carrierwaveuploader/carrierwave · error · CarrierWave::ProcessingError

errors.messages.processing_error

Error message

errors.messages.processing_error

What it means

Raised as CarrierWave::ProcessingError by the ruby-vips pipeline in CarrierWave::Vips (around line 298) when builder.call or the subsequent move/format change raises ::Vips::Error. libvips errors are terse and low-level ('not a known file format', 'unsupported image type', loader errors), and all of them collapse into this generic processing error.

Source

Thrown at lib/carrierwave/processing/vips.rb:298

    #
    # [CarrierWave::ProcessingError] if processing failed.
    def vips!
      builder = ImageProcessing::Vips.source(current_path)
      builder = yield(builder)

      result = builder.call
      result.close

      FileUtils.mv result.path, current_path

      if File.extname(result.path) != File.extname(current_path)
        move_to = current_path.chomp(File.extname(current_path)) + File.extname(result.path)
        file.content_type = Marcel::Magic.by_path(move_to).try(:type)
        file.move_to(move_to, permissions, directory_permissions)
      end
    rescue ::Vips::Error
      message = I18n.translate(:"errors.messages.processing_error")
      raise CarrierWave::ProcessingError, message
    end

  private

    def resolve_dimensions(*dimensions)
      dimensions.map do |value|
        next value unless value.instance_of?(Proc)
        value.arity >= 1 ? value.call(self) : value.call
      end
    end

    def vips_image
      ::Vips::Image.new_from_buffer(read, "")
    end

  end # Vips
end # CarrierWave

View on GitHub (pinned to b5f0abe10e)

Solutions

1. Verify libvips can decode the formats you accept on the server (vips --list classes / vipsheader -a test.heic) and install missing loader packages (libheif, librsvg, etc.)
2. Sniff the content type with Marcel before processing and reject non-images early
3. Rescue CarrierWave::ProcessingError in the upload flow and return a friendly validation error
4. If a specific format is required, keep that format's delegate available or restrict the uploader's extension allowlist to what vips supports

Example fix

# before
class ImageUploader < CarrierWave::Uploader::Base
  include CarrierWave::Vips
  process resize_to_limit: [1200, 1200] # heic on loader-less libvips -> ProcessingError
end

# after
class ImageUploader < CarrierWave::Uploader::Base
  include CarrierWave::Vips
  process resize_to_limit: [1200, 1200]

  def extension_allowlist
    %w(jpg jpeg png webp) # only formats the deployed libvips can load
  end
end

require 'vips'

def vips_readable?(path)
  Vips::Image.new_from_file(path, access: :sequential)
  true
rescue Vips::Error
  false
end

before_cache do |file|
  raise CarrierWave::ProcessingError, :unsupported_image unless vips_readable?(file.path)
end

begin
  uploader.store!
rescue CarrierWave::ProcessingError
  errors.add(:image, :processing_failed)
end

When it happens

Trigger: An uploader including CarrierWave::Vips processing (process resize_to_limit, version blocks, or format conversion) where libvips cannot load the input — corrupt bytes, a non-image, or a format whose loader is not compiled into the installed libvips (e.g. heif, svg, some TIFF variants).

Common situations: Deploying to Docker/Alpine images where libvips lacks optional loaders; users uploading HEIC from phones on a server without libheif; switching an uploader from mini_magick to vips without re-checking format support; truncated uploads.

Related errors

• errors.messages.processing_error
• errors.messages.processing_error
• errors.messages.content_type_allowlist_error
• errors.messages.content_type_denylist_error
• errors.messages.min_width_error

AI-assisted analysis of carrierwaveuploader/carrierwave@b5f0abe10e (2026-08-21). Data as JSON: /api/errors/e337f16bc1dd64ee. Report an issue: GitHub.