README.md

@@ -100,6 +100,13 @@ than once, is refused with 400.
 - `<format>`: one of `orig`, `png`, `jpeg`, `webp`
 - `<size>`: `orig` or `<width>x<height>` (e.g. `800x600`)
 
+An image is served with `Cache-Control: public, max-age=<seconds>, immutable`.
+When the URL has an expiry (an `exp`, or the TTL of an encrypted URL),
+`max-age` is the whole seconds left until then, at most one year, so no browser
+or proxy cache keeps the image after pixa would refuse the URL. A URL with no
+expiry gets one year. `immutable` only stops a client revalidating while its
+copy is fresh.
+
 The login form (`POST /`) is limited to 5 attempts per minute per client
 address, counting an IPv6 client by its /64; an attempt over the limit is
 refused with 429 and a `Retry-After` header. Behind a reverse proxy the client

TODO.md

@@ -30,6 +30,13 @@ exhaustion
 
 # Completed Steps
 
+- 2026-09-29 `max-age` never outlives an expiring URL (closes #63): both image
+  routes build `Cache-Control` from the request's `Expires`, which an encrypted
+  URL's expiry now fills too; `max-age` is one year, or the whole seconds left
+  until the `exp` of a `/v1/image/` URL or the expiry of an encrypted URL when
+  that is sooner, never negative; an allowlisted host's URL that has an `exp`
+  follows it too; `immutable` stays, as freshness now ends at the expiry;
+  documented in `README.md`.
 - 2026-09-28 strip metadata from processed images (closes #82): every output is
   exported with govips' `StripMetadata`, so it carries no EXIF, XMP, IPTC or ICC
   profile; the image is first turned upright with `AutoRotate` (before sizes are

internal/encurl/encurl.go

@@ -103,7 +103,8 @@ func (g *Generator) Parse(token string) (*Payload, error) {
 }
 
 // ToImageRequest converts the payload to an ImageRequest.
-// Applies default values for omitted optional fields.
+// Applies default values for omitted optional fields. An ExpiresAt of 0, a URL
+// that never expires, gives the zero Expires.
 func (p *Payload) ToImageRequest() *imgcache.ImageRequest {
 	format := p.Format
 	if format == "" {
@@ -120,6 +121,11 @@ func (p *Payload) ToImageRequest() *imgcache.ImageRequest {
 		fitMode = DefaultFitMode
 	}
 
+	var expires time.Time
+	if p.ExpiresAt != 0 {
+		expires = time.Unix(p.ExpiresAt, 0)
+	}
+
 	return &imgcache.ImageRequest{
 		SourceHost:  p.SourceHost,
 		SourcePath:  p.SourcePath,
@@ -131,6 +137,7 @@ func (p *Payload) ToImageRequest() *imgcache.ImageRequest {
 		Format:  format,
 		Quality: quality,
 		FitMode: fitMode,
+		Expires: expires,
 	}
 }
 

internal/handlers/image.go

@@ -220,6 +220,24 @@ func (s *Handlers) respondImageError(
 	s.respondError(w, "internal error", http.StatusInternalServerError)
 }
 
+// cacheControl returns the Cache-Control header for an image served through a
+// URL that expires at expires, or never when expires is the zero time. A cache
+// may keep the image for a year, but not past the URL's expiry, after which
+// pixa refuses the URL. The seconds left are rounded down and never negative.
+// immutable only stops revalidation while the image is fresh, so it also ends
+// at the expiry.
+func cacheControl(expires time.Time) string {
+	const oneYear = 365 * 24 * time.Hour
+
+	maxAge := oneYear
+
+	if !expires.IsZero() {
+		maxAge = min(maxAge, max(time.Until(expires), 0))
+	}
+
+	return fmt.Sprintf("public, max-age=%d, immutable", int64(maxAge/time.Second))
+}
+
 // writeImageResponse writes headers and streams the image content,
 // handling conditional and HEAD requests.
 func (s *Handlers) writeImageResponse(
@@ -235,7 +253,7 @@ func (s *Handlers) writeImageResponse(
 	}
 
 	// Cache control headers
-	w.Header().Set("Cache-Control", "public, max-age=31536000, immutable")
+	w.Header().Set("Cache-Control", cacheControl(req.Expires))
 	w.Header().Set("X-Pixa-Cache", string(resp.CacheStatus))
 
 	if resp.ETag != "" {

internal/handlers/image_cache_control_internal_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,203 @@
+package handlers
+
+import (
+	"image/color"
+	"log/slog"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"strconv"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+	"testing/fstest"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/go-chi/chi/v5"
+
+	"sneak.berlin/go/pixa/internal/encurl"
+	"sneak.berlin/go/pixa/internal/imgcache"
+)
+
+// photoPath is the path of the JPEG that newSignedHostServer serves.
+const photoPath = "/images/photo.jpg"
+
+// newSignedHostServer returns a router for both image routes, and the Handlers
+// behind it, whose fetcher serves a JPEG at photoPath on signedHost. signedHost
+// is not on the allowlist, so a /v1/image/ URL for it is served only with a
+// valid signature.
+func newSignedHostServer(t *testing.T) (*Handlers, http.Handler) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	cache, err := imgcache.NewCache(setupTestDB(t), imgcache.CacheConfig{
+		StateDir:    t.TempDir(),
+		CacheTTL:    time.Hour,
+		NegativeTTL: 5 * time.Minute,
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("imgcache.NewCache() error = %v", err)
+	}
+
+	jpegData := generateTestJPEG(t, 100, 100, color.RGBA{255, 0, 0, 255})
+
+	svc, err := imgcache.NewService(&imgcache.ServiceConfig{
+		Cache: cache,
+		Fetcher: newMockFetcher(fstest.MapFS{
+			signedHost + photoPath: &fstest.MapFile{Data: jpegData},
+		}),
+		SigningKey: testSigningKey,
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("imgcache.NewService() error = %v", err)
+	}
+
+	encGen, err := encurl.NewGenerator(testSigningKey)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("encurl.NewGenerator() error = %v", err)
+	}
+
+	h := &Handlers{
+		log:    slog.New(slog.DiscardHandler),
+		imgSvc: svc,
+		encGen: encGen,
+	}
+
+	r := chi.NewRouter()
+	r.Get("/v1/image/*", h.HandleImage())
+	r.Get("/v1/e/{token}/*", h.HandleImageEnc())
+
+	return h, r
+}
+
+// getMaxAge sends a GET for target to srv, requires a 200, and returns the
+// max-age of the response's Cache-Control header, which must read
+// "public, max-age=<seconds>, immutable".
+func getMaxAge(t *testing.T, srv http.Handler, target string) int {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	req := httptest.NewRequestWithContext(t.Context(), http.MethodGet, target, nil)
+	rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
+
+	srv.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
+
+	header := rec.Header().Get("Cache-Control")
+	t.Logf("GET %s: %d, Cache-Control: %s", target, rec.Code, header)
+
+	if rec.Code != http.StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("status = %d, want %d", rec.Code, http.StatusOK)
+	}
+
+	value, hasPrefix := strings.CutPrefix(header, "public, max-age=")
+	value, hasSuffix := strings.CutSuffix(value, ", immutable")
+
+	maxAge, err := strconv.Atoi(value)
+	if !hasPrefix || !hasSuffix || err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Cache-Control = %q, want public, max-age=<seconds>, immutable",
+			header)
+	}
+
+	return maxAge
+}
+
+// TestHandleImage_SignedURL_MaxAgeEndsAtExp verifies that an image served
+// through a signed URL expiring in 60 seconds may be cached for at most those
+// 60 seconds. The lower bound of 50 shows the max-age is the time left, not 0.
+func TestHandleImage_SignedURL_MaxAgeEndsAtExp(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	h, srv := newSignedHostServer(t)
+
+	signedURL, err := h.imgSvc.GenerateSignedURL("", &imgcache.ImageRequest{
+		SourceHost: signedHost,
+		SourcePath: photoPath,
+		Size:       imgcache.Size{Width: 50, Height: 50},
+		Format:     imgcache.FormatJPEG,
+	}, time.Minute)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("GenerateSignedURL() error = %v", err)
+	}
+
+	maxAge := getMaxAge(t, srv, signedURL)
+	if maxAge < 50 || maxAge > 60 {
+		t.Errorf("max-age = %d, want 50 to 60", maxAge)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestHandleImage_AllowlistedHost_MaxAge verifies the max-age of an image from
+// an allowlisted host, which is served without checking sig or exp. A URL with
+// no exp may be cached for a year. A URL whose exp has passed is the one request
+// that reaches the header after its expiry, and must get 0, never less.
+func TestHandleImage_AllowlistedHost_MaxAge(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	pastExp := strconv.FormatInt(time.Now().Add(-time.Hour).Unix(), 10)
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name       string
+		query      string
+		wantMaxAge int
+	}{
+		{"no exp", "", 31536000},
+		{"exp already past", "?exp=" + pastExp, 0},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			t.Parallel()
+
+			fix := setupTestHandler(t)
+
+			r := chi.NewRouter()
+			r.Get("/v1/image/*", fix.handler.HandleImage())
+
+			maxAge := getMaxAge(t, r,
+				"/v1/image/"+fix.goodHost+"/images/photo.jpg/50x50.jpeg"+tt.query)
+			if maxAge != tt.wantMaxAge {
+				t.Errorf("max-age = %d, want %d", maxAge, tt.wantMaxAge)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// TestHandleImageEnc_MaxAge verifies that an image served through an encrypted
+// URL with a 60 second TTL may be cached for at most those 60 seconds, that one
+// with a two-year TTL may be cached for a year, and that one made without a
+// TTL, which never expires, may be cached for a year.
+func TestHandleImageEnc_MaxAge(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name        string
+		expiresAt   int64
+		wantAtLeast int
+		wantAtMost  int
+	}{
+		{"60 second TTL", time.Now().Add(time.Minute).Unix(), 50, 60},
+		{"two-year TTL", time.Now().Add(2 * 365 * 24 * time.Hour).Unix(), 31536000, 31536000},
+		{"no TTL", 0, 31536000, 31536000},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			t.Parallel()
+
+			h, srv := newSignedHostServer(t)
+
+			token, err := h.encGen.Generate(&encurl.Payload{
+				SourceHost: signedHost,
+				SourcePath: photoPath,
+				Width:      50,
+				Height:     50,
+				Format:     imgcache.FormatJPEG,
+				ExpiresAt:  tt.expiresAt,
+			})
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("Generate() error = %v", err)
+			}
+
+			maxAge := getMaxAge(t, srv, "/v1/e/"+token+"/img.jpg")
+			if maxAge < tt.wantAtLeast || maxAge > tt.wantAtMost {
+				t.Errorf("max-age = %d, want %d to %d",
+					maxAge, tt.wantAtLeast, tt.wantAtMost)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}

internal/handlers/image_signature_internal_test.go

@@ -14,9 +14,9 @@ import (
 )
 
 // signedHost is not on the allowlist setupTestHandler builds, so a request
-// for it needs a valid signature. No image is served for it: a request that
-// passes the signature check gets 502 from the failed fetch, and one that
-// fails the check gets 401.
+// for it needs a valid signature. setupTestHandler serves no image for it: a
+// request that passes the signature check gets 502 from the failed fetch, and
+// one that fails the check gets 401.
 const signedHost = "signed.example.com"
 
 // getImage sends a GET for target to the image route of fix and returns the

internal/handlers/imageenc.go

@@ -89,8 +89,8 @@ func (s *Handlers) HandleImageEnc() http.HandlerFunc {
 			w.Header().Set("Content-Length", strconv.FormatInt(resp.ContentLength, 10))
 		}
 
-		// Cache headers - encrypted URLs can be cached since they're immutable
-		w.Header().Set("Cache-Control", "public, max-age=31536000, immutable")
+		// Cache headers: max-age ends at the URL's expiry
+		w.Header().Set("Cache-Control", cacheControl(req.Expires))
 		w.Header().Set("X-Pixa-Cache", string(resp.CacheStatus))
 
 		// Stream the response

internal/imgcache/imgcache.go

@@ -95,7 +95,8 @@ type ImageRequest struct {
 	FitMode FitMode
 	// Signature is the HMAC signature for non-allowlisted hosts
 	Signature string
-	// Expires is the signature expiration timestamp
+	// Expires is when the URL expires: the exp of a signed URL, or the expiry
+	// of an encrypted URL; the zero time if it has none
 	Expires time.Time
 	// AllowHTTP indicates whether HTTP (non-TLS) is allowed for this request
 	AllowHTTP bool