir:    dir,
-		CacheTTL:    time.Hour,
 		NegativeTTL: 5 * time.Minute,
 	})
 	if err != nil {
@@ -91,7 +90,6 @@ func TestStats_ZeroCounts(t *testing.T) {
 
 	cache, err := NewCache(db, CacheConfig{
 		StateDir:    dir,
-		CacheTTL:    time.Hour,
 		NegativeTTL: 5 * time.Minute,
 	})
 	if err != nil {
@@ -120,7 +118,6 @@ func TestStats_LogsFailedCountQueries(t *testing.T) {
 
 	cache, err := NewCache(db, CacheConfig{
 		StateDir:    t.TempDir(),
-		CacheTTL:    time.Hour,
 		NegativeTTL: 5 * time.Minute,
 		Logger:      slog.New(slog.NewJSONHandler(&logBuf, nil)),
 	})
@@ -162,7 +159,6 @@ func TestIncrementStats_LogsFailedUpdates(t *testing.T) {
 
 	cache, err := NewCache(db, CacheConfig{
 		StateDir:    t.TempDir(),
-		CacheTTL:    time.Hour,
 		NegativeTTL: 5 * time.Minute,
 		Logger:      slog.New(slog.NewJSONHandler(&logBuf, nil)),
 	})
@@ -232,7 +228,6 @@ func TestStats_DisabledCacheReportsNoItems(t *testing.T) {
 
 	disabled, err := NewCache(enabled.db, CacheConfig{
 		StateDir:         t.TempDir(),
-		CacheTTL:         time.Hour,
 		NegativeTTL:      5 * time.Minute,
 		DisableDiskCache: true,
 	})

internal/imgcache/testutil_internal_test.go

@@ -185,7 +185,6 @@ func SetupTestService(
 
 	cache, err := NewCache(db, CacheConfig{
 		StateDir:    tmpDir,
-		CacheTTL:    time.Hour,
 		NegativeTTL: 5 * time.Minute,
 	})
 	if err != nil {