# bbc/Imager.js

Responsive images while we wait for srcset to finish cooking

Repository: https://github.com/bbc/Imager.js
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/imagerjs
Language: JavaScript
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Archived: true
Last push: 2026-01-16T00:14:54+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 10/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 62, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4774, "days_push": 230, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: archived
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 3818, forks 217 (observed 2026-08-28T04:08:21.027550+00:00)

## What it is
Imager.js is a JavaScript library from BBC News developers that handles responsive image loading by replacing placeholder elements with appropriately sized images. It selects the best quality/size ratio image URL and lazy loads images to speed up page load times.

## Use cases
- load responsive images before srcset browser support
- serve appropriately sized images for different screen widths
- handle retina and HiDPI pixel density image variants
- lazy load images to improve page load performance
- avoid double asset payload when downloading images

## When to choose
- maintaining a legacy codebase that already uses Imager.js
- supporting very old browsers like IE8 where modern responsive image features are unavailable

## When to avoid
- starting a new project, since native srcset and picture elements are widely supported
- you need maintained software with active issue tracking and security updates

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: abandoned
- function: image-processing, frontend-framework
- domain: web-development, frontend
- platform: browser
- tags: responsive-images, lazy-loading, srcset-alternative, unmaintained, nodejs

## Member repositories
- bbc/Imager.js (main) score 10

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:21.027550+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T18:26:29.426090+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/bbc/Imager.js (fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:21.027550+00:00, sha 3bd37f378737)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.