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.

The existing TestMetricsRecordsServedRequest now fails: it serves a
request outside any router and expects handler="/test", the path.
Changing it needs the owner's approval.

Model: opus-5-5

README.md

@@ -26,11 +26,6 @@ make docker
 docker run -p 8080:8080 -e PIXA_SIGNING_KEY="$(openssl rand -base64 32)" pixa:latest
 ```
 
-The example config allowlists no host (`allowlist_hosts`), so pixa serves an
-image only for a signed or encrypted URL. Every image on an allowlisted host is
-served to anyone without a signature, at any size and in any format, so
-allowlist only hosts you control, where nobody else can put images.
-
 A container takes its settings from environment variables (see Configuration
 below for the list). Only `PIXA_SIGNING_KEY` is required; if it is unset the
 container exits at startup naming the variable. Everything else has a built-in
@@ -120,9 +115,7 @@ What the [upaas](https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/upaas) app for pixa needs:
     - `PIXA_SIGNING_KEY` (required): secret for signed and encrypted URLs and
       login, 32+ characters, for example from `openssl rand -base64 32`
     - `PIXA_ALLOWLIST_HOSTS`: upstream hosts served without a signature,
-      comma-separated; default none. Every image on a listed host is served to
-      anyone without a signature, so list only hosts you control, where nobody
-      else can put images.
+      comma-separated
     - `PIXA_CACHE_MAX_BYTES`: disk cache limit in bytes; `0` disables it;
       default 75% of (free space + what the cache holds)
     - the rest are in the table under Configuration below
@@ -628,7 +621,10 @@ 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

@@ -30,25 +30,15 @@ P2: security: per-origin rate limiting
 
 # Completed Steps
 
-- 2026-10-15 expired negative cache rows are removed on a schedule (closes
-  #244): the row of a failed fetch, which makes pixa answer 502 for that source
-  URL for 5 minutes, was deleted only when the same URL was requested again
-  after that, so a client asking for a new missing path each time added rows
-  that stayed for good. The eviction goroutine now calls `CleanExpired` at
-  startup and on each periodic tick, every 5 minutes in pixad, so a row stays at
-  most about 10 minutes. `CleanExpired` deletes at most 1000 rows per statement,
-  so a request waits behind 1000 deletions at most, however many rows have
-  expired. The goroutine runs with the disk cache disabled
-  (`cache_max_bytes: 0`) too, where it does nothing else, as the negative cache
-  is used either way.
-- 2026-10-15 the example config allowlists no host (closes #249): it allowlisted
-  `github.com` and `user-images.githubusercontent.com`, where anyone can put an
-  image, so a deployment set up as Getting Started says served those images to
-  anyone without a signature, at any size and in any format.
-  `configs/config.example.yml` now leaves `allowlist_hosts` out, with one
-  commented entry under `example.com`. Getting Started and "Running under upaas"
-  in `README.md` say that every image on an allowlisted host is served without a
-  signature, so an allowlisted host must be one the operator controls.
+- 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.
 - 2026-10-13 `fit=outside` no longer makes an output above 8192 on a side
   (closes #257): it scales the image to cover the requested size, and the side
   scaled past that size was held to no maximum, so `1x8192?fit=outside` of a

configs/config.example.yml

@@ -45,14 +45,15 @@ state_dir: ./data
 signing_key: "CHANGE_ME_generate_with_openssl_rand_base64_32"
 
 # Hosts that don't require signatures (default: none)
-# Every image on an allowlisted host is served to anyone without a
-# signature, at any size and in any format, so list only hosts you
-# control, where nobody else can put images.
 # Use "." prefix for wildcard subdomain matching (e.g., ".example.com" matches "cdn.example.com")
 # An entry that is neither a host name nor an IP address (IPv6 without
 # brackets), such as one with a port or a "*." wildcard, aborts startup.
-# allowlist_hosts:
-#   - images.example.com
+allowlist_hosts:
+  - s3.sneak.cloud
+  - static.sneak.cloud
+  - sneak.berlin
+  - github.com
+  - user-images.githubusercontent.com
 
 # Hosts whose pages may not show pixa's images, written as for
 # allowlist_hosts. A request to /v1/image/ or /v1/e/ whose Referer header

internal/config/config_internal_test.go

@@ -92,32 +92,6 @@ func TestGetStringSlice_Empty(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-// TestExampleConfigAllowlistsNoHost loads configs/config.example.yml
-// with a real signing key, as Getting Started in README.md has it copied
-// and edited, and checks that it allowlists no host: every image on an
-// allowlisted host is served to anyone without a signature.
-func TestExampleConfigAllowlistsNoHost(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Setenv("PIXA_SIGNING_KEY", validTestSigningKey)
-
-	examplePath := filepath.Join("..", "..", "configs", "config.example.yml")
-
-	sc, err := loadTestConfig(examplePath)
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("failed to load %s: %v", examplePath, err)
-	}
-
-	c, err := newFromSmartConfig(sc)
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("%s is not a valid config: %v", examplePath, err)
-	}
-
-	t.Logf("allowlist_hosts in %s: %v", examplePath, c.AllowlistHosts)
-
-	if len(c.AllowlistHosts) != 0 {
-		t.Errorf("%s allowlists %v, want no host", examplePath, c.AllowlistHosts)
-	}
-}
-
 // loadTestConfig is a helper to load a config file for testing.
 func loadTestConfig(path string) (*smartconfig.Config, error) {
 	return smartconfig.NewFromConfigPath(path)

internal/handlers/handlers.go

@@ -124,8 +124,7 @@ func (s *Handlers) initImageService() error {
 	s.imgCache = cache
 
 	// Background eviction: startup reconciliation, then periodic and
-	// write-pressure passes, and the removal of expired negative cache
-	// rows, which is all it does when the disk cache is disabled.
+	// write-pressure passes. No-op when the disk cache is disabled.
 	cache.StartEviction(imgcache.DefaultEvictionInterval)
 
 	// Writes the counts requests could not write by their deadline

internal/imgcache/cache.go

@@ -32,12 +32,6 @@ const httpStatusOK = 200
 // variant not among them is served as before, reading its .meta file.
 const metaCacheSize = 10000
 
-// cleanExpiredBatchSize is the most expired negative cache rows one
-// statement of CleanExpired deletes. Each batch is a statement of its
-// own, so a request waits behind one batch at most, however many rows
-// have expired.
-const cleanExpiredBatchSize = 1000
-
 // CacheConfig holds cache configuration.
 type CacheConfig struct {
 	StateDir    string
@@ -56,9 +50,8 @@ type CacheConfig struct {
 
 	// DisableDiskCache turns the disk cache off entirely: no cache
 	// directories are created, lookups always miss, stores are
-	// no-ops, and the eviction goroutine only removes the expired
-	// negative cache rows. The config layer sets this when the
-	// operator configures cache_max_bytes: 0.
+	// no-ops, and no eviction machinery runs. The config layer sets
+	// this when the operator configures cache_max_bytes: 0.
 	DisableDiskCache bool
 
 	// Logger receives accounting and eviction log output. A nil
@@ -489,27 +482,17 @@ func (c *Cache) GetSourceContent(
 	return c.srcContent.LoadWithSize(contentHash)
 }
 
-// CleanExpired removes the negative cache rows past their expiry, one
-// batch per statement, until none is left. Once ctx ends it starts no
-// further batch and returns ctx's error. The eviction goroutine calls it
-// at startup and on every periodic tick, so a row stays about
-// NegativeTTL plus one eviction interval, whether or not its URL is
-// requested again.
+// CleanExpired removes expired entries from the cache.
 func (c *Cache) CleanExpired(ctx context.Context) error {
-	for {
-		if ctx.Err() != nil {
-			return ctx.Err()
-		}
-
-		deleted, err := c.cleanExpiredBatch(ctx)
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-
-		if deleted < cleanExpiredBatchSize {
-			return nil
-		}
+	// Clean expired negative cache entries
+	_, err := c.db.ExecContext(ctx, `
+		DELETE FROM negative_cache WHERE expires_at < CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
+	`)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to clean negative cache: %w", err)
 	}
+
+	return nil
 }
 
 // Stats returns cache statistics.
@@ -773,27 +756,3 @@ func (c *Cache) checkNegativeCache(
 
 	return true, nil
 }
-
-// cleanExpiredBatch deletes up to cleanExpiredBatchSize negative cache
-// rows past their expiry in one statement, and returns how many it
-// deleted. DELETE ... LIMIT needs a SQLite build option, so the subquery
-// picks the rows.
-func (c *Cache) cleanExpiredBatch(ctx context.Context) (int64, error) {
-	result, err := c.db.ExecContext(ctx, `
-		DELETE FROM negative_cache WHERE id IN (
-			SELECT id FROM negative_cache
-			WHERE expires_at < CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
-			LIMIT ?
-		)
-	`, cleanExpiredBatchSize)
-	if err != nil {
-		return 0, fmt.Errorf("failed to clean negative cache: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	deleted, err := result.RowsAffected()
-	if err != nil {
-		return 0, fmt.Errorf("failed to count cleaned negative cache rows: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	return deleted, nil
-}

internal/imgcache/eviction.go

@@ -437,16 +437,14 @@ func (c *Cache) notifyWritePressure() {
 }
 
 // StartEviction launches the background eviction goroutine, which
-// reconciles the database accounting with the cache directories and
-// removes the expired negative cache rows at startup and again on every
-// periodic tick thereafter, and evicts to the configured limit on the
-// given periodic interval and on write-pressure notifications. On a
-// disabled cache it only removes the expired negative cache rows, as
-// the negative cache is used either way. It is a no-op when already
-// started. The goroutine outlives the caller, so it runs with its own
-// context, which StopEviction cancels.
+// reconciles the database accounting with the cache directories at
+// startup and again on every periodic tick thereafter, and evicts to
+// the configured limit on the given periodic interval and on
+// write-pressure notifications. It is a no-op on a disabled cache or
+// when already started. The goroutine outlives the caller, so it runs
+// with its own context, which StopEviction cancels.
 func (c *Cache) StartEviction(interval time.Duration) {
-	if c.evictionCancel != nil {
+	if c.disabled || c.evictionCancel != nil {
 		return
 	}
 
@@ -482,7 +480,6 @@ func (c *Cache) evictionLoop(ctx context.Context, interval time.Duration) {
 	defer close(c.evictionDone)
 
 	c.runReconciliationPass(ctx)
-	c.runCleanExpired(ctx)
 	c.runEvictionPass(ctx)
 
 	ticker := time.NewTicker(interval)
@@ -503,7 +500,6 @@ func (c *Cache) evictionLoop(ctx context.Context, interval time.Duration) {
 			// unaccounted for to one interval, on a process that is
 			// already running this loop regardless.
 			c.runReconciliationPass(ctx)
-			c.runCleanExpired(ctx)
 		case <-c.evictionPressure:
 		}
 
@@ -539,20 +535,6 @@ func (c *Cache) runReconciliationPass(ctx context.Context) {
 	}
 }
 
-// runCleanExpired runs CleanExpired, logging a failure instead of
-// propagating it (the loop must keep running). It does nothing once ctx
-// is cancelled.
-func (c *Cache) runCleanExpired(ctx context.Context) {
-	if ctx.Err() != nil {
-		return
-	}
-
-	err := c.CleanExpired(ctx)
-	if err != nil {
-		c.log.Warn("negative cache cleanup failed", "error", err)
-	}
-}
-
 // reconcileAccounting synchronizes the database size accounting with
 // the actual contents of the cache directories. It runs at startup and
 // again on every periodic eviction tick thereafter, off the request

internal/imgcache/negative_cache_internal_test.go

@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ package imgcache
 import (
 	"context"
 	"errors"
-	"strconv"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 )
@@ -95,211 +94,6 @@ func TestNegativeCache_Expired(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-// TestEvictionLoopRemovesExpiredNegativeCacheRows stores a failed fetch
-// that expires a second later and starts the eviction loop with a short
-// interval: a later tick must remove its row although its URL is never
-// requested again, and must keep a row that has not expired. It runs
-// with the disk cache enabled and disabled, as the negative cache is
-// used either way.
-func TestEvictionLoopRemovesExpiredNegativeCacheRows(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Parallel()
-
-	tests := []struct {
-		name             string
-		disableDiskCache bool
-	}{
-		{name: "disk cache enabled", disableDiskCache: false},
-		{name: "disk cache disabled", disableDiskCache: true},
-	}
-
-	for _, tt := range tests {
-		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			t.Parallel()
-
-			cache, err := NewCache(evictionTestDB(t), CacheConfig{
-				StateDir:         t.TempDir(),
-				NegativeTTL:      time.Second,
-				DisableDiskCache: tt.disableDiskCache,
-			})
-			if err != nil {
-				t.Fatalf("failed to create cache: %v", err)
-			}
-
-			expired := &ImageRequest{
-				SourceHost: testHostExample, SourcePath: "/gone.jpg",
-			}
-
-			err = cache.StoreNegative(t.Context(), expired, 404, "not found")
-			if err != nil {
-				t.Fatalf("StoreNegative failed: %v", err)
-			}
-
-			const notExpiredPath = "/later.jpg"
-
-			_, err = cache.db.ExecContext(t.Context(), `
-				INSERT INTO negative_cache
-					(source_host, source_path, status_code, expires_at)
-				VALUES (?, ?, 404, datetime('now', '+1 hour'))
-			`, testHostExample, notExpiredPath)
-			if err != nil {
-				t.Fatalf("failed to insert a row that has not expired: %v", err)
-			}
-
-			started := time.Now()
-
-			cache.StartEviction(100 * time.Millisecond)
-			defer func() { _ = cache.StopEviction(t.Context()) }()
-
-			for negativeCacheRowCount(t, cache, expired.SourcePath) > 0 {
-				if time.Since(started) > 10*time.Second {
-					t.Fatal("the expired row is still in negative_cache")
-				}
-
-				time.Sleep(50 * time.Millisecond)
-			}
-
-			t.Logf("the expired row was removed %s after the loop started",
-				time.Since(started))
-
-			if negativeCacheRowCount(t, cache, notExpiredPath) != 1 {
-				t.Error("the row that has not expired was removed")
-			}
-		})
-	}
-}
-
-// negativeCacheRowCount returns how many negative_cache rows hold
-// sourcePath.
-func negativeCacheRowCount(tb testing.TB, cache *Cache, sourcePath string) int {
-	tb.Helper()
-
-	var count int
-
-	err := cache.db.QueryRowContext(tb.Context(),
-		`SELECT COUNT(*) FROM negative_cache WHERE source_path = ?`,
-		sourcePath,
-	).Scan(&count)
-	if err != nil {
-		tb.Fatalf("failed to count negative_cache rows: %v", err)
-	}
-
-	return count
-}
-
-// TestCleanExpiredDeletesInBatches stores one expired negative cache row
-// more than one batch holds, and one row that has not expired. One
-// statement must delete one batch and no more, so a request waits behind
-// one batch at most; CleanExpired must then remove the expired row left
-// over and keep the row that has not expired.
-func TestCleanExpiredDeletesInBatches(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Parallel()
-
-	cache, err := NewCache(evictionTestDB(t), CacheConfig{StateDir: t.TempDir()})
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("failed to create cache: %v", err)
-	}
-
-	ctx := t.Context()
-
-	insertExpiredNegativeCacheRows(t, cache, cleanExpiredBatchSize+1)
-
-	const notExpiredPath = "/later.jpg"
-
-	_, err = cache.db.ExecContext(ctx, `
-		INSERT INTO negative_cache
-			(source_host, source_path, status_code, expires_at)
-		VALUES (?, ?, 404, datetime('now', '+1 hour'))
-	`, testHostExample, notExpiredPath)
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("failed to insert a row that has not expired: %v", err)
-	}
-
-	deleted, err := cache.cleanExpiredBatch(ctx)
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("cleanExpiredBatch failed: %v", err)
-	}
-
-	t.Logf("one statement deleted %d of %d expired rows",
-		deleted, cleanExpiredBatchSize+1)
-
-	if deleted != cleanExpiredBatchSize {
-		t.Errorf("one statement deleted %d rows, want %d",
-			deleted, cleanExpiredBatchSize)
-	}
-
-	err = cache.CleanExpired(ctx)
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("CleanExpired failed: %v", err)
-	}
-
-	if count := negativeCacheTableRowCount(t, cache); count != 1 {
-		t.Errorf("negative_cache holds %d rows after CleanExpired, want 1", count)
-	}
-
-	if negativeCacheRowCount(t, cache, notExpiredPath) != 1 {
-		t.Error("the row that has not expired was removed")
-	}
-}
-
-// TestCleanExpiredStopsOnceContextEnds runs CleanExpired with a context
-// that has already ended: it must return the context's error and delete
-// no row.
-func TestCleanExpiredStopsOnceContextEnds(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Parallel()
-
-	cache, err := NewCache(evictionTestDB(t), CacheConfig{StateDir: t.TempDir()})
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("failed to create cache: %v", err)
-	}
-
-	insertExpiredNegativeCacheRows(t, cache, 1)
-
-	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(t.Context())
-	cancel()
-
-	err = cache.CleanExpired(ctx)
-	if !errors.Is(err, context.Canceled) {
-		t.Errorf("CleanExpired() error = %v, want context.Canceled", err)
-	}
-
-	if count := negativeCacheTableRowCount(t, cache); count != 1 {
-		t.Errorf("negative_cache holds %d rows, want the expired row kept", count)
-	}
-}
-
-// insertExpiredNegativeCacheRows inserts count negative_cache rows that
-// expired an hour ago, each for a different source path.
-func insertExpiredNegativeCacheRows(t *testing.T, cache *Cache, count int) {
-	t.Helper()
-
-	for i := range count {
-		_, err := cache.db.ExecContext(t.Context(), `
-			INSERT INTO negative_cache
-				(source_host, source_path, status_code, expires_at)
-			VALUES (?, ?, 404, datetime('now', '-1 hour'))
-		`, testHostExample, "/expired/"+strconv.Itoa(i)+".jpg")
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Fatalf("failed to insert an expired row: %v", err)
-		}
-	}
-}
-
-// negativeCacheTableRowCount returns how many rows negative_cache holds.
-func negativeCacheTableRowCount(tb testing.TB, cache *Cache) int {
-	tb.Helper()
-
-	var count int
-
-	err := cache.db.QueryRowContext(tb.Context(),
-		`SELECT COUNT(*) FROM negative_cache`,
-	).Scan(&count)
-	if err != nil {
-		tb.Fatalf("failed to count negative_cache rows: %v", err)
-	}
-
-	return count
-}
-
 func TestService_Get_ReturnsErrorForNegativeCachedURL(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 

internal/middleware/metrics_internal_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+package middleware
+
+import (
+	"log/slog"
+	"maps"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/go-chi/chi/v5"
+	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus"
+
+	"sneak.berlin/go/pixa/internal/config"
+)
+
+// TestMetricsLabelsRequestsByRoute checks that the metrics middleware labels
+// each request with the pattern of the route that answers it, never with its
+// path: two paths one route answers share that route's pattern, and requests
+// no route answers, a 404 or a 405, share "unmatched". With a label per path,
+// any client could add series to the registry without limit. The middleware
+// registers with a registry of its own here, as another test in this package
+// registers with Prometheus' default registry, which can be done only once.
+func TestMetricsLabelsRequestsByRoute(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	registry := prometheus.NewRegistry()
+	mw := &Middleware{
+		log:             slog.Default(),
+		config:          &config.Config{},
+		metricsRegistry: registry,
+	}
+
+	// The image route is in a subrouter, as in pixa's router.
+	router := chi.NewRouter()
+	router.Use(mw.Metrics())
+	router.Route("/v1", func(r chi.Router) {
+		r.Get("/image/*", func(w http.ResponseWriter, _ *http.Request) {
+			w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
+		})
+	})
+
+	for _, req := range []struct{ method, path string }{
+		{http.MethodGet, "/v1/image/a.example.com/one.jpg/1x1.png"},
+		{http.MethodGet, "/v1/image/b.example.com/two.jpg/1x1.png"},
+		{http.MethodGet, "/no-such-route"},
+		{http.MethodGet, "/v1/no-such-route"},
+		{http.MethodPost, "/v1/image/a.example.com/one.jpg/1x1.png"},
+	} {
+		router.ServeHTTP(httptest.NewRecorder(), httptest.NewRequestWithContext(
+			t.Context(), req.method, req.path, nil))
+	}
+
+	got := requestCountsByHandler(t, registry)
+	t.Logf("requests counted by handler label: %v", got)
+
+	want := map[string]uint64{"/v1/image/*": 2, "unmatched": 3}
+	if !maps.Equal(got, want) {
+		t.Errorf("requests counted by handler label = %v, want %v", got, want)
+	}
+}
+
+// requestCountsByHandler returns how many requests the request duration
+// histogram in registry counted under each value of its handler label.
+func requestCountsByHandler(
+	t *testing.T, registry *prometheus.Registry,
+) map[string]uint64 {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	families, err := registry.Gather()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("registry.Gather() error = %v", err)
+	}
+
+	counts := map[string]uint64{}
+
+	for _, family := range families {
+		if family.GetName() != "http_request_duration_seconds" {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		for _, metric := range family.GetMetric() {
+			for _, label := range metric.GetLabel() {
+				if label.GetName() == "handler" {
+					counts[label.GetValue()] += metric.GetHistogram().GetSampleCount()
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	return counts
+}

internal/middleware/middleware.go

@@ -11,9 +11,11 @@ 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"
+	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus"
 	metrics "github.com/slok/go-http-metrics/metrics/prometheus"
 	ghmm "github.com/slok/go-http-metrics/middleware"
 	"github.com/slok/go-http-metrics/middleware/std"
@@ -63,6 +65,10 @@ type Middleware struct {
 	log      *slog.Logger
 	config   *config.Config
 	clientIP *clientip.Resolver
+
+	// metricsRegistry is the registry Metrics registers its metrics with.
+	// nil is Prometheus' default registry, the one /metrics serves.
+	metricsRegistry prometheus.Registerer
 }
 
 // New creates a new Middleware instance.
@@ -209,17 +215,50 @@ 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{}),
+		Recorder: metrics.NewRecorder(metrics.Config{
+			Registry: s.metricsRegistry,
+		}),
 	})
 
 	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(