Strava's CloudFront CDN is serving placeholder images to server requests

text

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GET https://www.strava.com/api/v3/activities/[ACTIVITY_ID]/photos

Authorization: Bearer [ACCESS_TOKEN]

json

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[

  {

    "unique_id": "abc123...",

    "urls": {

      "0": "https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/[actual-photo-path].jpg",

      "100": "https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/[actual-photo-path]_100.jpg",

      "600": "https://dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net/[actual-photo-path]_600.jpg"

    },

    "caption": "Photo caption here",

    "type": "InstagramPhoto",

    "uploaded_at": "2024-12-05T10:30:00Z",

    "created_at": "2024-12-05T10:30:00Z",

    "location": [lat, lng]

  }

]

json

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[

  {

    "unique_id": "abc123...",

    "urls": {

      "0": "https://d3nn82uaxijpm6.cloudfront.net/assets/media/placeholder-photo@4x-6c5d2aaeadca1292be72943c04ea6defe7dcd610da7dc87a1ccaad30e134b2d6.png",

      "100": "https://d3nn82uaxijpm6.cloudfront.net/assets/media/placeholder-photo@4x-6c5d2aaeadca1292be72943c04ea6defe7dcd610da7dc87a1ccaad30e134b2d6.png",

      "600": "https://d3nn82uaxijpm6.cloudfront.net/assets/media/placeholder-photo@4x-6c5d2aaeadca1292be72943c04ea6defe7dcd610da7dc87a1ccaad30e134b2d6.png"

    },

    "caption": "Photo caption here", 

    "type": "InstagramPhoto",

    "uploaded_at": "2024-12-05T10:30:00Z",

    "created_at": "2024-12-05T10:30:00Z",

    "location": [lat, lng]

  }

]

1. Photo metadata is correct - captions, timestamps, location data all appear accurate

1. Only the URLs are affected - all photo URLs point to the same placeholder image

1. Affects all photo sizes - 0, 100, 600px versions all return placeholder

1. Different CDN domain - Placeholder uses d3nn82uaxijpm6.cloudfront.net vs expected dgtzuqphqg23d.cloudfront.net

1. Server-to-server requests only - This appears to affect API requests, not web browser access

• Scope: Read permissions only (read,activity:read)

• Request frequency: Well within rate limits (< 50 requests/15min)

• Geographic spread: Testing from multiple server locations

• Time range: Issue persisted across 2+ weeks of testing

• Activity types: Affects photos on runs, rides, and other activity types

1. CDN Migration Issue: Strava may be migrating photo storage and the API is pointing to outdated/placeholder URLs during the transition

1. Server-vs-Browser Treatment: CDN might be configured to serve placeholders to server requests while allowing browser access

1. Rate Limiting Side Effect: Could be a soft rate limiting mechanism that serves placeholders instead of blocking requests

1. Photo Processing Pipeline: Photos might be temporarily replaced with placeholders during processing/optimization

1. Regional CDN Issues: Specific CloudFront edge locations may be misconfigured

1. Is anyone else experiencing this? Particularly developers making server-to-server API calls?

1. Timeline: When did this start? I first noticed it around [DATE]

1. Workarounds: Has anyone found alternative approaches to access activity photos?

1. Strava Response: Any official communication about this issue?

json

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{

  "urls": {

    "1800": "https://d3nn82uaxijpm6.cloudfront.net/assets/media/placeholder-photo@4x-[hash].png"

  }

}