Install libvips JPEG XL support and require it at startup (part of #222)

script/bootstrap --cgo installs vips-jxl when the package manager it
uses is apk, as Alpine's vips package lacks JPEG XL support; the nix
and brew libvips include it, as does apt's from Debian 12 and Ubuntu
24.04 on. The runtime stage of the Dockerfile installs vips-jxl too.

imgcache.NewService calls the new imageprocessor.CheckJPEGXLSupport
before it builds the image processor and fails with its error, which
names the fix, so pixad does not start without the support. JPEG XL
becomes the default output later in the issue. New tests check the
support and save an image as JPEG XL with govips and load it back.

Model: opus-5-5

Dockerfile

@@ -22,8 +22,9 @@ FROM golang:1.25.4-alpine@sha256:d3f0cf7723f3429e3f9ed846243970b20a2de7bae6a5b66
 
 WORKDIR /src
 
-# script/bootstrap --cgo installs the build dependencies (a C compiler
-# and the libvips and libheif headers) and downloads the Go modules.
+# script/bootstrap --cgo installs the build dependencies (a C compiler,
+# the libvips and libheif headers, and libvips' JPEG XL support, which
+# the tests need) and downloads the Go modules.
 COPY script/ ./script/
 COPY go.mod go.sum ./
 RUN script/bootstrap --cgo
@@ -80,9 +81,11 @@ RUN version="${VERSION:-$(git describe --tags --always)}"; \
 # alpine:3.21, 2026-02-25
 FROM alpine:3.21@sha256:c3f8e73fdb79deaebaa2037150150191b9dcbfba68b4a46d70103204c53f4709
 
-# Install runtime dependencies only
+# Install runtime dependencies only. vips-jxl is libvips' JPEG XL
+# support, without which pixad does not start.
 RUN apk add --no-cache \
     vips \
+    vips-jxl \
     libheif \
     ca-certificates \
     tzdata \

README.md

@@ -89,7 +89,10 @@ another part of pixa failed to stop. A request not finished by then is cut off.
 `docker stop` waits 10 seconds before it kills the container.
 
 Outside Docker, pixa needs libvips (the image has 8.15) and libheif to run, as
-it uses libvips through CGO; building it also needs their development files,
+it uses libvips through CGO. pixad does not start unless libvips has its JPEG XL
+support, which on Alpine is the `vips-jxl` package and which the nix and brew
+packages of libvips include, as do the apt ones from Debian 12 and Ubuntu 24.04
+on. Building pixa also needs the development files of libvips and libheif,
 `pkg-config` and a C compiler. `script/bootstrap --cgo` installs all of these,
 as the `Dockerfile` does where it compiles pixa. Plain `script/bootstrap`, which
 `script/setup` and `script/cibuild` run, installs git, make and Go, and Node,
@@ -529,10 +532,13 @@ Key settings in more detail:
 - `signing_key` — HMAC secret for URL signatures
 - `db_url` — the SQLite database to open; omitted, it is
   `file:<state_dir>/state.sqlite3?_pragma=journal_mode(WAL)`, which keeps the
-  database in WAL mode. pixa adds `_pragma=busy_timeout(5000)` to any `db_url`,
-  so a write that finds another in progress waits up to five seconds for it
-  instead of failing. WAL mode comes only from the URL: keep
-  `_pragma=journal_mode(WAL)` in one you set
+  database in WAL mode. pixa opens one connection to it, so its own reads and
+  writes run one at a time. Requests wait while eviction runs one of its
+  queries, some of which read a whole table. pixa adds
+  `_pragma=busy_timeout(5000)` to any `db_url`, so a write that finds another
+  program writing to the file waits up to five seconds for it instead of
+  failing. WAL mode comes only from the URL: keep `_pragma=journal_mode(WAL)` in
+  one you set
 - `cache_max_bytes` — disk cache size limit in bytes; `0` disables the disk
   cache entirely; omitted defaults to 75% of the sum of the free space on the
   filesystem containing `<state_dir>/cache/` and the bytes of source and
@@ -582,8 +588,8 @@ provide:
 
 - `script/bootstrap` — install git, make, Go, Node, Yarn and prettier and
   download the Go modules (idempotent); with `--cgo`, the C compiler and the
-  libvips and libheif libraries that compiling pixa needs instead of Node, Yarn
-  and prettier
+  libvips (with its JPEG XL support) and libheif libraries that compiling and
+  testing pixa need instead of Node, Yarn and prettier
 - `script/setup` — make a fresh clone ready for development (bootstrap, then
   install-precommit)
 - `script/projectname` — output the project name ("pixa")

TODO.md

@@ -30,6 +30,21 @@ P2: security: per-IP rate limiting on the image routes
 
 # Completed Steps
 
+- 2026-10-08 libvips' JPEG XL support is installed and required (part of #222):
+  `script/bootstrap --cgo` installs `vips-jxl` when its package manager is apk,
+  as Alpine's `vips` package lacks the support, and the runtime stage of the
+  `Dockerfile` installs it too. `imgcache.NewService` fails, naming the fix,
+  when `imageprocessor.CheckJPEGXLSupport` finds that libvips cannot load and
+  save JPEG XL, so pixad does not start without it. A test saves an image as
+  JPEG XL with govips and loads it back. JPEG XL is not yet a format pixa
+  serves.
+- 2026-10-08 SQLite writes no longer fail with "database is locked" under load
+  (closes #223): `internal/database` opens the database with one connection, so
+  pixa's own reads and writes run on it one at a time instead of competing for
+  SQLite's lock, where a write that kept losing could wait past the five-second
+  busy timeout and be lost. The busy timeout stays, for another program writing
+  to the same file. No code in pixa keeps rows or a transaction open while it
+  runs another query, which with one connection would wait forever.
 - 2026-10-05 the format `auto` (closes #88): a format in the `/v1/image/` path,
   an encrypted URL's token and the generator page's format choice, chosen for
   each request from `Accept` once the signature or token is checked: AVIF when

internal/database/concurrent_writes_internal_test.go

@@ -13,11 +13,10 @@ import (
 )
 
 // TestConcurrentWritesAllSucceed opens a database the way pixad does and
-// writes to it from several goroutines at once, so the writes run on
-// separate connections, as one request's writes and the background eviction
-// pass do. Every write must succeed, none failing with "database is locked",
-// whether or not db_url already has parameters, and the parameters it has
-// must still apply.
+// writes to it from several goroutines at once, as one request's writes and
+// the background eviction pass do. Every write must succeed, none failing
+// with "database is locked", whether or not db_url already has parameters,
+// and the parameters it has must still apply.
 func TestConcurrentWritesAllSucceed(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 

internal/database/database.go

@@ -237,17 +237,18 @@ func ApplyMigrations(ctx context.Context, db *sql.DB, log *slog.Logger) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-// DB returns the underlying sql.DB.
+// DB returns the underlying sql.DB. It has one connection, so close any
+// rows and end any transaction before running another query on it; a
+// query run while they are open waits forever.
 func (s *Database) DB() *sql.DB {
 	return s.db
 }
 
 func (s *Database) connect(ctx context.Context) error {
-	// Requests and the eviction pass write on separate connections. With
-	// a busy timeout, a write that finds another one in progress waits up
-	// to five seconds for it instead of failing at once with "database is
-	// locked". The driver runs each _pragma parameter on every connection
-	// it opens.
+	// With a busy timeout, a write that finds another program writing to
+	// the same database file waits up to five seconds for it instead of
+	// failing at once with "database is locked". The driver runs each
+	// _pragma parameter on every connection it opens.
 	separator := "?"
 	if strings.Contains(s.config.DBURL, "?") {
 		separator = "&"
@@ -264,6 +265,11 @@ func (s *Database) connect(ctx context.Context) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
+	// One connection: pixa's own reads and writes run on it one at a
+	// time instead of competing for SQLite's lock, where a write that
+	// keeps losing can wait past the busy timeout and be lost.
+	db.SetMaxOpenConns(1)
+
 	err = db.PingContext(ctx)
 	if err != nil {
 		s.log.Error("failed to ping database", "error", err)

internal/imageprocessor/imageprocessor.go

@@ -37,6 +37,24 @@ func initVips() {
 	})
 }
 
+// errNoJPEGXL is returned by CheckJPEGXLSupport.
+var errNoJPEGXL = errors.New("libvips lacks JPEG XL support: install " +
+	"vips-jxl on Alpine, or use a libvips built with libjxl")
+
+// CheckJPEGXLSupport returns an error, naming the fix, when libvips
+// cannot load and save JPEG XL.
+func CheckJPEGXLSupport() error {
+	initVips()
+
+	// govips counts a format as supported when libvips has its loader;
+	// libvips builds the JPEG XL loader and saver together.
+	if !vips.IsTypeSupported(vips.ImageTypeJXL) {
+		return errNoJPEGXL
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
 // Format represents supported output image formats.
 type Format string
 

internal/imageprocessor/jpegxl_internal_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+package imageprocessor
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/davidbyttow/govips/v2/vips"
+)
+
+// TestCheckJPEGXLSupport fails when libvips lacks JPEG XL support, as on
+// Alpine without the vips-jxl package.
+func TestCheckJPEGXLSupport(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	err := CheckJPEGXLSupport()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("CheckJPEGXLSupport() error = %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestLibvipsSavesAndLoadsJPEGXL saves an image as JPEG XL with govips and
+// loads it back. It fails when libvips lacks JPEG XL support, as on Alpine
+// without the vips-jxl package.
+func TestLibvipsSavesAndLoadsJPEGXL(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	img, err := vips.NewImageFromBuffer(createTestJPEG(t, 64, 48))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to load test JPEG: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	defer img.Close()
+
+	jxl, _, err := img.ExportJxl(vips.NewJxlExportParams())
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("ExportJxl() error = %v", err)
+	}
+
+	loaded, err := vips.NewImageFromBuffer(jxl)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to load the JPEG XL image: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	defer loaded.Close()
+
+	if loaded.Format() != vips.ImageTypeJXL {
+		t.Errorf("loaded format = %s, want jxl", vips.ImageTypes[loaded.Format()])
+	}
+
+	if loaded.Width() != 64 || loaded.Height() != 48 {
+		t.Errorf("loaded size = %dx%d, want 64x48", loaded.Width(), loaded.Height())
+	}
+}

internal/imgcache/service.go

@@ -100,6 +100,13 @@ func NewService(cfg *ServiceConfig) (*Service, error) {
 		allowHTTP = cfg.FetcherConfig.AllowHTTP
 	}
 
+	// JPEG XL is to become the default output format, so pixad does not
+	// start without it.
+	err := imageprocessor.CheckJPEGXLSupport()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
 	maxResponseSize := fetcherCfg.MaxResponseSize
 	processor := imageprocessor.New(imageprocessor.Params{
 		MaxInputBytes:           maxResponseSize,

script/bootstrap

@@ -14,11 +14,12 @@
 #                            script/fmt-check: all the host needs, as
 #                            the checks compile pixa in Docker
 #   script/bootstrap --cgo   git, make, Go, and a C compiler and the
-#                            CGO image libraries (pkg-config, vips,
-#                            libheif) for the govips bindings instead
-#                            of Node: to compile pixa, in the
-#                            Dockerfile's test phase and build stage,
-#                            which format nothing
+#                            CGO image libraries (pkg-config, vips
+#                            with its JPEG XL support, libheif) for
+#                            the govips bindings instead of Node: to
+#                            compile pixa, in the Dockerfile's test
+#                            phase and build stage, which format
+#                            nothing
 set -eu
 
 ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/.." && pwd -P)"
@@ -150,6 +151,16 @@ ensure_cgo_deps() {
     if ! pkg-config --exists vips; then
         pkg_install vips libvips-dev vips vips-dev
     fi
+    # libvips' JPEG XL loader and saver are in the nix and brew vips
+    # packages, and in apt's from Debian 12 and Ubuntu 24.04 on, but in
+    # the package vips-jxl on Alpine. detect_pkgmgr is called only where
+    # apk exists, as on apt it updates the package lists.
+    if ! missing apk; then
+        detect_pkgmgr
+    fi
+    if [ "$PKGMGR" = "apk" ] && ! apk info -e vips-jxl >/dev/null; then
+        apk add --no-cache vips-jxl
+    fi
     if ! pkg-config --exists libheif; then
         pkg_install libheif libheif-dev libheif libheif-dev
     fi