Send CORS headers only from the image routes (closes #98)

The CORS middleware, with the access_control_allow_origin origin, moved
from the router root onto a /v1 subrouter holding /v1/image/ and /v1/e/.
The login and URL generator pages, /metrics, the health check,
robots.txt and /static/ no longer send Access-Control-Allow-Origin, so
their safety no longer rests on the CORS options chosen for the image
routes.

It is a subrouter rather than a route group because a group's
middleware runs only for a request that matches one of its routes, and
a preflight OPTIONS request matches none. The maintenance mode group
moved inside it unchanged.

README.md and config.example.yml say the setting covers the image
routes only.

Model: opus-5-5

README.md

@@ -81,7 +81,10 @@ prevent abuse, and allowlisted source hosts for open access.
 
 Multiple source paths may reference the same content blob; the
 database tracks references rather than using filesystem refcounting.
-In-process caching of request-to-output mappings targets 1-5k r/s.
+Toward a target of 1-5k r/s, pixa keeps in memory the content types of
+the 10,000 transformed images most recently cached or served, so a
+cache hit on one of them reads only the image file from disk and not
+the metadata file stored beside it.
 
 ### Routes
 
@@ -235,7 +238,7 @@ variables set by the file's `env:` section are checked the same way.
 | `PIXA_UPSTREAM_FETCH_TIMEOUT`        | `upstream_fetch_timeout`        | Time allowed for one fetch from an upstream host; default `30s`              |
 | `PIXA_UPSTREAM_MAX_RESPONSE_SIZE`    | `upstream_max_response_size`    | Largest upstream response accepted, in bytes; default 50 MiB                 |
 | `PIXA_DOWNSTREAM_TIMEOUT`            | `downstream_timeout`            | Time allowed for answering one client request; default `60s`                 |
-| `PIXA_ACCESS_CONTROL_ALLOW_ORIGIN`   | `access_control_allow_origin`   | CORS origin allowed to read responses: `*` or one origin; default `*`        |
+| `PIXA_ACCESS_CONTROL_ALLOW_ORIGIN`   | `access_control_allow_origin`   | CORS origin allowed to read image responses: `*` or one origin; default `*`  |
 | `PIXA_METRICS_USERNAME`              | `metrics.username`              | Username for `/metrics`, which is served only when both are set              |
 | `PIXA_METRICS_PASSWORD`              | `metrics.password`              | Password for `/metrics`; set together with the username                      |
 | `PIXA_SENTRY_DSN`                    | `sentry_dsn`                    | Sentry DSN for error reporting; empty disables it                            |
@@ -244,8 +247,9 @@ variables set by the file's `env:` section are checked the same way.
 
 Key settings in more detail:
 
-- `access_control_allow_origin` — the origin a browser lets read pixa's
-  responses, sent as the CORS `Access-Control-Allow-Origin` header: `*`, the
+- `access_control_allow_origin` — the origin a browser lets read the responses
+  of the image routes, `/v1/image/` and `/v1/e/`, sent as the CORS
+  `Access-Control-Allow-Origin` header; no other route sends it. `*`, the
   default, is any site; otherwise one `http` or `https` origin such as
   `https://example.com`, whose host is a lowercase host name (letters,
   digits, hyphens and dots, with a letter in its last part) or an IP address

TODO.md

@@ -29,6 +29,12 @@ P2: security: referer blacklist
 
 # Completed Steps
 
+- 2026-09-29 only the image routes send CORS headers (closes #98): the CORS
+  middleware, with the `access_control_allow_origin` origin, moved from the
+  router root onto a `/v1` subrouter holding `/v1/image/` and `/v1/e/`, where it
+  still answers a preflight `OPTIONS` request; the login and URL generator
+  pages, `/metrics` and the other routes send no `Access-Control-Allow-Origin`;
+  documented in `README.md` and `config.example.yml`.
 - 2026-09-29 the container makes `/var/lib/pixa` usable by itself (closes
   #159): `deploy/docker-entrypoint.sh` creates the directory if it is missing,
   gives the directory and everything in it to `pixad` when the directory or one
@@ -36,6 +42,17 @@ P2: security: referer blacklist
   `750`, then runs the server as `pixad`; data left by an earlier run under
   another uid is taken over this way; "Running under upaas" in `README.md` no
   longer tells the operator to create or chown the host directory.
+- 2026-09-29 variant content types kept in memory (closes #70):
+  `Cache.metaCache` holds the content types of up to 10,000 variants in an LRU
+  (`github.com/hashicorp/golang-lru/v2`), filled by `StoreVariant` and by
+  `GetVariant` after it reads a `.meta` file, where a type `StoreVariant` added
+  meanwhile is kept over the one read, and never with the
+  `application/octet-stream` served for a variant without one; for a variant it
+  holds, `GetVariant` skips the `.meta` read, still opening the variant file and
+  taking the size from it; eviction removes the entry before deleting the files,
+  and `GetVariant` removes it when the file will not open; the cap is a
+  constant, not a setting; the unused `variantMeta` type is gone; `README.md`
+  describes it.
 - 2026-09-29 maintenance mode refuses image requests (closes #71): while
   `maintenance_mode` is on, `/v1/image/` and `/v1/e/` answer 503 with a
   `Retry-After` header and the JSON error body, from one middleware in

config.example.yml

@@ -103,8 +103,9 @@ upstream_max_response_size: 52428800
 # longer than upstream_fetch_timeout plus 20 seconds.
 downstream_timeout: 60s
 
-# The origin a browser lets read pixa's responses, sent as the CORS
-# Access-Control-Allow-Origin header: "*" (the default) is any site;
+# The origin a browser lets read the responses of the image routes,
+# /v1/image/ and /v1/e/, sent as the CORS Access-Control-Allow-Origin
+# header; no other route sends it. "*" (the default) is any site;
 # otherwise one http or https origin such as https://example.com, whose
 # host is a lowercase host name (letters, digits, hyphens and dots, with a
 # letter in its last part) or an IP address (IPv6 in brackets, in its

go.mod

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/go-chi/httprate v0.16.0
 	github.com/gorilla/csrf v1.7.3
 	github.com/gorilla/securecookie v1.1.2
+	github.com/hashicorp/golang-lru/v2 v2.0.7
 	github.com/prometheus/client_golang v1.23.2
 	github.com/slok/go-http-metrics v0.13.0
 	github.com/spf13/cobra v1.10.2

go.sum

@@ -228,6 +228,8 @@ github.com/hashicorp/go-version v1.2.1/go.mod h1:fltr4n8CU8Ke44wwGCBoEymUuxUHl09
 github.com/hashicorp/golang-lru v0.5.0/go.mod h1:/m3WP610KZHVQ1SGc6re/UDhFvYD7pJ4Ao+sR/qLZy8=
 github.com/hashicorp/golang-lru v0.5.4 h1:YDjusn29QI/Das2iO9M0BHnIbxPeyuCHsjMW+lJfyTc=
 github.com/hashicorp/golang-lru v0.5.4/go.mod h1:iADmTwqILo4mZ8BN3D2Q6+9jd8WM5uGBxy+E8yxSoD4=
+github.com/hashicorp/golang-lru/v2 v2.0.7 h1:a+bsQ5rvGLjzHuww6tVxozPZFVghXaHOwFs4luLUK2k=
+github.com/hashicorp/golang-lru/v2 v2.0.7/go.mod h1:QeFd9opnmA6QUJc5vARoKUSoFhyfM2/ZepoAG6RGpeM=
 github.com/hashicorp/hcl v1.0.1-vault-7 h1:ag5OxFVy3QYTFTJODRzTKVZ6xvdfLLCA1cy/Y6xGI0I=
 github.com/hashicorp/hcl v1.0.1-vault-7/go.mod h1:XYhtn6ijBSAj6n4YqAaf7RBPS4I06AItNorpy+MoQNM=
 github.com/hashicorp/logutils v1.0.0/go.mod h1:QIAnNjmIWmVIIkWDTG1z5v++HQmx9WQRO+LraFDTW64=

internal/imgcache/cache.go

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import (
 	"sync"
 	"time"
 
+	lru "github.com/hashicorp/golang-lru/v2"
 	"sneak.berlin/go/pixa/internal/httpfetcher"
 )
 
@@ -26,6 +27,10 @@ var (
 // HTTP status code for successful fetch.
 const httpStatusOK = 200
 
+// metaCacheSize is how many variants' content types metaCache holds. A
+// variant not among them is served as before, reading its .meta file.
+const metaCacheSize = 10000
+
 // CacheConfig holds cache configuration.
 type CacheConfig struct {
 	StateDir    string
@@ -49,12 +54,6 @@ type CacheConfig struct {
 	Logger *slog.Logger
 }
 
-// variantMeta stores content type for fast cache hits without reading .meta file.
-type variantMeta struct {
-	ContentType string
-	Size        int64
-}
-
 // Cache implements the caching layer for the image proxy.
 type Cache struct {
 	db          *sql.DB
@@ -76,9 +75,10 @@ type Cache struct {
 	evictionStarted  bool
 	evictionStopOnce sync.Once
 
-	// In-memory cache of variant metadata (content type, size) to avoid
-	// reading .meta files
-	metaCache map[VariantKey]variantMeta
+	// metaCache holds the content types of the variants most recently
+	// stored or served, so a hit does not read the variant's .meta file.
+	// It never stands in for the variant file, which is always opened.
+	metaCache *lru.Cache[VariantKey, string]
 
 	// contentLocks serializes StoreSource and evictSourceBlob per
 	// content hash, closing the race window between an eviction's row
@@ -101,6 +101,11 @@ func NewCache(db *sql.DB, config CacheConfig) (*Cache, error) {
 		log = slog.Default()
 	}
 
+	metaCache, err := lru.New[VariantKey, string](metaCacheSize)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to create variant content type cache: %w", err)
+	}
+
 	c := &Cache{
 		db:               db,
 		config:           config,
@@ -109,7 +114,7 @@ func NewCache(db *sql.DB, config CacheConfig) (*Cache, error) {
 		evictionPressure: make(chan struct{}, 1),
 		evictionStop:     make(chan struct{}),
 		evictionDone:     make(chan struct{}),
-		metaCache:        make(map[VariantKey]variantMeta),
+		metaCache:        metaCache,
 		contentLocks:     newContentLock(),
 	}
 
@@ -177,13 +182,30 @@ func (c *Cache) Lookup(ctx context.Context, req *ImageRequest) (*LookupResult, e
 	}, nil
 }
 
-// GetVariant returns a reader, size, and content type for a cached variant.
+// GetVariant returns a reader, size, and content type for a cached
+// variant. The content type comes from metaCache, or else from the
+// variant's .meta file and is then kept in metaCache. A variant with
+// no .meta file is served as application/octet-stream, which is not
+// kept.
 func (c *Cache) GetVariant(cacheKey VariantKey) (io.ReadCloser, int64, string, error) {
 	if c.disabled {
 		return nil, 0, "", ErrNotFound
 	}
 
-	return c.variants.LoadWithMeta(cacheKey)
+	contentType, known := c.metaCache.Get(cacheKey)
+	if !known {
+		return c.loadVariantWithMeta(cacheKey)
+	}
+
+	reader, size, err := c.variants.LoadWithSize(cacheKey)
+	if err != nil {
+		// The file is gone, e.g. deleted outside pixa
+		c.metaCache.Remove(cacheKey)
+
+		return nil, 0, "", err
+	}
+
+	return reader, size, contentType, nil
 }
 
 // StoreSource stores fetched source content and metadata. On a
@@ -286,6 +308,8 @@ func (c *Cache) StoreVariant(
 		return err
 	}
 
+	c.metaCache.Add(cacheKey, contentType)
+
 	_, err = c.db.ExecContext(ctx, `
 		INSERT INTO variant_content (cache_key, size_bytes, content_type)
 		VALUES (?, ?, ?)
@@ -499,6 +523,31 @@ func (c *Cache) IncrementTransformCount(ctx context.Context) {
 	}
 }
 
+// loadVariantWithMeta is GetVariant for a variant metaCache does not
+// hold: it reads the content type from the variant's .meta file and
+// keeps it in metaCache, unless a StoreVariant has put one there
+// meanwhile, as the store's is newer. A read that finds no .meta file,
+// as one can between a store's writing of the variant file and of its
+// .meta file, serves application/octet-stream and keeps nothing, so
+// metaCache only ever holds a type read from a .meta file or passed to
+// StoreVariant.
+func (c *Cache) loadVariantWithMeta(
+	cacheKey VariantKey,
+) (io.ReadCloser, int64, string, error) {
+	reader, size, contentType, err := c.variants.LoadWithMeta(cacheKey)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, 0, "", err
+	}
+
+	if contentType == "" {
+		return reader, size, fallbackContentType, nil
+	}
+
+	c.metaCache.ContainsOrAdd(cacheKey, contentType)
+
+	return reader, size, contentType, nil
+}
+
 // writeMetadataSidecar writes the JSON metadata sidecar of a stored source.
 // A failure is logged and is otherwise non-fatal; the metadata is in the
 // database.

internal/imgcache/eviction.go

@@ -39,8 +39,8 @@ const tempFilePrefix = ".tmp-"
 // to each variant file.
 const variantMetaSuffix = ".meta"
 
-// fallbackContentType is recorded when a reconciled variant file has
-// no readable .meta sidecar.
+// fallbackContentType is the content type given to a variant file that
+// has no readable .meta sidecar, when it is served or reconciled.
 const fallbackContentType = "application/octet-stream"
 
 // UsageBytes returns the total number of bytes of cache content
@@ -271,7 +271,9 @@ func (c *Cache) sourceCandidates(ctx context.Context) ([]evictionCandidate, erro
 
 // evictVariant removes one variant: accounting row first, then the
 // content and .meta files, so the database never references a deleted
-// file.
+// file. The metaCache entry goes before the files; a GetVariant that
+// read them just before may put it back, and the next GetVariant then
+// fails to open the file and removes it again.
 func (c *Cache) evictVariant(ctx context.Context, cacheKey VariantKey) error {
 	_, err := c.db.ExecContext(ctx,
 		`DELETE FROM variant_content WHERE cache_key = ?`, string(cacheKey))
@@ -279,6 +281,8 @@ func (c *Cache) evictVariant(ctx context.Context, cacheKey VariantKey) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to delete variant accounting row: %w", err)
 	}
 
+	c.metaCache.Remove(cacheKey)
+
 	err = c.variants.DeleteWithMeta(cacheKey)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err

internal/imgcache/metacache_internal_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,349 @@
+package imgcache
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"os"
+	"sync"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// webpRequest returns a request for a 100x100 WebP variant of path.
+func webpRequest(path string) *ImageRequest {
+	return &ImageRequest{
+		SourceHost: testHostCDN,
+		SourcePath: path,
+		Size:       Size{Width: 100, Height: 100},
+		Format:     FormatWebP,
+		Quality:    85,
+		FitMode:    FitCover,
+	}
+}
+
+// assertVariantServed checks that GetVariant serves key with the given
+// content and the image/webp content type storeEvictionTestVariant stores.
+func assertVariantServed(t *testing.T, cache *Cache, key VariantKey, content []byte) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	reader, size, contentType, err := cache.GetVariant(key)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("GetVariant(%s) error = %v", key, err)
+	}
+
+	defer func() { _ = reader.Close() }()
+
+	got, err := io.ReadAll(reader)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("reading variant %s: %v", key, err)
+	}
+
+	if !bytes.Equal(got, content) {
+		t.Errorf("GetVariant(%s) content = %q, want %q", key, got, content)
+	}
+
+	if size != int64(len(content)) {
+		t.Errorf("GetVariant(%s) size = %d, want %d", key, size, len(content))
+	}
+
+	if contentType != testContentTypeWebP {
+		t.Errorf("GetVariant(%s) content type = %q, want %q",
+			key, contentType, testContentTypeWebP)
+	}
+}
+
+// assertVariantNotFound checks that GetVariant refuses key with
+// ErrNotFound.
+func assertVariantNotFound(t *testing.T, cache *Cache, key VariantKey) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	reader, _, _, err := cache.GetVariant(key)
+	if err == nil {
+		_ = reader.Close()
+	}
+
+	if !errors.Is(err, ErrNotFound) {
+		t.Errorf("GetVariant(%s) error = %v, want ErrNotFound", key, err)
+	}
+}
+
+// assertLookupMisses checks that Lookup reports request as a miss.
+func assertLookupMisses(t *testing.T, cache *Cache, request *ImageRequest) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	lookup, err := cache.Lookup(t.Context(), request)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Lookup(%s) error = %v", request.SourcePath, err)
+	}
+
+	if lookup.Hit {
+		t.Errorf("Lookup(%s) is a hit, want a miss", request.SourcePath)
+	}
+}
+
+// renameFile renames the file at from to to.
+func renameFile(t *testing.T, from, to string) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	err := os.Rename(from, to)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("renaming %s: %v", from, err)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestSecondHitDoesNotReadMetaFile checks that once a variant has been
+// stored or read, a hit takes its content type from memory: with the
+// .meta file deleted, GetVariant must still return the stored content
+// type rather than the application/octet-stream it uses without one.
+func TestSecondHitDoesNotReadMetaFile(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	cache, _ := newEvictionTestCache(t, 1<<20)
+	content := []byte("webp variant bytes")
+
+	storeEvictionTestVariant(t, cache, testVariantKeyOne, content)
+
+	// A second Cache on the same state directory starts with nothing in
+	// memory, as pixad does after a restart, so its first read uses the
+	// .meta file.
+	restarted, err := NewCache(cache.db, cache.config)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("NewCache() error = %v", err)
+	}
+
+	assertVariantServed(t, restarted, testVariantKeyOne, content)
+
+	err = os.Remove(cache.variants.keyToPath(testVariantKeyOne) + ".meta")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("removing .meta file: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	assertVariantServed(t, cache, testVariantKeyOne, content)
+	assertVariantServed(t, restarted, testVariantKeyOne, content)
+}
+
+// TestReadDuringStoreKeepsStoredContentType checks that a GetVariant
+// which began before StoreVariant finished cannot replace the content
+// type the store kept in memory. Such a read can find the variant file
+// but not yet its .meta file, and so gets application/octet-stream. The
+// test deletes the .meta file after the store, then runs the part of
+// GetVariant that comes after its check of memory.
+func TestReadDuringStoreKeepsStoredContentType(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	cache, _ := newEvictionTestCache(t, 1<<20)
+	content := []byte("webp variant bytes")
+
+	storeEvictionTestVariant(t, cache, testVariantKeyOne, content)
+
+	err := os.Remove(cache.variants.keyToPath(testVariantKeyOne) + ".meta")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("removing .meta file: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	reader, _, contentType, err := cache.loadVariantWithMeta(testVariantKeyOne)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("loadVariantWithMeta(%s) error = %v", testVariantKeyOne, err)
+	}
+
+	_ = reader.Close()
+
+	t.Logf("the read without a .meta file got content type %q", contentType)
+
+	assertVariantServed(t, cache, testVariantKeyOne, content)
+}
+
+// TestReadOfOlderMetaFileKeepsStoredContentType checks that a read
+// which got its content type from a .meta file that StoreVariant had
+// not yet rewritten cannot replace the type the store kept in memory.
+// The test writes such a .meta file, with a different content type,
+// after the store, then runs the part of GetVariant that comes after
+// its check of memory.
+func TestReadOfOlderMetaFileKeepsStoredContentType(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	cache, _ := newEvictionTestCache(t, 1<<20)
+	content := []byte("webp variant bytes")
+
+	storeEvictionTestVariant(t, cache, testVariantKeyOne, content)
+
+	olderMeta, err := json.Marshal(VariantMeta{
+		ContentType: testContentTypeJPEG,
+		Size:        int64(len(content)),
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("encoding .meta file: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	metaPath := cache.variants.keyToPath(testVariantKeyOne) + ".meta"
+
+	err = os.WriteFile(metaPath, olderMeta, StorageFilePerm)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("writing .meta file: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	reader, _, contentType, err := cache.loadVariantWithMeta(testVariantKeyOne)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("loadVariantWithMeta(%s) error = %v", testVariantKeyOne, err)
+	}
+
+	_ = reader.Close()
+
+	if contentType != testContentTypeJPEG {
+		t.Fatalf("loadVariantWithMeta(%s) content type = %q, want %q from the .meta file",
+			testVariantKeyOne, contentType, testContentTypeJPEG)
+	}
+
+	kept, _ := cache.metaCache.Get(testVariantKeyOne)
+	if kept != testContentTypeWebP {
+		t.Errorf("content type in memory = %q, want the stored %q",
+			kept, testContentTypeWebP)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestFailedReadDuringStoreKeepsStoredContentType checks that a read
+// which found no .meta file cannot leave application/octet-stream in
+// memory, even when another read has removed the content type
+// StoreVariant kept there. In this order: the store; a read that finds
+// the variant in memory but cannot open its file, and so removes it
+// from memory; a read that opened the variant file before the store
+// wrote its .meta file. Later hits must get the stored content type.
+func TestFailedReadDuringStoreKeepsStoredContentType(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	cache, _ := newEvictionTestCache(t, 1<<20)
+	content := []byte("webp variant bytes")
+	variantPath := cache.variants.keyToPath(testVariantKeyOne)
+	metaPath := variantPath + ".meta"
+
+	storeEvictionTestVariant(t, cache, testVariantKeyOne, content)
+
+	renameFile(t, variantPath, variantPath+".hidden")
+	assertVariantNotFound(t, cache, testVariantKeyOne)
+	renameFile(t, variantPath+".hidden", variantPath)
+
+	renameFile(t, metaPath, metaPath+".hidden")
+
+	reader, _, contentType, err := cache.GetVariant(testVariantKeyOne)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("GetVariant(%s) error = %v", testVariantKeyOne, err)
+	}
+
+	_ = reader.Close()
+
+	t.Logf("the read without a .meta file got content type %q", contentType)
+
+	renameFile(t, metaPath+".hidden", metaPath)
+
+	assertVariantServed(t, cache, testVariantKeyOne, content)
+}
+
+// TestEvictedVariantIsNotServed checks that a variant the evictor
+// removed is a miss and cannot be read, although it had been stored
+// and served before.
+func TestEvictedVariantIsNotServed(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	cache, _ := newEvictionTestCache(t, 1500)
+
+	oldRequest := webpRequest("/old.jpg")
+	newRequest := webpRequest("/new.jpg")
+	oldKey := CacheKey(oldRequest)
+	newKey := CacheKey(newRequest)
+	oldContent := bytes.Repeat([]byte{0x01}, 1000)
+	newContent := bytes.Repeat([]byte{0x02}, 1000)
+
+	storeEvictionTestVariant(t, cache, oldKey, oldContent)
+	storeEvictionTestVariant(t, cache, newKey, newContent)
+	assertVariantServed(t, cache, oldKey, oldContent)
+	setVariantLastAccessed(t, cache, oldKey, time.Now().Add(-time.Hour))
+
+	err := cache.EvictToLimit(t.Context())
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("EvictToLimit() error = %v", err)
+	}
+
+	assertLookupMisses(t, cache, oldRequest)
+	assertVariantNotFound(t, cache, oldKey)
+	assertVariantServed(t, cache, newKey, newContent)
+}
+
+// TestVariantDeletedFromDiskIsNotServed checks that a variant whose
+// file was deleted by something other than the evictor cannot be read,
+// and is a miss afterwards.
+func TestVariantDeletedFromDiskIsNotServed(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	cache, _ := newEvictionTestCache(t, 1<<20)
+
+	request := webpRequest("/deleted.jpg")
+	key := CacheKey(request)
+	content := []byte("webp variant bytes")
+
+	storeEvictionTestVariant(t, cache, key, content)
+	assertVariantServed(t, cache, key, content)
+
+	err := os.Remove(cache.variants.keyToPath(key))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("removing variant file: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	assertVariantNotFound(t, cache, key)
+	assertLookupMisses(t, cache, request)
+}
+
+// TestConcurrentVariantStoreReadAndEvict stores, reads and evicts
+// variants from several goroutines at once, for the race detector.
+func TestConcurrentVariantStoreReadAndEvict(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	cache, _ := newEvictionTestCache(t, 1<<20)
+	ctx := t.Context()
+
+	var wg sync.WaitGroup
+
+	for goroutine := range 8 {
+		wg.Go(func() {
+			key := VariantKey(fmt.Sprintf("aabbccdd01%02d", goroutine))
+			content := []byte(key)
+
+			for range 20 {
+				err := cache.StoreVariant(
+					ctx, key, bytes.NewReader(content), testContentTypeWebP)
+				if err != nil {
+					t.Errorf("StoreVariant(%s) error = %v", key, err)
+
+					return
+				}
+
+				reader, _, contentType, err := cache.GetVariant(key)
+				if err != nil {
+					t.Errorf("GetVariant(%s) error = %v", key, err)
+
+					return
+				}
+
+				_ = reader.Close()
+
+				if contentType != testContentTypeWebP {
+					t.Errorf("GetVariant(%s) content type = %q, want %q",
+						key, contentType, testContentTypeWebP)
+				}
+
+				err = cache.evictVariant(ctx, key)
+				if err != nil {
+					t.Errorf("evictVariant(%s) error = %v", key, err)
+
+					return
+				}
+
+				assertVariantNotFound(t, cache, key)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+
+	wg.Wait()
+}

internal/imgcache/storage.go

@@ -506,32 +506,44 @@ func (s *VariantStorage) Load(key VariantKey) (io.ReadCloser, error) {
 	return f, nil
 }
 
-// LoadWithMeta returns a reader, size, and content type for the content at
-// the given key.
-func (s *VariantStorage) LoadWithMeta(
-	key VariantKey,
-) (io.ReadCloser, int64, string, error) {
+// LoadWithSize returns a reader and file size for the content at the
+// given key.
+func (s *VariantStorage) LoadWithSize(key VariantKey) (io.ReadCloser, int64, error) {
 	path := s.keyToPath(key)
-	metaPath := path + ".meta"
 
 	f, err := os.Open(path) //nolint:gosec // path derived from cache key
 	if err != nil {
 		if os.IsNotExist(err) {
-			return nil, 0, "", ErrNotFound
+			return nil, 0, ErrNotFound
 		}
 
-		return nil, 0, "", fmt.Errorf("failed to open content: %w", err)
+		return nil, 0, fmt.Errorf("failed to open content: %w", err)
 	}
 
 	stat, err := f.Stat()
 	if err != nil {
 		_ = f.Close()
 
-		return nil, 0, "", fmt.Errorf("failed to stat content: %w", err)
+		return nil, 0, fmt.Errorf("failed to stat content: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	// Load metadata for content type
-	contentType := "application/octet-stream" // fallback
+	return f, stat.Size(), nil
+}
+
+// LoadWithMeta returns a reader, size, and content type for the content at
+// the given key. The content type is read from the .meta file, and is
+// empty when that file is missing or unreadable.
+func (s *VariantStorage) LoadWithMeta(
+	key VariantKey,
+) (io.ReadCloser, int64, string, error) {
+	f, size, err := s.LoadWithSize(key)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, 0, "", err
+	}
+
+	var contentType string
+
+	metaPath := s.keyToPath(key) + ".meta"
 
 	metaData, err := os.ReadFile(metaPath) //nolint:gosec // path derived from cache key
 	if err == nil {
@@ -541,7 +553,7 @@ func (s *VariantStorage) LoadWithMeta(
 		}
 	}
 
-	return f, stat.Size(), contentType, nil
+	return f, size, contentType, nil
 }
 
 // Exists checks if content exists at the given key.

internal/imgcache/testutil_internal_test.go

@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ const (
 	testHostExample       = "example.com"
 	testPathCat           = "/photos/cat.jpg"
 	testContentTypeJPEG   = "image/jpeg"
+	testContentTypeWebP   = "image/webp"
 	testHeaderContentType = "Content-Type"
 )
 

internal/server/cors_internal_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+package server
+
+import (
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// TestCORSOnlyOnImageRoutes verifies that the image routes answer with the
+// configured access_control_allow_origin, a preflight request included, and
+// that the login and URL generator pages send no Access-Control-Allow-Origin,
+// so no other site can read them. /metrics is left out: its middleware
+// registers with the process-wide Prometheus registry, which only one test
+// in this package can do.
+func TestCORSOnlyOnImageRoutes(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	const appOrigin = "https://app.example.com"
+
+	s := newTestServer(t)
+	s.config.AccessControlAllowOrigin = appOrigin
+	s.SetupRoutes()
+
+	requests := []struct {
+		method string
+		path   string
+		want   string
+	}{
+		{http.MethodGet, unsignedImagePath, appOrigin},
+		{http.MethodHead, unsignedImagePath, appOrigin},
+		{http.MethodOptions, unsignedImagePath, appOrigin},
+		{http.MethodGet, encryptedImagePath, appOrigin},
+		{http.MethodGet, "/", ""},
+		{http.MethodOptions, "/", ""},
+		{http.MethodPost, "/generate", ""},
+		{http.MethodGet, "/logout", ""},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range requests {
+		t.Run(tc.method+" "+tc.path, func(t *testing.T) {
+			t.Parallel()
+
+			req := httptest.NewRequestWithContext(
+				t.Context(), tc.method, tc.path, nil)
+			req.Header.Set("Origin", appOrigin)
+
+			// An OPTIONS request naming the method it asks about is the
+			// preflight a browser sends before some cross-origin requests.
+			if tc.method == http.MethodOptions {
+				req.Header.Set("Access-Control-Request-Method", http.MethodGet)
+			}
+
+			rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
+			s.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
+			t.Logf("status %d", rec.Code)
+
+			got := rec.Header().Get("Access-Control-Allow-Origin")
+			if got != tc.want {
+				t.Errorf("Access-Control-Allow-Origin = %q, want %q",
+					got, tc.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}

internal/server/maintenance_internal_test.go

@@ -13,6 +13,10 @@ import (
 // unsignedImagePath is an image URL that carries no signature.
 const unsignedImagePath = "/v1/image/cdn.example.com/cat.jpg/100x100.jpeg"
 
+// encryptedImagePath is an encrypted image URL whose token cannot be
+// decrypted.
+const encryptedImagePath = "/v1/e/token/cat.jpg"
+
 // TestMaintenanceModeRefusesImageRequests verifies that while maintenance
 // mode is on, both image routes answer 503 Service Unavailable with a
 // Retry-After header and the JSON error body the image handlers send.
@@ -28,7 +32,7 @@ func TestMaintenanceModeRefusesImageRequests(t *testing.T) {
 	}{
 		{http.MethodGet, unsignedImagePath},
 		{http.MethodHead, unsignedImagePath},
-		{http.MethodGet, "/v1/e/token/cat.jpg"},
+		{http.MethodGet, encryptedImagePath},
 	}
 
 	for _, tc := range requests {
@@ -95,7 +99,7 @@ func TestImageRequestsServedWithoutMaintenanceMode(t *testing.T) {
 	}{
 		{http.MethodGet, unsignedImagePath, http.StatusUnauthorized},
 		{http.MethodHead, unsignedImagePath, http.StatusUnauthorized},
-		{http.MethodGet, "/v1/e/token/cat.jpg", http.StatusBadRequest},
+		{http.MethodGet, encryptedImagePath, http.StatusBadRequest},
 	}
 
 	for _, tc := range requests {

internal/server/routes.go

@@ -38,7 +38,6 @@ func (s *Server) SetupRoutes() {
 		s.router.Use(s.mw.Metrics())
 	}
 
-	s.router.Use(s.mw.CORS())
 	s.router.Use(middleware.Timeout(s.config.DownstreamTimeout))
 
 	if s.sentryEnabled {
@@ -74,22 +73,31 @@ func (s *Server) SetupRoutes() {
 
 	s.router.Get("/logout", s.h.HandleLogout())
 
-	// Image routes, refused while maintenance mode is on. Only these: the
-	// image's Docker HEALTHCHECK requests the health check, a 503 there
-	// would make the container unhealthy, and upaas marks a deploy failed
-	// when its container is unhealthy.
-	s.router.Group(func(r chi.Router) {
-		r.Use(s.refuseDuringMaintenance)
+	// Image routes, the only ones that send CORS headers, as pages on other
+	// sites read them. They are a subrouter rather than a group: a group's
+	// middleware runs only for a request that matches one of its routes,
+	// and a browser's preflight OPTIONS request matches none, so the CORS
+	// middleware could not answer it.
+	s.router.Route("/v1", func(r chi.Router) {
+		r.Use(s.mw.CORS())
 
-		// Main image proxy route
-		// /v1/image/<host>/<path>/<width>x<height>.<format>
-		r.Get("/v1/image/*", s.h.HandleImage())
-		r.Head("/v1/image/*", s.h.HandleImage())
+		// Refused while maintenance mode is on. Only these: the image's
+		// Docker HEALTHCHECK requests the health check, a 503 there would
+		// make the container unhealthy, and upaas marks a deploy failed
+		// when its container is unhealthy.
+		r.Group(func(r chi.Router) {
+			r.Use(s.refuseDuringMaintenance)
 
-		// Encrypted image URL route
-		// The trailing filename (e.g., /img.jpg) is ignored but helps
-		// browsers with content type
-		r.Get("/v1/e/{token}/*", s.h.HandleImageEnc())
+			// Main image proxy route
+			// /v1/image/<host>/<path>/<width>x<height>.<format>
+			r.Get("/image/*", s.h.HandleImage())
+			r.Head("/image/*", s.h.HandleImage())
+
+			// Encrypted image URL route
+			// The trailing filename (e.g., /img.jpg) is ignored but helps
+			// browsers with content type
+			r.Get("/e/{token}/*", s.h.HandleImageEnc())
+		})
 	})
 
 	// Metrics endpoint with auth