Cloudinary: uploads succeed but delivery 401s under Strict Transformations

TL;DR

Check Console Settings, Security for Strict Transformations and Restricted Media first. Either disable strict transformations or pre-register the exact transformations you serve.

Steps

1. Uploads 200ing while delivery 401s is a settings problem, not a credentials problem. Check Console Settings, Security for Strict Transformations and Restricted Media first. Either disable strict transformations or pre-register the exact transformations you serve. Test with a brand new upload after changing settings, since existing assets keep the old access rules.

When to use

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When not to use

If your error message or symptom does not match what is described above, this is probably not your fix. Search for your exact error text instead of forcing this one to fit.

Versions

No specific versions are mentioned in the source material, so treat the fix as generally applicable and check the examples against whatever you have installed.

Why this happens

The original report does not dig into a root cause. It documents the symptom and the fix that resolved it.

Source: Web (project runbook, Cloudinary 401 fix notes): files upload successfully and then return 401 Unauthorized when viewed or downloaded. Root cause was Strict Transformations or Restricted Media being enabled on the account, which blocks public delivery of anything that is not an explicitly allowed transformation. The author fixed it by unchecking strict transformations in Console Settings, Security, or by setting the upload preset to unsigned with public access mode.

Verified resolution: Uploads 200ing while delivery 401s is a settings problem, not a credentials problem. Check Console Settings, Security for Strict Transformations and Restricted Media first. Either disable strict transformations or pre-register the exact transformations you serve. Test with a brand new upload after changing settings, since existing assets keep the old access rules.

Source URL: https://github.com/bisal2003/vyapaar-agent/blob/HEAD/CLOUDINARYFIX401.md