Does Cimo Plugin Delete/Replace the Original Uploaded Image after Converting

  • Resolved NagaTheme

    (@nagatheme)


    2 weeks, 3 days ago

    Hello My Friends at Cimo,

    1. I have a technical question regarding your plugin because I am conducting an in-depth comparison of WordPress image optimization plugins.

    Could you please clarify the following behavior?

    Suppose a user uploads this file:

    example.jpg or example.png

    After your plugin optimizes and converts it to WebP, what exactly happens to the original (source) uploaded JPG/PNG file?

    To avoid any misunderstanding, I’m not asking about backup files created before optimization.

    I’m specifically asking about the original (source) uploaded image that WordPress stores in the Media Library.

    Which of the following best describes your plugin’s behavior?

    Option A

    • The original JPG/PNG remains on disk.
    • A WebP version is created alongside it.
    • Both files continue to exist on the server.

    Option B

    • After successful conversion, the original JPG/PNG is automatically deleted.
    • The optimized WebP becomes the only image stored on disk.
    • WordPress Media Library is updated to use the new image.

    2. If your plugin supports both behaviors, could you please specify:

    • Which option is the default?
    • Which settings enable each behavior?

    3. If the original JPG/PNG is deleted (Option B), are all generated WordPress image sizes (thumbnails, medium, large, etc.) also generated from the WebP image, and does this remain fully compatible with the standard WordPress Media Library and image editing features?

    Or does your plugin intentionally keep the original JPG/PNG to maintain compatibility with WordPress core and third-party plugins?

    4. If the original JPG/PNG is deleted (Option B), does it work for pre-existing images? Or just work for new uploads?

    Thank you very much for your clarification.

Viewing 1 replies (of 1 total)
  • Plugin Author Benjamin Intal

    (@bfintal)

    3 days, 11 hours ago

    Apologies for getting to you late.

    It’s neither option A nor option B.

    • What happens is the image is optimized within, your browser BEFORE it reaches your site.
    • The original image doesn’t get uploaded at all, the optimized image is the only one uploaded to your site.
    • WordPress receives only the optimized image. It is as if you uploaded an optimized image in the first place. WordPress didn’t ever see the unoptimized one.
    • All WordPress image sizes are generated from the WebP image, because as far as WP is concerned, you uploaded a WebP image.
    • All WordPress Media Library features and image editing features, or other plugin image features, should work if they all support WebP.

    I would say that the easiest way to think of how Cimo works is this: if you perform the following task below, then it would be the same as using Cimo:

    1. Pick an unoptimized image from your local files
    2. Optimize that image into a WebP image using your favorite image optimizer app
    3. Upload the resulting optimized WebP image to your WordPress site / Media Library

    (this way above, WordPress didn’t know about your unoptimized image, since it never reached the site)

    Hope this clears things up!

Viewing 1 replies (of 1 total)

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