RocketMVPRocketMVP
Important for many MVPs

Image Processing for MVPs

Resize, optimize, transform, and deliver images efficiently for web and mobile applications.

2-4 days
Typical Timeline
$500 - $2,000
Typical Cost

When to Include

  • User-uploaded images (profiles, products)
  • Image-heavy content
  • Multiple image sizes needed
  • Performance is critical

When to Skip

  • No images in the product
  • Only a few static images

Technology Options

TechnologyProsCons
Cloudinary
Full-featured media management
  • On-the-fly transforms
  • CDN included
  • AI features
  • Easy API
  • Cost at scale
  • Vendor lock-in
Imgix
Real-time image processing CDN
  • Fast transforms
  • Bring your storage
  • Good pricing
  • Separate storage needed
  • Less features than Cloudinary
Sharp
High-performance Node.js image processing
  • Free
  • Very fast
  • Full control
  • Self-hosted
  • No CDN included
  • More code
Next.js Image
Built-in Next.js image optimization
  • Zero config
  • Automatic optimization
  • Built-in
  • Vercel optimized
  • Limited transforms
  • Less control

Implementation Steps

1
Audit image requirements (sizes, formats)
2
Choose processing approach
3
Set up image upload with processing
4
Define responsive image sizes
5
Implement lazy loading
6
Configure CDN for delivery
7
Add format optimization (WebP, AVIF)
8
Monitor image performance

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Serving original large images
  • Not using WebP/AVIF formats
  • Missing lazy loading
  • No responsive images
  • Ignoring Cumulative Layout Shift
  • Not compressing enough

Frequently Asked Questions

Process images on upload or on-demand?

On-demand (Cloudinary, Imgix) for flexibility and less storage. Pre-process for predictable sizes and reduced latency. Most MVPs benefit from on-demand.

What image format should I use?

WebP as default (90% browser support), AVIF for cutting-edge, JPEG fallback. Use <picture> element or CDN auto-format detection.

How do I handle user-uploaded images?

Validate file type, limit size, strip metadata, resize to max dimensions, compress, convert to WebP, store with unique names.

Related Features

File Uploads

Secure file upload handling for images, documents, and media with storage and delivery optimization.

Learn more

Need Help Implementing Image Processing?

We'll build it right the first time. Image Processing is included in our $3,999 MVP package.

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