Framework guide

Dynamic Open Graph images for Django

Add an `og:image` `Meta` in your context or template with the HTTPS URL to your OG image endpoint.

Every framework only needs a stable, absolute HTTPS og:image. OGKit gives you one URL, production templates, and query parameters for titles, images, logos, authors, products, events, jobs, and code snippets.

Server-rendered metadata is the SEO boundary

Open Graph images only help distribution when the final HTML response already contains the metadata. Most scrapers do not wait for client-side JavaScript, so React hydration, client routers, and analytics callbacks are too late. Build the OGKit URL in the server route, loader, layout, view helper, or static generation step that owns the document head.

Use one deterministic image URL per canonical page

The strongest pattern is one stable 1200x630 image URL for each canonical URL. Put the same image in Open Graph and Twitter/X metadata, keep the title aligned with the visible H1, and include page-specific context such as author, product name, release version, or docs section. That gives Slack, Discord, LinkedIn, iMessage, and browser-assisted LLM crawlers the same topic signal as the page body.

When to choose hosted templates over custom renderers

Custom Satori, Puppeteer, or screenshot routes make sense when you need arbitrary layout control. Hosted templates make more sense when the business need is repeatable: blog cards, launch pages, changelogs, docs pages, product pages, and comparison pages that should look consistent without a renderer living in every codebase.

Implementation pattern

Generate the OGKit URL before the crawler sees the HTML. That can happen during static generation, in a server route, or in the framework metadata layer. Start with the API reference, deep guides, test the URL in the Playground, then validate the deployed page with the preview debugging tools.

# views.py / context processor
from urllib.parse import urlencode
from django.conf import settings

def ogkit_image(title: str, subtitle: str | None = None) -> str:
    q = {"key": settings.OGKIT_KEY, "title": title}
    if subtitle:
        q["subtitle"] = subtitle
    return f"https://www.webmorp.art/api/og/article?{urlencode(q)}"

# template
<meta property="og:image" content="{{ og_image_url }}">
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image">
<meta name="twitter:image" content="{{ og_image_url }}">

Deeper Django notes

Context processors

For site-wide defaults, a context processor can expose a homepage card — but override per view for blog detail templates so each slug gets a unique title.

Wagtail / CMS

Map CMS title and search_description fields into OGKit query params in the page serve method so editors do not touch raw URLs.

Worked steps

Add OGKIT_KEY to Django settings from env.
Helper with urlencode.
Pass og_image_url into templates.
Verify with LinkedIn Post Inspector.

Checklist

Build og_image_url in the view/context with urllib.parse.urlencode.
Store keys in environment variables / settings.
Pass page-specific titles and descriptions.
Mirror twitter:image.

Common pitfalls

Concatenating URLs by hand
Not passing page-specific descriptions
Using private media URLs as card images
Exposing settings.OGKIT_KEY to the template context unnecessarily

When a hosted OG API makes sense

A hosted Open Graph image API is useful when you need consistent cards across many pages but do not want to maintain a custom renderer in every app. It is especially useful for docs, changelogs, launch pages, public customer pages, and content collections where the title and summary change often. For HMAC signing and rescrape workflows, see signed URLs and caching & rescrape.

Frequently asked questions

How do I add dynamic Open Graph images to Django?

Build an absolute OGKit image URL on the server or during static generation, then place it in og:image and twitter:image metadata for each important page.

Can I use OGKit with Django without a custom image route?

Yes. OGKit returns a normal 1200x630 PNG URL from template and query parameters, so you do not need to maintain a Satori, Puppeteer, or screenshot pipeline.

Where should I keep the OGKit API key?

Keep the API key in server-side environment variables, framework runtime config, or build-time secrets. Do not bundle it into client-side JavaScript.

I changed the title but Slack still shows the old card — what now?

Rebuild/redeploy so HTML has the new OGKit query, confirm with curl, then rescrape Facebook/LinkedIn. Slack often needs a new image URL (updated fields or v=). See /guides/troubleshooting.