Vulcan

Vulcan is an image processing API which retrieves an image from an arbitrary backend store and applies various image transformations on-the-fly.

Interaction with Vulcan is done via a designated CDN url, usually specific to the API or brand interacting with Vulcan.

Transformations are specified in both the URL for the image, and, in the case of a Copilot API, on the photo entity itself, within the API.

During processing, images go through a rigorous image compression pipeline, the same pipeline used by Google PageSpeed to determine potential image optimizations.

All image processing and optimization is done via an in-house native node module, ripcord.

Copilot API

For Copilot API-powered sites, image processing parameters are specified on the photo document, which are usually updated by editorial teams via the Copilot CMS.

These are then augmented by the URL parameters which are usually specified by the frontend, in order to generate the appropriate image for the layout.

WordPress support

Currently, Vulcan supports on-the-fly image processing for select WordPress sites. The primary difference is Vulcan will not crop WordPress images, by design.

See Constructing a Vulcan URL for more information on the differences between interacting with Vulcan with a WordPress site.

Contents:

• Using Vulcan
  • CDN URLs
  • Constructing a Vulcan URL
• Vulcan Image Transformations
  • Supported URL parameters
  • restrictCropping images
  • override images
  • Aspect ratios
  • The pass parameter
  • Resizing
  • Cropping
  • Resize restrictions

Indices and tables

• Index
• Search Page