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Generate a page-specific image, publish it at a stable public URL, and put that URL in the page’s og:image metadata. In Elixir, you can compose the bitmap with an image library, render an HTML template in a self-hosted browser service, or call a managed HTML-to-image renderer. A practical default is a 1200 × 630 pixel image, a recommendation from OG Image Generator documentation rather than a size required by the Open Graph protocol.
The metadata an Open Graph image needs
Open Graph metadata describes a page or other object to crawlers that build link previews. The core properties are og:title, og:type, og:image, and og:url. The image property is the URL of the asset representing the page. Image-specific properties include og:image:width, og:image:height, and og:image:alt.
<meta property="og:title" content="Elixir release notes">
<meta property="og:type" content="article">
<meta property="og:url" content="https://example.com/releases/1-17">
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/og/releases/1-17.png">
<meta property="og:image:width" content="1200">
<meta property="og:image:height" content="630">
<meta property="og:image:alt" content="Elixir 1.17 release notes">Use an absolute HTTPS URL that social crawlers can fetch without a login, session cookie, or JavaScript-generated redirect. Generate the file before the page is shared, or make the image endpoint generate it deterministically from the page identifier. Keep the URL stable when possible; changing it forces crawlers to discover a new asset and can leave an older preview cached.
Choose an Elixir generation strategy
| Approach | Rendering model | Design workflow | Infrastructure | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image library | Native bitmap composition in Elixir | Canvas, drawing primitives, and text APIs | Application process plus image dependencies | Predictable templates and high-volume generation without a browser |
| Self-hosted browser | HTML and CSS rendered by Chromium | Normal web templates and CSS | Elixir, Chrome, and Node.js in the documented Phoenix example | Designers and developers who want browser layout fidelity and own operations |
| Managed renderer | Hosted HTML-to-image service | Hosted HTML template or URL | External service integration | Teams that do not want to maintain browsers |
None of these sources establishes that one option is universally faster, cheaper, or easier. Select based on your template complexity, operational boundary, and tolerance for browser dependencies.
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Approach 1: Compose the image with Elixir Image
The Image project is a high-level Elixir wrapper around Vix and libvips. Its documented operations include creating images, drawing, placing text, resizing, and writing files. Check the project’s current Elixir/OTP compatibility matrix and dependency instructions for the release you install; do not assume an older matrix still applies.
Build a page-specific canvas
A typical pipeline is: choose a 1200 × 630 canvas, fill a background, draw branding and an accent, render the page title, then write a PNG (or another format your endpoint supports). Keep text length bounded and provide a fallback when a title is missing. Font availability is part of the deployment: install the fonts your template expects and test non-ASCII titles.
# mix.exs (use the versions and compatibility listed by the Image project)
defp deps do
[
{:image, "<current-compatible-version>"}
]
endThe exact drawing calls vary by Image release, so follow its current API documentation for canvas creation, text drawing, and writing. The important application boundary is a function such as render_og_image/1 that accepts page data and returns a binary or a path. Store the resulting file in object storage or expose it from a dedicated Phoenix route.
Rank #2
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Serve a deterministic Phoenix endpoint
get "/og/:slug", OgController, :showdef show(conn, %{"slug" => slug}) do
page = Catalog.get_by_slug!(slug)
image = OgRenderer.render_and_store!(page)
conn
|> put_resp_content_type("image/png")
|> send_file(200, image.path)
endIn production, cache by a key containing the page ID and a template version. If you change colors, fonts, or layout, increment that version so old files do not silently survive. Generate outside the request path for large batches, or enqueue jobs and return a placeholder until the asset is ready.
Approach 2: Render HTML in a self-hosted browser
The SavvyCal og-image project documents a Phoenix-based architecture that screenshots HTML with Puppeteer through a Node.js package. Its setup requires Elixir, Chrome, and Node.js, and its templates can be customized. This is useful when your team already knows HTML/CSS and wants browser layout behavior, gradients, web fonts, and familiar responsive markup.
Separate the renderer from your web request
- Create a dedicated HTML template whose viewport is fixed to 1200 × 630.
- Pass only the page data needed for the card; do not depend on authenticated application state.
- Have a Node/Puppeteer worker open the template, wait for fonts and images, and capture the viewport.
- Write the PNG to storage and return its public URL to Phoenix.
- Point
og:imageat that URL.
Use a fixed viewport and explicit background. Wait for a selector or for fonts to finish loading rather than relying on an arbitrary delay. Sanitize user-controlled text before inserting it into HTML, and constrain long titles with CSS so a single record cannot produce an unreadable card. Browser processes can fail because Chrome is absent, sandbox permissions differ in containers, or a remote font/image is unreachable; log the URL, browser exit status, and rendering duration.
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Approach 3: Use a managed HTML-to-image renderer
OpenGraphImage documents hosted dynamic HTML-to-image rendering and an Elixir example that constructs a URL for an og:image tag. This removes Chrome and Puppeteer from your deployment, but introduces a service dependency and its own request, caching, and availability policies. Read the provider’s current documentation for authentication, limits, and template syntax before committing to it.
Keep the integration small
Generate the provider URL from a stable page identifier and encoded template parameters. Do not put secrets or private page data in a publicly readable image URL. If the provider supports signed URLs, use them; otherwise render from a public, non-sensitive template endpoint and keep the page-specific data minimal.
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Generate, publish, and connect the asset
- Generate: Create a PNG or another supported format with page-specific title, category, and branding.
- Publish: Make the asset reachable at a public HTTPS URL with an image content type and a successful response.
- Describe: Add
og:image, plus width, height, and useful alt text. - Connect: Put the tags in the document
<head>for the canonical page, not only in a client-rendered component. - Check: Fetch the HTML and image as an unauthenticated client, verify redirects and content type, and use the preview debugger provided by each social network your audience uses.
Generate dimensions and alt text from the same page data used by the HTML title so the preview remains coherent. A 1200 × 630 canvas is a broadly compatible starting point, not a protocol mandate.
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Or skip the browser setup
ScreenshotNeo is a managed website screenshot API and MCP server. It can render your HTML page into an image without you operating Chrome:
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://example.com/og/elixir-release -o shot.webpSee the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for parameters. Cookie and consent banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets are removed before capture. Bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and response headers identify the page verdict and billing status. Its MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf for Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 screenshots. Every feature is included on every plan.
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The preview has no image
- Confirm
og:imageis an absolute URL, not a relative path. - Request the image without cookies and verify a 200 response, correct content type, and no authentication challenge.
- Check that robots, firewall, or IP allowlists are not blocking crawler requests.
The image is stale
- Use a new versioned URL when the artwork changes, or follow the platform’s cache-refresh tool.
- Ensure your CDN is not serving an old object under the same key.
Text or fonts are missing
- Install the font in the Elixir image worker or browser container.
- Wait for web fonts before taking a browser screenshot.
- Provide a system-font fallback and test accented characters.
Browser captures fail
- Verify Chrome and Node.js are installed at the versions expected by your Puppeteer setup.
- Run the browser with container-compatible sandbox settings approved by your security policy.
- Log navigation errors and make remote assets local or otherwise publicly reachable.
Generation overloads the web request
- Cache by page ID and template version.
- Queue work for bulk imports and pre-generate popular pages.
- Set timeouts, cap concurrent browser processes, and return a known placeholder while a job completes.
Operational and cost decisions
- Native composition: fewer moving parts at runtime, but you must learn the library’s drawing model and manage fonts and native dependencies.
- Self-hosted browser: HTML/CSS flexibility, with Elixir, Chrome, Node.js, process isolation, and browser lifecycle maintenance.
- Managed rendering: less infrastructure to run, with an external dependency and provider-specific limits or pricing to evaluate.
Measure your own queue latency, failure rate, storage growth, and cache hit rate. The cited project documentation describes capabilities and prerequisites, not comparative benchmarks or operating costs.
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FAQ
Does Open Graph require a 1200 × 630 image?
No. That size is a practical recommendation from an OG image guide; the protocol defines image metadata rather than one mandatory dimension.
Can I use JPEG or WebP instead of PNG?
Use a format accepted by the social crawlers serving your audience and verify it with their preview tools. PNG is a straightforward default for text-heavy cards.
Should every page have a unique image?
Unique, page-relevant images improve identification, but a site-wide fallback is preferable to an unreachable or missing asset.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Open Graph require a 1200 × 630 image?
No. That size is a practical recommendation from an OG image guide; the protocol defines image metadata rather than one mandatory dimension.
Can I use JPEG or WebP instead of PNG?
Use a format accepted by the social crawlers serving your audience and verify it with their preview tools. PNG is a straightforward default for text-heavy cards.
Should every page have a unique image?
Unique, page-relevant images improve identification, but a site-wide fallback is preferable to an unreachable or missing asset.
Quick Recap
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