---
title: Cloudflare Mirage (deprecated)
description: Lazy-load images and reduce bandwidth on mobile connections.
image: https://developers.cloudflare.com/core-services-preview.png
---

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# Cloudflare Mirage (deprecated)

Deprecation notice

Mirage was deprecated on September 15, 2025 and is no longer available.

As an alternative, Cloudflare recommends using [lazy loading](https://developers.cloudflare.com/images/tutorials/optimize-mobile-viewing/) and [responsive images](https://developers.cloudflare.com/images/optimization/make-responsive-images/) to optimize image performance for all devices.

## What was Mirage?

Cloudflare Mirage was a mobile image optimization feature that reduced bandwidth usage and accelerated image loading on slow mobile connections and HTTP/1.

Mirage worked by:

* Replacing images with low-resolution thumbnails bundled together into one file.
* Acting as a lazy loader, deferring loading of higher-resolution images until they become visible.

## Why was it deprecated?

Modern web standards and browser capabilities have evolved to provide native support for many of Mirage's features:

* Native lazy loading with the `loading="lazy"` HTML attribute.
* Responsive images using `srcset` and `<picture>` elements.
* HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 providing better performance.
* Improved mobile networks reducing the need for aggressive optimization.

## Migration path

Instead of Mirage, use:

* **[Polish](https://developers.cloudflare.com/images/polish/)** \- Seamlessly optimizes images for all browsers, not only mobile, and keeps images at full resolution.
* **[Image Resizing](https://developers.cloudflare.com/images/optimization/transformations/overview/)** \- Combined with `loading="lazy"` and `srcset` HTML attributes, provides modern responsive image delivery.
* **[Lazy loading guide](https://developers.cloudflare.com/images/tutorials/optimize-mobile-viewing/)** \- Learn how to implement native lazy loading.
* **[Responsive images guide](https://developers.cloudflare.com/images/optimization/make-responsive-images/)** \- Create images that adapt to different devices.

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